Research Analyst

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

28 December 2024-23:59-GMT+01:00 Central European Time (Rome)

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website:
WHY JOIN WFP?- WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.- WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.- WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.- A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.- We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE: Research Analyst Consultant

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Regular Consultant

UNIT/DIVISION: Office of Evaluation (OEV)

DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome

DURATION: 11 Months ( February 2025 - January 2026)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The World Food Programme (WFP) evaluation function aims to contribute to achieving zero hunger by assessing WFP activities, generating a strong evidence base of the organization’s successes and lessons that can be incorporated into future policies and programmes. Evidence is identified as one of six enablers in the WFP Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and was foremost among current WFP policies to inform the direction of the updated WFP Evaluation Policy 2022, approved by the Executive Board in March 2022.

WFP’s Office of Evaluation (OEV) commissions and manages centralized evaluations covering corporate strategies and policies; global programmes; strategic issues and themes; corporate emergencies; and Country Strategic Plans (CSPs). The WFP evaluation function is based on the UNEG evaluation principles of independence, credibility and utility. Application of these principles ensures evaluation quality, enhancing accountability and learning throughout WFP to improve performance and results.

According to the evaluation function workplan for 2025-2027 and to WFP’s evaluation coverage norms, WFP’s OEV workload is expected to vary over time with a high number of ongoing as well as planned new centralized evaluations to be commissioned between the first half of 2025 and first half of 2026. Evaluation Managers are appointed at the outset of each evaluation process. In addition, for each individual evaluation, a Research Analyst (RA) is required to support in the preparation, inception, field mission, data analysis and reporting, and dissemination phases of the evaluations.

WFP’s OEV is currently looking for at least one RA Consultant to support research and data analysis of ongoing and planned centralized evaluations. The RA Consultant(s) to be recruited under the present terms of reference is expected to contribute in the areas of data management, knowledge management, support to quality assurance of evaluation deliverables, and support in the management of the evaluation. The overall supervision of the RA will be provided by the Head of Analytics and Research Unit (ARU). In addition, he/she will report to the evaluation officers managing the evaluations that the RA will be assigned to support.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Centralized evaluations: Research and data analysis (approx 85%)

Provision of research and analysis support to centralized evaluations will entail:
Data analysis and management: This includes an assessment of relevant datasets to be used for the evaluation in question; proactive, effective and efficient data collection (qualitative and quantitative) from relevant sources, including WFP corporate data systems; systematic management of data sources; assessment of data reliabilty and validity;, data analysis and visualization.

Knowledge management: this includes set up of the evaluation library and populating it in a timely and accessible manner with all relevant documents for the independent evaluation team; maintenance of evaluation related documents in Teams channels (accessible internally and externally) and timely update of WFP Evaluation Management Information System.

Support to evaluation’s deliverab