Evaluation Team Leader

BackgroundSoCha LLC is applying to serve as the prime contractor for the multi-country evaluation of UNICEF’s Building Resilience in the Sahel (BRS) Programme (2023–2027), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. The programme aims to strengthen resilience capacities of children, adolescents, women, and communities in fragile and crisis-affected settings through an integrated approach across health, nutrition, WASH, education, child protection, and social protection, with emphasis on community engagement, local governance, social cohesion, and the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus. The evaluation will focus on accountability and learning, assess performance against OECD-DAC criteria (excluding impact), and ensure strong integration of gender, equity, and human rights (GEHR) in both evaluation design and analysis.Overview of the PositionThe Evaluation Team Leader will provide overall technical leadership and management for the evaluation, ensuring methodological rigour, effective coordination of a multi-country team, and timely delivery of high-quality evaluation products that meet UNEG/UNICEF standards (including GEROS requirements). The Team Leader will also ensure effective coordination between international and national consultants, and maintain strong communication with UNICEF and the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) throughout the evaluation cycle.Key ResponsibilitiesThe Team Leader will be responsible for the following:* Coordinate the evaluation team and ensure the design of the evaluation, the management of the evaluation process, the quality assurance, and the delivery of the expected products in close collaboration with the other members of the team. * Conduct the evaluation applying an approach that is conducive to the transfer of competencies to the national members of the evaluation team. * Lead the inception phase, including desk review, stakeholder consultations, development of the evaluation matrix, methodological approach, sampling strategy, and data collection tools. * Ensure ethical compliance and the integration of child-sensitive and adolescent-inclusive approaches. * Oversee planning and execution of fieldwork across the five countries, including training and supervision of national consultants and enumerators, and quality control of data collection processes. * Lead analysis and synthesis of qualitative and quantitative findings, ensuring robust triangulation and clear evidence chains. * Lead preparation of country-level and consolidated regional evaluation reports, ensuring clarity, consistency, and compliance with UNICEF reporting standards. * Lead country debriefings, validation workshops, and stakeholder engagement processes, including presentation of preliminary findings and facilitation of recommendation validation processes. * Ensure all deliverables incorporate feedback from UNICEF and the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) and meet required quality standards. * Ensure that evaluation findings, conclusions, and recommendations are clearly linked, evidence-based, and presented in a manner that supports both accountability and learning objectives. * Support the development of practical and prioritized operational and strategic recommendations for UNICEF WCARO, Country Offices, government counterparts, and partners.DeliverablesThe Team Leader will lead and ensure timely delivery of key outputs, including:* Country-level inception reports (max 30 pages + annexes), including evaluation matrix, sampling strategy, evaluability analysis, ethics considerations, detailed workplan with Gantt chart and LOE per team member, finalized data collection tools, and initial key informant list. * Data collection instruments and field protocols (including ethical safeguards). * Country debriefing PowerPoint presentations on preliminary findings and conclusions. * Draft and final country evaluation reports (French and English), aligned with UNEG and GEROS standards. * Evaluation synthesis briefs for external audiences (1–2 pages) for each country. * Consolidated regional evaluation report (English). * Final evaluation policy briefs (country and regional) and final dissemination PowerPoint presentations, incorporating ERG feedback. * Submission of cleaned datasets, transcripts, and raw data packages to UNICEF. * Facilitation/support to findings and recommendations validation workshops. * Support to development of an action plan / management response. * One-page infographic summarizing key evaluation messages for dissemination. * Regular progress updates to SoCha and UNICEF during fieldwork and reporting phases.Reporting and CoordinationThe Team Leader will report to SoCha’s Evaluation Manager and work closely with UNICEF WCARO, UNICEF Country Offices, and the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG), ensuring clear communication, timely updates, and high-quality deliverables. The Team Leader will be expected to manage multiple iterative review cycles and ensure timely integration of stakeholder feedback into all key deliverables.Required Qualifications and Experience* Advanced university degree in evaluation, child protection, public health, social science research or another relevant field. * More than 10 years of experience in programme and humanitarian evaluation and must have completed at least three high quality humanitarian or resilience-related evaluation in that period (a copy of an evaluation report, which the Team Leader has been a primary author of, will need to be submitted by shortlisted applicants). * Have a strong command of quantitative and qualitative methods of research and evaluation methods based on equity, human rights and gender. * Have excellent oral and written communication skills in French and English as well as skills in facilitation of participatory processes. * Familiarity multi-country evaluations and child-centred evaluation methods will be an asset. * Must be familiar with humanitarian evaluation approaches and participatory approaches. * Good work experience in rural communities of West Africa, particularly in the Sahel. * Good knowledge of UNICEF approaches. * Previous evaluations in resilience-related areas will be an asset. * Demonstrated ability to manage complex multi-country evaluation workflows and deliver high-quality outputs under tight timelines.Expected Level of EffortApproximately 90 working days over April 2026 - January 2027, including inception, fieldwork oversight, analysis, reporting, and validation/dissemination. Exact allocation across phases will be confirmed through the approved inception work plan.HOW TO APPLYTo submit your application, kindly provide your CV using the form provided below.To apply before 24 February 2026.