Evaluation and Research Analyst (ERA) [Open to Tier 0, 1 & 2 applicants]

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of UNDP supports accountability and learning by providing independent, credible, and useful evaluative evidence to the Executive Board and the management of UNDP, UNCDF and UNV. The structural independence of the Office underpins and guarantees its freedom to conduct evaluations and report evaluation results to the Executive Board. The IEO conducts independent evaluations and other activities according to its programme of work approved by the Executive Board. 

The IEO has five Workstreams: Country Programme Evaluation; Corporate and Thematic Evaluation, Capacity Development and Decentralized Evaluation; Knowledge and Data Management and Operations and has regionalized its operations since 2023. The IEO has fiduciary responsibilities for the UN Evaluation Group Secretariat, including Travel, Procurement, Human Resources and Finances operational lines.

The work of the IEO includes:

• Conducting independent country programme, corporate, and thematic evaluations insuring strategic and representative coverage of UNDP programmes and results against national, regional and global scales
• Developing evaluation standards, procedures, criteria and methodological guidance for UNDP evaluations, and contributing to innovation in evaluation methodologies and tools, including AI-enabled analytics, and dissemination of good practices
• Synthesizing evidence and lessons from evaluations to inform UNDP and its development partners global, regional and country programming and strategies
• Assessing the quality of decentralized evaluations of UNDP, UNCDF and UNV, and monitoring compliance with best international evaluation and data collection standards, including the UNEG norms and standards, code of conduct and ethical guidelines
• Communicating its evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations through multiple channels and maintaining a searchable, publicly accessible repository of all UNDP, UNCDF and UNV evaluations, and respective management responses and resulting actions
• Supporting the development of communities of practice, and partnering with professional evaluation networks to improve evaluation utility and credibility
• Engaging in system-wide and joint UN evaluations
• Supporting evaluation capacity development and national ownership and leadership in evaluation through country-led and joint evaluations

 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Evaluation and Research Analyst (ERA) will provide critical analytical support to the IEO’s evaluation work, primarily contributing to independent country programme evaluations (ICPEs) and support to other sections in the office. The ideal candidate has practical experience conducting or contributing to evaluations, with strong research background and understanding of evaluation methodologies. They can apply mixed methods, research rigor and complex data analytics, and leverage emerging technologies including artificial intelligence to strengthen the evidence base of findings and generate useful insights into evaluations. 

The ERA will be a vital member of the IEO Country Programme Evaluation section (CPE), contributing to the technical quality of evaluations and to the section’s evaluation and research methods. This role combines applied evaluation practice with strong research and data analytics skills and is suited to candidates who want to build evaluation expertise while contributing measurably to independent evaluations that inform country programmes and development strategies. 

 

The specific tasks include, but not limited to, the following: