Consultant/s Evaluator(Or Firm Of Consultants)

General Context of the Project   Terre des Hommes Italia (TDH IT) is an International NGO member of the international federation Terre des Hommes. TDH IT is the leader NGO of a Consortium formed by 6 local NGOs / implementing partners operating in the Palestinian camps and gatherings in the field of Remedial/Retention Education activities. “Towards Inclusive Education – Increasing education opportunities for refugee girls and boys living in Lebanon” is a UNICEF funded project, which aims to contribute to the enhancement of education opportunities for vulnerable refugees in Lebanon. The project aims at integrating components of non-formal and formal education, backing the Learning Support Programme implemented inside UNRWA schools for children at risk of dropping out, with delivery of activities conducted in 15 Learning Spaces / Community Centres in 15 locations of Lebanon, within the Palestinian communities. The main activities conducted in the 15 Learning Spaces are: remedial classes, language support classes, homework support classes and basic literacy and numeracy courses for out-of-school children.   General Context of the Position   This is a final evaluation, to be conducted during the final phase of the project implementation, in order to properly assess the overall impact of the action. The findings of the evaluation will be used furthermore to provide recommendations for future projects to be executed by TDH IT in Lebanon.   The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the overall effectiveness of the intervention, its best practices, the lessons learned and the recommendations for the way forward. Through the Evaluation, TDH IT intends also to increase its accountability towards all community stakeholders, towards the beneficiaries and the donor UNICEF. TDH IT is currently looking for a consultant expert (or a firm of consultants) in the field of education. The candidate shall have a proven experience in managing short-term interventions in Middle East countries, with a focus on education. S/he is required to have advanced communication skills, perfect command of English and Arabic languages, as well as the ability to work in liaison with organizations, institutions and beneficiaries of the Palestinian camps and communities of Lebanon. The consultancy will be regulated by a consultant contract, with total duration of 25 days: the time dedicated to field activities and research is foreseen as minimum 10 days, while additional 15 days could serve for literature research, desk-review and in general for the drafting of the evaluation report to be submitted to TDH IT for revision and comments. Additional 5 days will be allowed to modify the report based on the requests raising from TDH IT and to submit the final version of the report.   The consultant (or the firm of consultants) must be able to perform the field research inside the Palestinian camps and gatherings in full autonomy; however, where possible TDH IT will facilitate the conduction of all field activities in order to guarantee a smooth execution of the evaluation.     Main responsibilities and tasks   The consultant/s will be in charge of the evaluation of the project progresses and will be required to coordinate his/her activities with TDH IT staff and with the local partners. The Final Evaluation will mainly analyse the following dimensions of the project: Pertinence and quality of the project design; Effectiveness of project implementation in relation to project targets and activities; Effectiveness of the overall action and of each specific activity; Impact on beneficiaries and on the communities targeted; Sustainability.   Specifically, the consultant/s will evaluate the above-mentioned aspects in relation to each of the following: Quality of the educational services provided by the implementing partners of the Consortium, providing recommendations for improvement and analysis of best practices and lessons learned; Quality of the monitoring system put in place by TDH IT and by the implementing partners during the implementation of the project; Quality and pertinence of the data reported from the various centres/schools monitored, and of the follow-up on targets and achievements; Impact of the project on target groups, beneficiaries and other local stakeholders Evaluate whether relevant sector minimum standards have been met by the project activities   In addition to the abovementioned, the consultant/s will: Provide feedback to the Project Manager on the relevance of the project strategies and activities designed and provide recommendations for the design of the education activities in view of the continuation of consortium projects within the Palestinian Camps of Lebanon; Assess and report risks and challenges faced by all Consortium Partners during the implementation of the program; Provide feedbacks to TDH IT management on the relevance of the M&E tools used during the implementation of the project      Experience Required Degree in Education field or disciplines related to the vacancy; Proven record of consultancies for performance of External Program Evaluation; Minimum 5 years of experience in coordination, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian assistance and/or developmental projects; Demonstrated excellent analytical, writing and reporting skills; Strong communication and facilitation skills and ability to establish good working relationships with colleagues and partners in sensitive environments; Must demonstrate strong interpersonal and motivational skills and sensitivity to the local environment as well as the ability to work in autonomy or with minimal supervision; Ability to effectively manage the available time and resources and to work under tight deadlines; Ability to independently undertake regular field visits inside the Palestinian Camps and gatherings of all Lebanon and interact with different institutions and stakeholders; Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic; Proficiency in Microsoft Office;  The following will be considered an asset: Previous knowledge of the Palestinian camps, gatherings and communities in Lebanon, and of the main education stakeholders involved (especially UNRWA education system)   Deliverables   1 Final External Evaluation Report to be delivered at latest by the 24th of December 2017, comprehensive of recommendations section aimed at the design of education activities in view of the continuation of consortium projects within the Palestinian Camps of Lebanon;