International Consultant

The Position:

Two decades after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Liberia continues to face structural vulnerabilities. A significant portion of the population—particularly marginalized and "at-risk" youth—remains excluded from economic opportunities, governance, and essential social services. Substance abuse has become a primary driver of community tension and human rights violations, with nearly 20% of Liberian youth regularly using illicit drugs, leaving them vulnerable to stigmatization, law enforcement abuse, and political exploitation.
In response, the Government of Liberia and the United Nations established the ten-year At-Risk Youth Empowerment Programme (A-YEP), which evolved into the National Drug and Substance Abuse Programme (NADSAP). Under this framework, the UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) approved the joint project "Enhancing Social Cohesion through Rehabilitation and Empowerment of Marginalized Youth in Liberia" in 2023. Implemented across Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties by UNFPA, UNICEF, and WHO alongside government and civil society partners, the initiative centers on three core outcomes: 

Outcome 1: Enhancing social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between marginalized youth and their communities.
Outcome 2: Strengthening national and sub-national institutional accountability to youth needs.

Outcome 3: Expanding access to drug addiction treatment, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) services.
As the project ends its 40-month operational cycle on December 28, 2026, UNFPA Liberia is hiring an International Consultant to lead an independent final evaluation in partnership with a National Consultant.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff who embody these international norms and standards and will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact sustained results, ensuring effective external relations, communications, partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results

Scope of Work:

The evaluation will be conducted in Montserrado and Grand Bassa Counties. The targeted respondents of the evaluation include the marginalized young men and women (including the active drug users, former drug users, marginalised youths recovering from substance use, rehabilitated youths including the marginalised youths currently receiving rehabilitation and drug related treatment services within the Project) students and teachers, community members, community leaders, law enforcement agencies (LNP, LDEA), line ministries (MYS, MOH, MOGCSP, MOJ, MoE), civil society organizations including CBOs, FBOs, youth groups /organizations, rehabilitation organizations health/MHPSS/GBV, SRHR service providers, County level leadership, and participating UN agencies (UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, UNDP, UNIDO).
The evaluation will cover the full implementation period and assess achievements across all outcomes, outputs, and cross-cutting themes in strict alignment with the UNFPA Evaluation Handbook. Specifically, it will focus on:

● Gender equality and women's empowerment;
● Human rights-based approaches;
● Youth participation and inclusion;
● Disability inclusion where applicable;
● Conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding outcomes;
● Effectiveness of multi-agency coordination (including government-UN coordination) and management arrangements;
● Sustainability of rehabilitation and reintegration mechanisms.

The consultant shall adopt a theory-based, highly participatory evaluation methodology that ensures women, men, girls, young people in recovery, active drug users, community members, and service providers are meaningfully consulted and represented. As part of this approach, the consultant shall reconstruct and evaluate
the project's Theory of Change (ToC), analyzing its internal logic and coherence to explain how project interventions directly contribute to results aligned with UNFPA’s strategic objectives.
Furthermore, the consultant shall ensure all evaluation activities and deliverables comply with UNFPA’s Evaluation Quality Assurance and Assessment (EQAA) standards. Every deliverable—including the Inception Report, Draft Evaluation Report, and Final Evaluation Report—will be evaluated using the UNFPA EQA system. The consultant must also ensure that the Final Evaluation Report includes all mandatory administrative and methodological annexes, such as the Stakeholder Map, List of Interventions, and Financial Data

Duration and working schedule:

The consultancy will last three (3) months, from November 2026 to January 30, 2027.
1. Inception Report
● Evaluation matrix;
● Methodology;
● Data collection instruments;
● Detailed work plan.
2. Stakeholder Entry and Inception Meeting
● Presentation of evaluation design;
● Agreement on methodology and work plan.
3. Field Data Collection and Debrief Report
● Summary of field activities completed;
● Preliminary findings and observations.
4. Draft Evaluation Report
● Submitted for review by UN agencies and stakeholders.
5. Validation Workshop and Presentation
● Presentation of emerging findings;
● Collection of stakeholder feedback.
6. Final Evaluation Report
● Incorporating all comments and recommendations received from the review
process and validation workshop

Deliverables Schedule and Payment Milestones

Deliverable                                                       Timeline (working days)
Draft Inception Report                                        Day 10
Stakeholder Entry Meeting                                 Day 15
Approved Inception Report                                Day 15
Data Collection and Debrief Report                    Day 30
Draft Evaluation Report                                       Day 45
Validation Workshop                                           Day 50
Final Evaluation Report                                       Day 60
All payments shall be subject to satisfactory review and approval of deliverables by UNFPA and participating UN agencies.

Place where services are to be delivered:

The Evaluator will work in the UNFPA Liberia Country Office, located in Monrovia, for a period of 4-5 weeks (from inception or design to the data collection phase) and remotely for data analysis and report writing.

Supervisory arrangements:

The International Evaluation Team Leader shall report directly to the UNFPA Programme Specialist for Data, Evidence and Results-Based Management under the overall supervision of the Deputy Representative. The consultant shall work closely with the Evaluation Reference Group/Technical Working Group comprising representatives of UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, relevant government ministries, and key stakeholders.

Expected travel:

The Evaluator will travel to Montserrado and Grand Bassa counties for fieldwork and data collection

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

The evaluation will be conducted by an independent international and national team of consultants meeting the following requirements: International Evaluation Team Leader.
● Minimum 5-10 years of experience leading evaluations of complex development, peacebuilding, governance, public health, youth, or social cohesion programmes;
● Demonstrated experience conducting UN or Peacebuilding Fund evaluations;
● Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills;
● Experience applying OECD-DAC evaluation criteria;
● Expertise in gender-responsive and human rights-based evaluations;

Experience working in fragile and post-conflict contexts;
● Excellent report writing and presentation skills;
● Demonstrated ability to work in a team;
● Good command of information and communication technology and data
visualization tools;
● Strong organizational skills, communication skills, and writing skills
 

Evaluation Methodology:

The consultancy will use a mixed-methods, participatory, and gender-sensitive approach that prioritizes the "Do No Harm" principle. The evaluation will take a theory-based approach, utilizing the project’s Theory of Change (TOC) as the analytical framework. The evaluator is expected to examine the validity of the causal links between inputs, activities, outputs, intermediate outcomes, and long-term impact. If the ToC is found to be incomplete or implicit, the evaluator shall reconstruct the ToC in consultation with key stakeholders. Evaluation questions must test the critical assumptions, contextual risks, and drivers of change identified in the project design. The following will be conducted or considered during evaluation:
Desk Review: 

Conduct a thorough analysis of core project documents, including the PBF Signed Project Document, baseline mapping reports, annual/semi-annual PBF progress reports, M&E data, training, manuals, activity reports, and legal/policy frameworks.
Quantitative Data Collection: 

Primary data collection (survey/KAP assessments) matching indicators in the Results Framework to measure shifts in perception, drug abstinence levels, and service access.

Qualitative Field Research:
● Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): 

Conducted with representatives from UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, UNIDO, UNDP, MYS, MoE, MOH, MOJ (Probation Department/LDEA, LNP, Justice Actors), PBF Secretariat, CSOs, and youth organisations; county leadership, LRRRC management
● Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): 

Organized with marginalized young men, young women (including participants in the women's peer network
groups), community members and leaders, and family members of rehabilitated youth.The evaluation will adhere to standard OECD-DAC criteria, tailored to the Peacebuilding Fund's evaluation guidelines: Relevance
● To what extent did the project address key drivers of youth marginalization, drug abuse, and community tension in the targeted counties? 

How well did the project design incorporate gender-responsive approaches, specifically through initiatives like the "Sister's Torch" model?
Coherence

To what extent was the project aligned with national policies, strategies, and frameworks, including NADSAP?
● How effectively did the project complement and coordinate with related government, UN, donor, and civil society initiatives?
● What synergies were achieved through the joint UN agency implementation model?
● Were duplication risks minimized and complementarities maximized?
Effectiveness
● To what extent were the project’s planned outputs and outcomes achieved against the indicator targets set in the Results Framework?
● To what extent did the capacity-building efforts for law enforcement (LNP/LDEA) result in measurable reductions in police brutality and human rights violations against marginalized youth?
● How effective were the MHPSS, SRHR, and detoxification services in facilitating recovery and community reintegration?

Efficiency
● To what extent were financial and human resources allocated and utilized efficiently across the three UN implementing institutions (UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO)?
● How effective was the joint inter-ministerial and inter-agency management structure (Technical Working Group and Project Management Board(PMB) in driving project delivery? 

Sustainability & Ownership
● To what extent has national ownership been established through institutional commitments (e.g., the Ministry of Youth & Sports, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health)?
● To what extent are the established referral pathways, community support groups, and solidarity desks sustainable beyond PBF funding?
Evaluation Design
The evaluation shall employ a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. Data shall be triangulated across multiple sources to strengthen the validity and reliability of findings.

The consultant will develop:
● An evaluation matrix linking questions, indicators, sources, and methods;
● A sampling strategy for all respondent categories;
● Limitations and mitigation measures.
Data shall be disaggregated by sex, age, location, and other relevant demographic variables wherever possible.

Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:

Ethical Considerations
The evaluation team shall adhere to UNEG Ethical Guidelines and UN Evaluation Norms and Standards

Particular attention shall be given to:
● Informed consent;
● Confidentiality and anonymity;
● Data protection;
● Child safeguarding principles;
● Protection of vulnerable populations;
● Survivor-centered approaches where applicable;
● Trauma-informed interviewing techniques;
● The "Do No Harm" principle.
The evaluation team shall ensure appropriate referral mechanisms are in place should interviews reveal protection concerns or safeguarding risks.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.