Evaluation Specialist for Terminal Evaluation of the UNEP project “Generation Restoration: Catalysing a nature-based transformation in Finance, Jobs, and Cities” (SMA ID: 51849)

Evaluation Specialist for Terminal Evaluation of the UNEP project “Generation Restoration: Catalysing a nature-based transformation in Finance, Jobs, and Cities” (SMA ID: 51849) UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme Remote | Nairobi National CON level Speaks English, French, Portuguese, Spanish Application deadline: March 24, 2026 Closed Apply Summary by Impactpool The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is seeking an Evaluation Specialist for the Terminal Evaluation of the project 'Generation Restoration: Catalysing a nature-based transformation in Finance, Jobs, and Cities.' The role involves contributing to the evaluation process, including the inception, data collection, and reporting phases. The specialist will work closely with the Evaluation Manager and other stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the project's performance and outcomes. This position requires field visits and interviews with local stakeholders, and the final report will need to be translated into Kiswahili. Candidate Requirements: Advanced university degree in environmental sciences or related field Minimum of seven years of technical/monitoring/evaluation experience Solid research, data management, and writing skills Broad understanding of ecosystems management Fluency in English; knowledge of French, Spanish, or Portuguese is desirable Result of Service The Evaluation Team will submit a concise evaluation report. Actual duration of the assignment is 44 days ( within a period of 8 months) to be delivered as follows: Inception Report (30%) Draft report (40%) Final Evaluation Report (30%) Work Location Home based with field visits Expected duration 8 months Duties and Responsibilities ORGANIZATION SETTING The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. This consultancy is located at Headquarters in the Evaluation Office which reports directly to the Executive Director. The consultant reports to the Evaluation Manager and the Director of the Evaluation Office. THE PROJECT Public and private sectors lack the finance, evidence, political support, the know-how and the technical capacity to implement ecosystem restoration initiatives at the scale required. With nearly two thirds of the population due to live in cities by 2050, the disconnect between urban and natural environments is set to grow further. Significant work is being done on natural ecosystem restoration (natural regeneration), including in protected areas, but the restoration movements need to be broadened into urban areas as well. In terms of finance, because Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is a new concept, it does not appear in labour statistics, or in information about finance flow. An under development conceptual framework intends to facilitate how the concept of decent work can be applied to NbS. Around the world, there have been a few ‘first mover’ cities and regions that have led the charge on ecosystem restoration, integrating nature and NbS into city planning and urban development. There is, however, a need to build on the momentum developed by these ‘first movers’. Considering that cities are at the frontlines of basic service delivery and are investing billions on infrastructure investments, there is an opportunity to engage more with cities across the world and build momentum for great application of restoration to meet citizen needs according to the 2021 UNEP report Smart, Sustainable and Resilient cities: the Power of Nature-based Solutions. To catalyse nature-based transformation in finance, jobs and cities, the project would to be directed towards, and work with, several district, but often overlapping stakeholder groups: employment policies, finance flows and urban planning. The project objective was to track investments and jobs and work in NbS, as well as to encourage business innovation and job creation in NbS; and, to increase engagement of city stakeholders in restoring urban and peri-urban ecosystems. It intended to leverage synergies to achieve the SDGs as well as other global biodiversity, environmental and climate goals. THE EVALUATION In line with the UNEP Evaluation Policy and the UNEP Programme and Project Management Manual, the Terminal Evaluation is undertaken at operational completion of the project to assess project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability. The Evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote operational improvement, learning and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UNEP and the main project partners. Therefore, the Evaluation will identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation, especially where a second phase of the project is being considered. Recommendations relevant to the whole house may also be identified during the evaluation process. THE EVALUATION TEAM For this Evaluation, the Evaluation Team will consist of an Evaluation Specialist who will work under the overall responsibility of the Evaluation Office represented by an Evaluation Manager, in consultation with the UNEP Task Manager, Fund Management Officer and the Subprogramme Coordinator. Specific responsibilities for the Evaluation Specialist: In close consultation with the Evaluation Manager, the Evaluation Specialist will make substantive and high-quality contributions to the evaluation process and outputs. More specifically: 1. Inception phase of the Evaluation, including: