Applications for this posting have been closed. Thank you to the applicants and for your interest.
Volunteer Cooperation Program
2020-2028
Mid-term Evaluation Consultant
THE ORGANIZATION
Crossroads International, a leader in international cooperation, has been fighting inequality for more than 60 years. We do this by bringing people together for a common cause, to create lasting solutions to overcome poverty and advance women’s rights. Crossroads works in some of the world’s poorest nations in Southern and Western Africa. We work with local partner organizations to create decent jobs and to empower women to become leaders and live free from violence. Every year, we engage hundreds of experienced volunteers and staff North and South who apply their expertise locally to address global issues. We invest in local partners who are best positioned to meet the needs of their communities. With local partners, we develop co-operatives and collective enterprises that generate income and advance the autonomy of youth, women and the rural poor. We pilot innovative approaches to reducing violence against women and girls and advancing women’s rights. Together, we are leveraging knowledge, expertise and dollars to create a more just and equitable world.
Crossroads is committed to integrating Human Rights-Based Approaches (HRBA) and trauma-informed care into our work, ensuring that all our programs and interventions are designed to uphold fundamental human rights, address systemic inequalities, and provide sensitive, supportive responses to the impacts of trauma experienced by individuals and communities.
Crossroads is a registered charity, supported by Global Affairs Canada, other government and non-government funders, and many individual donors around the world.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Crossroads International’s Volunteer Cooperation Program (VCP) project entitled Championing Gender Equality Together, funded by Global Affairs Canada, is an eighth-year project being implemented from 2020 to 2028 in 11 sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. Currently, the programming in Guinea and Ethiopia is at its beginning, while the programming in Zambia ended in 2023-2024.
The ultimate goal of the program is to improve the economic and/or social well-being of the poorest, most marginalized and vulnerable people, particularly women and girls, in developing countries, with the aim of contributing to the sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aim to do this by working with Canadian and local volunteers to increase the organizational capacity and performance of our Developing Country Partners in different areas. During the duration of the program, we have had up to 78 partners[1]. Our main thematic areas are gender equality, environment and climate change mitigation and human rights and inclusion. Additionally, Crossroads’ volunteers are building the capacity of our partners in different areas, such as strategic governance and organizational management, project management, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation and sustainability, risk management, information communication technology, communications and advocacy, financial management, etc.
Crossroads also funds multiple projects of our partners within the VCP, thanks to the organization’s philanthropic efforts. The projects that we have funded have been in areas such as women’s rights, access to justice and reduction of gender-based violence, economic empowerment for marginalized women and girls and women’s leadership.
Through our efforts, we have reached, to date, a total of more than 350 000 participants, of which approximately 70% were women or girls – about 20 000 were girls (0-14), 85 000 were young women (15-25) and 140 00 were adult women (25+).
The mobilization of the Canadian public is also a huge aspect to Crossroads’ VCP. By organizing social media campaigns, networking and advocacy events, we aim to reach the Canadian public and to increase their level of engagement within the international development sector, such as raising funds, participating in advocacy online, volunteering for a mandate, etc. Canadians’ increased awareness, understanding and engagement of/on international development issues is crucial to the progress in the sector, and to achieve our ultimate goal. Partnerships with different Canadian organizations, as well as the private sector, are also important key for knowledge exchange and volunteer recruitment purposes.
MANDATE OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this mid-term evaluation is to assess the progress of Crossroads’ VCP against its objectives and deliverables in nine countries: Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. This evaluation aims also to identify achievements, challenges, and areas for improvement to ensure the project remains on track and effectively meets its goals. Through a collaborative process with partners, the key objectives of the mid-term evaluation have been defined and are presented below:
- Measure progress towards the following key performance indicators of the project:
- Assess the progress made towards achieving the project’s ultimate outcome on the socio-economic wellbeing of beneficiaries
- Assess the progress made towards achieving some of the project’s key outcomes related to increased engagement and awareness of returned volunteers and the Canadian public
- Assess the progress made towards achieving some of the project’s key outcomes related to increased capacity and performance of developing country partners, especially on key thematic areas (gender equality, environment and climate change mitigation and human rights and inclusion).
- Inform project implementation by:
- Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the project implementation and management with partners, more specifically providing more insight regarding:
- What are some best practices or improvements that could be made to enhance the coordination, engagement and collaboration between Crossroads and local partner organizations, including better fostering South-South collaborations?
- Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the project implementation and management with volunteers, more specifically providing more insight regarding:
- What significant improvements or changes do volunteers observe in their knowledge, capacity, and skills as a result of fulfilling their mandates?
- Inform on how to reinforce the sustainability of VCP, more specifically exploring:
- What are the best practices, strategies, success conditions put into place or that could be put in place to ensure sustainable change within partner organizations, beneficiaries and volunteers?
It is possible that those evaluation questions could be modified or prioritized. This will be discussed at the beginning of the mandate.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES
The consultant will play a key role in program management and development, with a specific focus on supporting the upcoming mid-term evaluation of Crossroads’ programs. They will be responsible for designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation approach to this research paper by, focusing on data collection, analysis, and reporting. This role aims to ensure coordination across teams and support organizational learning. By working closely with Crossroads team members, the consultant will foster and promote continuous learning among staff, partners, and volunteers. This collaborative approach will enhance the effectiveness of Crossroads’ programs in advancing women’s rights, economic empowerment, and leadership, and will contribute to a thorough and insightful mid-term evaluation.
Below are the detailed main responsibilities of the consultant:
- Crossroads International expects the consultant to develop the evaluation methodology in its service proposition, which will be co-explored with Crossroads once the mandate will start. For indicators from the Performance Monitoring Framework, the consultant should utilize the existing tools to ensure that results are comparable to the baseline and will be comparable with the final evaluation. The existing tools can be slightly modified based on the needs for this mid-term evaluation.
- The consultant is further expected to develop relevant data collection tools that will capture relevant KPIs linked to beneficiaries, local development partners and current and returned volunteers
- The consultant will need to train data collectors[2] in the field on the data collection tools to measure the socio-economic wellbeing of beneficiaries
- The consultant will need to collect data from local partners and current and returned volunteers virtually
- The consultant will facilitate the analysis of data obtained from field offices and partners to feed into the reports, and compile reports in a coordinated and collaborative way
- The consultant will work closely with the Crossroads MEAL Officer to integrate the midterm evaluation with the annual report process. This collaboration will include overseeing data collection through interviews and focus group discussions to ensure the quality and reliability of the data gathered.
Below is a summary of the key deliverables by the selected consultant and milestones’ timelines:
- Develop a comprehensive plan for carrying out the assignment, detailing the chosen methodology, including sampling strategies, data collection tools for exploratory questions[3], timelines, etc. (End of December 2024)
- Strategy and all data collection tools are reviewed and approved by Crossroads (January 2025)
- Remote trainings of the field data collectors (January 2025)
- Follow up on data collection (February-March 2025)
- Clean data set (First half of April 2025)
- Draft evaluation report and power point presentation of key findings from the report (Second half of April 2025)
- Integration of recommendations and submission of the final report evaluation (May 2025)
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
Below is a summary of the qualifications needed from the consultant:
- Proven experience in managing the entire M&E cycle, including designing frameworks, implementing data collection and analysis methods, and producing actionable reports to drive program improvements;
- Demonstrated expertise in conducting evaluations using a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide comprehensive insights and drive evidence-based decision-making;
- In-depth knowledge and experience of international volunteering, development or humanitarian sector to advance women’s equality and economic autonomy;
- Demonstrated capacity to develop and manage organizational partnerships, collaborations and relationships;
- Fluency in both English and French is essential;
- Previous experience in development sector, including working experience overseas and with international volunteering preferred.
Below is a summary of the aptitudes and skills needed from the consultant:
- Strong analytical skills;
- Self-starter, innovator, creative, collaborative;
- Adaptive and tolerant to uncertainty;
- Client- and service-oriented;
- Strong organizational, administrative, communication & interpersonal skills;
- Commitment to women’s rights and experience in integrating a gender-lenses in their analysis
REQUESTED SERVICE
To note: Data collection will be carried out by Crossroads International through some of our long-term volunteers, and with some externally contracted enumerators. Therefore, the consultant’s role will be to develop the necessary tools and methodologies for the evaluation, train the data collectors, oversee the data analysis, and produce detailed reports based on the collected data.
The service offer should include the following elements:
- Understanding of Scope: Demonstrate a clear understanding of the scope of the mid-term evaluation, including specific objectives and expected outcomes.
- Proposed Methodology, especially for exploratory questions presented as part of objective 2 and 3 of the mid-term evaluation (page 3): Outline the proposed methodology for the evaluation, including data collection methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups), data analysis techniques, and an example of tools or frameworks to be used.
- Experience and Expertise: Provide evidence of relevant experience and expertise in conducting similar evaluations, including examples of past projects and specific roles played.
- Work Plan and Timeline: Present a detailed work plan with a timeline, including key milestones such as the start and end dates, data collection period, and deadlines for draft and final reports.
- Team Composition: Describe the qualifications and roles of the evaluation team members, highlighting their relevant skills and experience.
- Budget and Costs: Provide a detailed budget for the evaluation, including a breakdown daily rate, number of days of work to meet key milestones including elaboration of the methodology and workback schedule, remote training of facilitators, monitoring of data collection, analysis, reporting, and any other related expenses.
- Ethical Considerations: Address how ethical considerations will be managed, including confidentiality, informed consent, and the impartiality of the evaluation process.
SCHEDULE FOR SERVICE OFFER
November 22nd: Deadline to submit
Beginning December: Decision on the selected consultant
SERVICE OFFER RECEPTION
If you are interested, please submit your resume and service offer in one document (word or PDF) on November 8th, 2024 by e-mail to adescoteaux@cintl.org and be sure to include “VCP mid-term Evaluation Consultant” in the subject line.
Closing Date: November 22nd
Crossroads International is committed to principles and values of access and equity. We seek to attract, select, and hire a diverse team with a high level of professional skills, passion for and belief in our vision and mission.
All applicants must currently be eligible to work in Canada. We thank all applicants in advance; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
