Consultancy - Evaluation Expert

IDLO is conducting a final evaluation to assess the “Strengthening the Social Contract through Access to Justice in Somaliland” against their stated outcomes and outputs as it nears completion. The incumbent will report to IDLO’s Evaluation Unit and Director, The Hague Office, and under a day-to-day supervision of the Evaluation Specialist. In particular, the evaluation will:

• Provide an independent and rigorous assessment of the project’s results under Phase I, examining its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, sustainability, and any unintended effects against the logical framework and theory of change.
• Measure the extent to which the expected results were achieved, with particular emphasis on their impact on intended beneficiaries and the sustainability of results,
• Assess the programme’s overall contribution to strengthening the social contract and enhancing the legitimacy of justice institutions in Somaliland, by applying a lens on how support for a hybrid justice service delivery model has influenced public perceptions of the legitimacy of the state as a justice provider, and of the state more broadly and;
• Identify actionable insights and lessons learned to inform the design and implementation of Phase II and similar future interventions aimed at increasing justice institutions’ legitimacy in comparable contexts. More specifically, the evaluation will identify enabling and hindering factors and provide prioritized, time-bound recommendations for adaptive management, risk mitigation, resourcing, and implementation arrangements in the next phase, including refinements to the theory of change, performance framework, and thematic areas for scale-up.

The Evaluation Expert will be responsible for undertaking this evaluation in line with the Terms of Reference. The incumbent will be expected to carry out the following key duties in line with the detailed evaluation Terms of Reference. Inter alia, the incumbent will:

• Using a GESI lens, conduct an in-depth desk review of project documents and reports, administrative records related to the various activities, project progress reports, and M&E data and reports.
• Reconstruct the ToCs of the programme for evaluation and develop the EQs and Indicators.
• Identify methodological approaches and tools to capture data, in-line with the expected evaluation results.
• Organize and manage data collection with the national legal experts.
• In coordination with the national legal experts, set up, and conduct key informant interviews and focus group discussions.

The incumbent will undertake in-depth analytical work to produce the following deliverables in all draft and final versions.

1. An Inception Note
2. A draft Evaluation Report
3. Finalized Evaluation Report

Education and Professional Experience

• Master’s degree in international development, law, public policy, or other relevant social sciences is required.
• Substantial experience in leading evaluations of capacity-building programmes in the fields of customary and informal justice/legal and judicial reform/gender justice/rule of law and human rights.
• Minimum of 10 years of substantial professional experience with project cycle management, OECD DAC evaluation framework, ToC/logical framework approaches and quality assurance within international development evaluations.

Languages

• Outstanding written and verbal skills in English is required. Proficiency in the relevant local languages in Somaliland is an advantage.

Specific knowledge, skills, and competencies

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the customary and informal justice and rule of law programming context in Somaliland.
• Extensive experience of working in fragile/in transition countries.
• Robust experience in managing complex evaluations and supervising a few team members.
• Thorough knowledge of designing qualitative and quantitative (proxy) indicators at appropriate levels (input, output, outcome, and various levels of impact) and drafting focused Evaluation Questions.

The consultancy is expected to commence in January 2026. The inception note is expected by mid-February 2026, completion of data collection by mid-April 2026, the draft evaluation report is tentatively expected by end of May 2026 and the final report tentatively by June 2026.

This is a result-based assignment where payments are made upon satisfactory production of evaluation deliverables. The IDLO Evaluation Unit will decide on the final approach towards the Field Phase data collection after consulting with the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) which includes the Programme Team.

IDLO is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for IDLO vacancies.

IDLO does not tolerate sexual exploitation or abuse, any kind of harassment, including harassment of a sexual nature; or discrimination. As such, IDLO will conduct careful reference and background checks of all selected candidates as part of its selection process.

Application deadline: 12 December 2025 (23:59hrs Rome time).