Consultancy - Assessment Expert

IDLO is conducting a rapid assessment to examine the “Supporting Prison Reforms in Kenya (PRAJ)”, against their stated outcomes and outputs as it nears completion. In particular, the assessment will:

• Provide an independent assessment of the project and measure the extent to which the expected results were achieved with emphasis on their impact on intended beneficiaries and sustainability of results, including their overall impact and contribution to strengthening the Kenyan State Department for Correctional Services’ treatment of prisoners; and
• Identify relevant lessons learned that could inform the design and implementation of future projects and programs related to prison reform and similar context.

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

1. 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.
2. Reconstruct the ToCs of the project and develop the EQs and Indicators.
3. Identify methodological approaches and tools to capture data, in-line with the expected results.
4. Organize and manage data collection from start to finish including setting up and conducting the interviews (remote or on-site) i.e. 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.

• An Inception Note
• A draft Rapid Assessment Report
• Finalized Rapid Assessment 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 legal and policy reform/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 Swahili is an advantage.

Specific knowledge, skills, and competencies

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the rule of law and criminal justice programming context in Kenya.
• Extensive experience of working in Kenya/East Africa.
• 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 Assessment Questions.

The consultancy is expected to commence in January 2026. The inception note is expected by the end of February 2026, data collection is expected to be completed by the end of March 2026, the draft rapid assessment report is tentatively expected by the end of April 2026, and the final report by May 2026.

This is a results-based assignment, with payments made upon the satisfactory submission and approval of assessment deliverables. The IDLO Evaluation Unit will determine the final approach to the field-phase data collection, in consultation with the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG), which includes the Programme Team. The implementation of this assessment is subject to funding availability.

Please include in your application a table listing all evaluations conducted, clearly indicating the role undertaken (Team Leader or Team Member/Support) and the thematic focus of each evaluation (e.g. criminal justice, customary and informal justice, anti-corruption, etc.).

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.

In the interest of making the most effective use of resources, only short-listed candidates will be contacted during the selection process.

Application deadline: 05 January 2026 (23:59hrs Rome time).