National Evaluation Consultant – Harare Sustainable City Initiative End of Project Evaluation

UN-Habitat is seeking an experienced National Evaluation Consultant to conduct an independent end-of-project evaluation of the Harare Sustainable City Initiative (HSCI): Promotion of Carbon-Neutral Urban Basic Services and Energy-Efficient Built Environment project. This is a critical assignment that will assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact of a multi-year urban development initiative implemented in Harare, Zimbabwe, with funding support from Sida.

The evaluation will be validated by an Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) comprising representatives from Sida, the UN-Habitat Evaluation Unit, the project team, and key implementing partners. The consultant will work home-based over a four-month period, producing a final independent evaluation report that will inform future programming, policy decisions, and accountability to stakeholders. This role offers a rare opportunity to contribute to evidence-based urban development practice at a UN agency level.

• Design and lead the full evaluation process for the HSCI project in line with UN-Habitat evaluation norms, UNEG standards, and Sida requirements.
• Develop the evaluation inception report, including a detailed methodology, evaluation matrix, data collection tools, and work plan.
• Conduct comprehensive desk reviews of project documents, reports, monitoring data, and relevant policy frameworks including the UNSDCF for Zimbabwe.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with project beneficiaries, government counterparts, civil society, and UN partners.
• Assess project performance across three outcome areas: sustainable waste-to-wealth practices, clean energy access, and energy and resource efficiency in the built environment.
• Analyse the project's contribution to SDG 11, SDG 13, SDG 1, SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 14, and the New Urban Agenda (NUA).
• Evaluate the project's gender responsiveness and inclusion of vulnerable groups including urban and peri-urban poor, women, and youth.
• Produce a draft evaluation report and present findings to the ERG for review and validation.
• Incorporate ERG feedback and submit the final, validated evaluation report with actionable recommendations for future programming.
• Prepare a management response matrix summarising key findings, lessons learned, and recommendations.

• Must demonstrate at least 7 years of experience designing and leading evaluations of development projects, preferably within UN, INGO, or bilateral donor-funded programmes.
• Must show proven ability to apply mixed-methods evaluation approaches including both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques.
• Must have conducted evaluations in the areas of urban development, climate change, waste management, clean energy, or related environmental sectors.
• Must demonstrate familiarity with UNEG evaluation norms and standards and gender-responsive evaluation methodologies.
• Must be capable of engaging diverse stakeholders — including government officials, community representatives, and international donors — with cultural sensitivity and professionalism.
• Must possess strong analytical and report-writing skills, producing clear, evidence-based findings and practical recommendations in English.
• Must demonstrate knowledge of the Zimbabwe development context or a comparable Sub-Saharan African urban environment.
• Must have experience working with or evaluating projects aligned with the 2030 Agenda, New Urban Agenda, or similar global frameworks.
• Must be able to work independently, manage timelines, and deliver high-quality outputs within a four-month contract period.

This is a consultancy engagement with remuneration commensurate with UN-Habitat daily consultancy rates for national consultants. Compensation is typically structured as a lump sum or daily fee based on deliverables, estimated in the range of KES 200,000–400,000 per month equivalent for a senior-level national consultant. The role is home-based, offering flexibility in work arrangement. Specific financial terms will be confirmed upon contract issuance.

This role is ideal for a seasoned evaluation professional — an independent consultant, researcher, or monitoring and evaluation specialist — with a strong background in urban development, environmental sustainability, or climate-responsive programming. You should have direct experience conducting end-of-project or summative evaluations for UN agencies or major international donors. Candidates who are comfortable working independently, managing stakeholder relationships remotely, and producing publication-quality evaluation reports are strongly encouraged to apply.

This role is NOT suitable for candidates with fewer than 5 years of evaluation experience, those without prior exposure to UN or INGO project evaluation frameworks, or applicants seeking full-time employment rather than a defined consultancy engagement.

• Visit the official UN-Habitat careers portal or the UN Jobs platform to access the full Terms of Reference (ToR) and application instructions.
• Prepare a technical proposal outlining your proposed evaluation approach and methodology.
• Attach a financial proposal indicating your daily or lump-sum consultancy rate.
• Include an updated CV highlighting relevant evaluation experience and at least two evaluation reports you have authored as writing samples.
• Provide contact details for two professional referees familiar with your evaluation work.
• Submit all documents before the closing date of 28 June 2026.