ET Consultant - Senior Evaluation Officer

The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a financial mechanism that provides grant and concessional funds to recipient countries for projects and activities to protect the global environment. The governance structure of the GEF includes an Assembly, a Council, a Secretariat, a Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel and an independent Evaluation Office. Projects financed by the GEF are managed by three Implementing Agencies (UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank) and seven Executing Agencies. The GEF Evaluation Office is functionally independent of, but administratively supported by, the World Bank. It is independent from the CEO of the GEF and reports directly to the GEF Council. The GEF Council decides on M E policies, discusses four-year rolling work plans, approves annual budgets, and receives all evaluation reports. The GEF Independent Evaluation Office has the central role of ensuring the independent evaluation function within the GEF; of setting minimum requirements for monitoring and evaluation; of ensuring oversight of the quality of M E systems on program and project level and of sharing evaluative evidence within the GEF. A consultative process with relevant GEF partners is in place to ensure the quality of the work undertaken and to prevent overlap and duplication. The Office has the responsibility for undertaking independent evaluations which involve a set of projects from more than one Implementing and/or Executing Agency. These evaluations are typically on a strategic level, or on focal areas, or on cross-cutting themes. The GEF IEO is based in Washington, DC. All positions in the Office are World Bank Group appointments. More information about the IEO can be found at Office’s website https://www.gefieo.org Duties and Accountabilities The Senior Evaluation Officer leads complex corporate, thematic, and programmatic evaluations of GEF strategies, policies, and interventions, contributing to institutional accountability, learning, and improvement. The position entails responsibility for evaluation design and methodology, oversight of data collection and analysis, management of multidisciplinary teams and budgets, and the drafting of major evaluation reports. The Senior Evaluation Officer engages with senior stakeholders within the GEF partnership, presents evaluation findings to the GEF Council, and contributes to shaping learning agendas to enhance the effectiveness, credibility, and utility of GEF evaluations. The senior officer will assist in planning and implementing M E policies and activities as follows: 1. Leadership of Evaluations • Lead, co-lead, or serve as senior member of complex thematic, programmatic, and corporate evaluations assessing the effectiveness, relevance, efficiency, and sustainability of GEF interventions. • Provide leadership across the full evaluation cycle, including conceptualization, preparation of approach papers, design of frameworks and methods, data collection, analysis, and drafting and finalization of reports. • Contribute to evaluations across key thematic areas—biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, chemicals and waste—as well as integrated and cross-cutting approaches, and other areas as required. • Present findings to senior management, the GEF Council, and other governance bodies, and support follow-up and learning processes. • Lead or contribute to synthesis notes, learning products, post-completion verifications, and other cross-cutting analytical outputs, in coordination with knowledge management and communications colleagues to ensure effective dissemination and uptake of findings. 2. Methodological Leadership and Quality Assurance • Provide methodological leadership and quality assurance, ensuring high standards in evaluation design, analytical rigor, evidence use, and reporting. • Promote the use of advanced analytical methods, as well as innovative tools suited to environmental evaluation. • Ensure consistent and appropriate application of methodologies under real-world constraints (time, data, and resources), while safeguarding independence and credibility. • Contribute to internal training and learning initiatives on evaluation methods and analytical tools, including structured modules and hands-on support. 3. Team Leadership, Capacity Development, and External Engagement • Lead, supervise, mentor, and coach junior staff and consultants, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, high-performing work environment, and providing technical advice to colleagues and management. • Represent the IEO in engagements with GEF Agencies, the Secretariat, partner institutions, and external stakeholders, and participate in international evaluation networks and professional forums. • Undertake mission travel as required to support evaluation activities and stakeholder engagement.