ET Consultant - Senior Evaluation Officer

Job #:
req37810

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:
Environment

Grade:
EC3

Term Duration:
1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type:
Local Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):
French, Spanish

Closing Date:
8/11/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

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.

Selection Criteria

Education and Experience
• Master's degree in environmental sciences, geography, evaluation methods, economics, or related fields.
• Minimum of eight years (but preferably at least twelve) of relevant professional evaluation experience, with demonstrated progression in responsibility, including significant experience in multilateral organizations, major NGOs, or bilateral agencies.
• Proven experience leading and delivering complex evaluations for at least 6 years, including responsibility for design, conduct of evaluations, team management, report writing and quality assurance.
• Advanced knowledge and application of qualitative, quantitative, theory-based, and mixed-methods approaches, including innovative methodologies that enhance rigor and usefulness. Familiarity with application of artificial intelligence and geospatial analysis is a plus.
• Recognized expertise, evidenced by publications or equivalent outputs, in areas such as biodiversity, climate change, private sector conservation finance, land degradation, or sustainable forest management.
• Strong understanding of agency self-evaluation systems and independent validation processes.

Institutional and Interpersonal Competencies
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills, with ability to deliver high-quality analytical outputs under tight timelines.
• Strong judgment and interpersonal skills, with capacity to engage diverse stakeholders while maintaining independence.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor staff, collaborate across organizational boundaries, and foster a professional, inclusive, and learning-oriented environment.

Languages
• Fluency in English required; proficiency in French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese is an asset

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

As per WBG policy, an Extended Term (ET) appointment is subject to a lifetime maximum of three (3) years. Former and current ET staff who have completed or are in the process of completing their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.