External Evaluation Consultant - Disaster READY Phase 2 Final Evaluation at Save The Children Australia

Port Vila, Shefa Province, Vanuatu -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

06 Jul, 26

Salary

2000000.0

Posted On

07 Apr, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Mixed-methods research, Disaster risk reduction, Climate change adaptation, Evaluation design, Data collection, Stakeholder management, Community resilience, Inclusive research, Report writing, Project monitoring, OECD-DAC criteria, Qualitative analysis, Quantitative analysis, Participatory research, Vanuatu governance knowledge

Industry

Non-profit Organizations

Description

EXTERNAL EVALUATION CONSULTANT - DISASTER READY PHASE 2 FINAL EVALUATION Working with Save the Children is more than just a consultancy: It’s the opportunity to contribute to evidence that genuinely improves how communities in Vanuatu prepare for disasters and adapt to climate change – and to help shape programming that puts the most vulnerable people first. This is a high-quality, independent evaluation of a project that has invested four years in community-led disaster resilience across some of Vanuatu’s most exposed communities. About the Project Save the Children Vanuatu (SCV) is implementing Disaster READY Phase 2 from July 2022 to December 2026 with funding from the Australian Government through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP). This phase of the program seeks to strengthen community resilience to disasters and climate change through an inclusive, community‑led approach to Community‑Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), grounded in the Vanuatu Decentralisation Act 2016. The project operates across three Area Councils – East Santo, Southeast Santo (Sanma Province) and South Ambae (Penama Province) – reaching approximately 1,500 direct participants and 3,000 people indirectly across 15 communities. It works through Community Disaster and Climate Change Committees (CDCCCs), supported by Area Council Officers and two disability-focused OPD partners. Where you come in As External Evaluation Consultant, you will lead an independent final evaluation that is both the summative assessment of the Disaster READY Phase 2 project and its formal Endline Study. Working under the oversight of the SCV MEAL Manager, you will take primary responsibility for evaluation design, data collection, analysis and reporting – delivering credible, actionable findings that inform SCV and AHP partners’ future programming. Existing qualitative findings from the 2023 baseline and 2025 midterm review, as well as routine project monitoring data and progress reports, will be made available to support your analysis. Data collection is planned for May–June 2026, with the final report expected by August 2026. Applications are welcome from individual consultants, evaluation teams and consulting firms. You will make an impact by * Developing an inception report with a refined methodology, sampling plan, data collection tools and workplan. * Designing and implementing mixed-methods data collection – combining household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and document review. * Ensuring data collection is ethical, inclusive and participatory, with particular attention to women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups. * Managing enumerator recruitment, training and field supervision. * Analysing findings against the three AHP Intermediate Outcomes (IO1.1, IO1.2, IO1.3) and the project’s logframe indicators. * Producing a draft and final Evaluation Report that is clear, evidence-based, and directly useful to practitioners. * Presenting findings to SCV and relevant stakeholders, including AHP partners and government counterparts. * Flagging relevant stories or case studies that may contribute to a separate impact video storytelling activity. Does this sound like you? You are an experienced evaluator with a strong track record in mixed-methods research and a genuine commitment to rigorous, ethical, and participatory practice. You bring deep knowledge of DRR, community resilience, or CCA, and you understand the Pacific context. You communicate findings clearly, work collaboratively with client organisations, and deliver on time. This engagement requires * Proven experience designing and conducting mixed-methods evaluations in development or humanitarian settings – at least one comparable evaluation completed within the past five years. * Substantive experience in disaster risk reduction, community resilience, climate change adaptation or closely related fields. * Experience working in the Pacific; experience in Vanuatu or Melanesia is strongly preferred. * Familiarity with Vanuatu’s governance structures, communities, and local languages. * Demonstrated ability to conduct ethical, inclusive and participatory research with women, people with disabilities, and other marginalised groups in culturally appropriate ways. * Experience coordinating government, NGO, and community stakeholders across the full evaluation cycle. * Sound experience applying OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, particularly in learning-focused and utilisation-focused evaluations. * strong ability to communicate findings clearly for practitioner audiences through written reports and presentations. * Confirmed availability to complete all deliverables by end of August 2026. Desirable * Vanuatu-based consultant or team that includes a local Ni-Vanuatu consultant. * Direct experience evaluating community governance, local ownership, or decentralisation models. * Familiarity with AHP, DFAT, or similar Australian Government-funded humanitarian programming. * Experience with disability-inclusive research and engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). Indicative Budget and Payment SCV seeks value for money — meaning quality of service and reasonable, transparent costs, not simply the lowest price. The indicative budget for this evaluation is around VUV 2,000,000, inclusive of all consultancy fees, travel, and activity costs required to complete the deliverables. Special considerations may be discussed where clearly justified, for example for remote travel, enumerator engagement, or unexpected logistical constraints. Financial proposals should clearly set out: * Personnel costs (role, number of days, daily rate, and applicable taxes or VAT) * Travel and accommodation * Data collection costs including enumerator fees, translation, printing and field logistics * Any other applicable costs such as stakeholder validation meetings or community feedback sessions. The consultant is responsible for all costs associated with conducting the evaluation, including field logistics, refreshments, and community visits. SCV will support community access, introductions, enumerator, and translation arrangements, but these should be reflected in the budget. If the proposal covers remote evaluation services only — with SCV managing in-country enumerators and logistics — this must be stated clearly. The consultant is also responsible for all applicable taxes, professional liability insurance, and medical or emergency evacuation insurance for any in-country fieldwork. Payment will be made in three instalments: 20% upon SCV approval of the Inception Report and data collection tools; 30% upon submission of the first draft Final Evaluation Report; and 50% upon SCV approval of the Final Evaluation Report. Sounds interesting? We’d love to hear from you. Please submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) that includes: * A short technical proposal (maximum five pages) covering your understanding of the evaluation purpose, proposed methodology, sampling approach and workplan. * A financial proposal covering all costs – personnel (role, days, daily rate, taxes/VAT), travel and accommodation, data collection costs, and any other applicable expenses. * CVs for all key team members, including evidence of similar evaluations completed within the past five years. * One example of a comparable evaluation report authored by the lead consultant. * Contact details for two professional references from similar work. * A clear statement confirming availability to complete the evaluation by end of August 2026. Applications that do not address all of the above requirements will not be considered. For questions about the scope or requirements of this evaluation, please contact SCV MEAL Manager, Trisha Aruhuri, via email trisha.aruhuri@savethechildren.org.au [trisha.aruhuri@savethechildren.org.au]. How to apply: Via our website: Save the Children Australia Careers [https://stc-openhire.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobinfo&jobid=5247&source=ONLINE&JobOwner=993247&company_id=16689&version=1&byBusinessUnit=&bycountry=&bystate=&byRegion=&bylocation=&keywords=&byCat=&proximityCountry=&postalCode=&radiusDistance=&isKilometers=&tosearch=no&city=] By email: HR.Vanuatu@savethechildren.org.au [HR.Vanuatu@savethechildren.org.au] Application Close Date: 12 April 2026 *We welcome and thank all applications. Due to the anticipated volume of submissions, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Child Safeguarding & Diversity Save the Children Australia is a child-safe organisation. All consultants engaged through this process are required to adhere to SCV’s Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct, complete a safeguarding orientation prior to any data collection, and comply with SCV’s safeguarding protocols for ----------------------------------------

Responsibilities

The consultant will lead an independent final evaluation of the Disaster READY Phase 2 project, including designing the methodology and managing data collection. They will analyze findings against project indicators and produce a comprehensive report to inform future programming.