National Evaluation Consultant

The National Evaluation Consultant will provide in-country research and logistical support to the International Lead Evaluation Consultant for a formative evaluation of the Joint Islamic Development Bank and Global Partnership for Education Project in Tajikistan. The role involves document collection, stakeholder coordination, translation, and contextual validation to support evaluation quality and evidence gathering.

Responsibilities

• Collect and compile all relevant project documents, policy documents, normative frameworks, ministerial orders, and institutional records in Tajik and Russian as requested by the International Consultant.
• Prepare an annotated document inventory in English summarising content and relevance for each document to the evaluation questions.
• Identify, retrieve, and organise Phase I and Phase II datasets and confirm their completeness and accessibility.
• Translate or provide accurate summaries in English of key documents not available in English as directed by the International Consultant.
• Flag any gaps, inconsistencies, or quality concerns in the available evidence base to the International Consultant.
• Prepare a stakeholder map identifying key informants for KIIs across MoES departments, AoE, RITTI, RTMC, NTC, and relevant HEIs including names, roles, and contact details.
• Coordinate scheduling and logistics for all KIIs and FGDs ensuring access is confirmed in advance and stakeholders are appropriately briefed.
• Serve as interpreter/note-taker during KIIs and FGDs conducted in Tajik or Russian producing verbatim or near-verbatim notes in Russian or English as agreed with the International Consultant.
• Support the International Consultant during any in-country mission including arranging transport, venue, interpretation, and stakeholder liaison.
• Maintain a fieldwork log documenting all data collection activities including date, participant profile, and any protocol deviations.
• Translate all KII and FGD guides from English into Tajik and Russian and back-translate a sample for quality verification if requested.
• Translate all FGD and KII notes or summaries from Tajik/Russian into English for analysis if requested.
• Review all Russian-language project documents cited in the evaluation and verify that summaries and citations in the evaluation report are accurate.
• Support the translation of the Executive Summary of the Final Evaluation Report into Tajik as directed by UNICEF.
• Review draft sections of the Inception Report and Final Evaluation Report for contextual accuracy and flag any inaccuracies to the International Consultant.
• Provide written contextual notes on the education system, institutional roles, and reform history as requested to inform background and analytical framework.
• Support the findings validation step by coordinating stakeholder access for factual accuracy checks or virtual workshop.
• Assist with preparation of findings presentation materials in Tajik where required.
• Participate in the kick-off meeting with UNICEF and the International Consultant within the first week of the contract.
• Provide weekly written progress updates to the UNICEF National M&E Officer during active phases.
• Notify immediately in writing of any access, scheduling, or document availability issues that could affect the evaluation timeline.
• Submit all deliverables formally to UNICEF with written acceptance requested within 10 working days per deliverable.

Requirements

• University degree (Bachelor's or equivalent) in education, social sciences, linguistics, international development, or a closely related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in conducting similar assignments, including but not limited to education research, programme evaluation, monitoring and evaluation, or a related field in Tajikistan.
• Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative data collection (KIIs and FGDs) in education or social development contexts in Tajikistan.
• Strong document research and synthesis skills — ability to identify, organise, and summarise large volumes of policy, project, and research documents.
• Excellent interpretation and note-taking skills in Tajik and/or Russian during interviews and group discussions.
• Proven ability to produce accurate written summaries and translations between Tajik/Russian and English (or Russian and English at minimum).
• Demonstrated understanding of Tajikistan's education system, including key national institutions (MoES, AoE, RITTI, RTMC, NTC) and reform processes.
• Ability to work flexibly and responsively under the direction of a remote international consultant, meeting tight deadlines.
• Fluency in Tajik and Russian.
• Professional working proficiency in English, demonstrated through written sample.
• Prior experience supporting international evaluations or research studies in Tajikistan as a national researcher, interpreter, or research coordinator (desirable).
• Familiarity with competency-based education reform, teacher professional development, or curriculum development in the Tajik context (desirable).
• Experience working with UNICEF, multilateral development partners, or international NGOs in Tajikistan (desirable).

Skills

• Programme Evaluation
• Qualitative Data Collection
• Key Informant Interviews
• Focus Group Discussions
• Education Research
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Document Research
• Policy Analysis
• Data Synthesis
• Note Taking
• Translation Tajik English
• Translation Russian English
• Education System Knowledge Tajikistan
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Report Writing
• Research Coordination
• Competency-based Learning
• Teacher Professional Development
• Curriculum Design
• International Evaluation Support

Languages

Tajik, Russian, English