Individual Consultant, Endline Evaluation at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Job ID: req58910

Description

• We are seeking a dynamic and experienced independent consultant with strong technical expertise in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL), particularly in nutrition-related programs, to conduct a comprehensive Endline Evaluation of the SSNR project.
• The assessment will evaluate the project’s effectiveness, capture outcomes, and generate learning across key components including CMAM, IYCF, and Tom-Brown implementation. Below is a summary of the project: 
  • Project Title:
    • Strengthening Sustainable Nutrition Services and Resilience for Vulnerable Communities in Northeast Nigeria
  • Project Impact:
    • Ending the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children under five years due to poor nutrition across three LGAs (MMC, Jere, and Monguno) Borno state
  • Project Outcome:
    • Children under 5, caregivers, and PLW have increased access to skilled support for breastfeeding, micronutrient intake, and sustainable quality treatment for acute malnutrition; Community members participate in community-based problem-solving.
    • Outcome indicators:
      • % of exclusive breastfeeding among infants <6 months
      • % of children discharged as recovered from acute malnutrition at SSNR sites
  • Project Outputs:
    • Increase equitable access to quality essential nutrition services
    • Services are embedded within strengthened health systems and are tailored to the needs of the population.
    • Increase access to supplements and messages on healthy diets among women, adolescent girls and children while building greater awareness about health-seeking behavior and healthy diets.
    • Citizens can influence government and other decision-makers on the drivers of preventable deaths from poor nutrition
  • Locations/Areas of Intervention:
    • Maiduguri Metropolitan City (MMC)/Jere (4 outpatient therapeutic program centers, 2 stabilization centers)
    • Monguno Local Government Areas (LGA) (4 outpatient therapeutic program centers)
  • Operating Partners:
    • IRC- The lead consortium partner providing nutrition and governance support across the project locations.
    • Green concern for Development: Provide nutrition services in MMC and Jere (2 OTPs)
  • Targeted Groups:
    • Children 6 - 59 months, Caregivers (Male and females), community volunteers and community leaders.

Responsibilities
Endline Objectives:

• To assess the relevance, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the SSNR project interventions (CMAM, IYCF, Tom-brown and PDIA).
• Independently assess project progress against project indicators.
• Identify implementation gaps, learning and actionable recommendations to stakeholders for future programming and sustainability.

Scope of work:

• To achieve the objective of assessing the relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of the SSNR project interventions (CMAM, IYCF, Tom-Brown, and PDIA), the consultant will carry out the following tasks:
  • Design and finalize the evaluation framework and methodology, ensuring alignment with international standards and donor expectations.
  • Conduct a desk review of project documents, including baseline data, project reports, and monitoring data to establish context and track progress against planned indicators.
  • Develop and validate tools for data collection (quantitative and qualitative), incorporating indicators that reflect relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability.
  • Conduct field data collection across all intervention LGAs using mixed methods, including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household surveys.
  • Analyze community and caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to nutrition, with a full comparison of endline findings to baseline data to measure changes and impact.
  • Identify key implementation gaps, challenges, and successes related to each of the project components (CMAM, IYCF, Tom-Brown, and PDIA).
  • Provide actionable recommendations based on the evidence gathered to inform future programming, scale-up strategies, and sustainability efforts.
  • Independently assess progress made against the project’s logframe indicators and theory of change.
  • Present key findings to IRC, GREENCODE, and relevant stakeholders, incorporating feedback into the final report.

Evaluation Criteria:

• The final evaluation will be based on OECD DAC criteria. The main evaluation questions are based on SSNR project quality framework as described below:
  • Relevance:
    • Assess how well the SSNR project design and interventions (CMAM, IYCF, and Tom-Brown implementation) addressed the actual nutritional needs of children under five, pregnant and lactating women (PLW), and caregivers in Monguno and Maiduguri. 
    • Evaluate the alignment of project objectives with community priorities and the broader nutrition and health goals of Borno State.
    • Collect community and stakeholder feedback to validate whether the program remained appropriate and responsive over its implementation period.
  • Effectiveness:
    • Measure the extent to which the SSNR project achieved its intended outcomes, such as increased access to skilled breastfeeding support, micronutrient intake, and quality treatment for acute malnutrition. 
    • Examine changes in key nutrition indicators (e.g., MUAC, SAM/MAM treatment rates) among under-five children and PLWs.
    • Document successes and lessons learned how well program interventions performed in each of the eight (8) implementation communities.
  • Efficiency:
    • Review the cost-effectiveness and timeliness of project implementation strategies.
    • Assess how well resources (funds, staff, supplies, partnerships) were utilized in delivering nutrition services across the LGAs.
    • Identify any bottlenecks or inefficiencies in coordination between IRC, GREENCODE, health workers, and community volunteers.
  • Impact:
    • Evaluate the broader effects of the SSNR interventions on maternal and child health outcomes in the target communities.
    • Analyze how the program influenced community awareness, health-seeking behavior, and practices around child feeding and nutrition.
    • Investigate any unintended positive or negative consequences of the intervention.
  • Sustainability:
    • Assess the likelihood of continued delivery of nutrition services (CMAM, IYCF, Tom-Brown supplementation) beyond the project’s end, especially by local health structures and community groups. 
    • Review existing community-based problem-solving mechanisms introduced or supported by the project.
    • Provide recommendations for strengthening institutional capacity, community ownership, and potential scale-up of successful models.

Deliverables:

• Inception Report:
  • Conduct an in-depth literature review 
  • Complete Inception meeting
  • Develop of data collection plan and tools
  • Write and present a comprehensive inception report.
• Data Collection:
  • Design and development of data collection tools  
  • Conduct Proper training of data collectors on both qualitative and quantitative questionnaires
  • Continuous monitoring of data collected by assessing the reported data
  • Supervise data collection exercise to improve data quality
  • Conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) discussions
  • Clean and analyze data (Quantitative and Qualitative)
  • Draft assessment report 
• Final Reporting:
  • Organize and hold workshops to present findings and recommendations and co-develop work plans 
  • Submit a final report of not more than 40 pages excluding annexes.

Payment Rate and Schedule:

• Payment rates shall be subject to negotiations. Payments shall be scheduled at inception stage (40%) and at the final reporting stage (60%) based on satisfactory completion of the key deliverables.

Requirements

• At least a master’s degree or PhD in one of the following fields is required: Food Security and Nutrition, Public health, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Sciences, Nursing or any related medical field. 
• Experience in Implementation of Nutrition technical assessments such as SMART, SQUEAC will be a plus.
• Prior experience in carrying out Endline assessment of UKAID funded project will be a plus.
• Experience with the use of Mixed method approach and use of Commcare, Kobo collect, ODK for tool design. 
• Experience working in Nigeria, especially in BAY states. Experience as a consultant producing and delivering quality results.
• Experience in interacting with stakeholders at all levels, including but not limited to community, facility level and state.
• Experience in fostering open dialogue, building trust, and engaging key stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills required, including strong professional communication ability.
• Advanced computer skills with proficiency in Windows, Microsoft Office and other digital media
• Strong written and spoken English ability.

Remuneration

• Compensation: Monthly
• Currency: United Kingdom Pound.