Monitoring & Evaluation Consultant

Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant 
Thomson Reuters Foundation

The Thomson Reuters Foundation is seeking a Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant to support the work of its Wealth of Nations programme, which runs from 2017 – 2021.

We anticipate that the external evaluation will require approximately 25-35 days per year. Further information and application details are in the Terms of Reference below.

Terms of Reference: External evaluation for Wealth of Nations

1. Background

The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Thomson Reuters and an independently registered charity in the UK and the USA. We leverage the know-how, reach and reputation of Thomson Reuters to run programmes:

• World’s Under-Reported News: We cover the news overlooked by mainstream media because it triggers debate and leads to fairer and better informed societies. All our stories are available for republication free of charge
• Media Development: We promote the highest standards in journalism by training reporters around the world to cover news accurately and impartially
• TrustLaw: We spread excellence in the practice of pro bono worldwide. We work with the world’s best law firms to provide free legal assistance and ground-breaking research to NGOs and social enterprises
• Trust Conference: We convene thought leaders, decision makers and activists to take action to fight modern slavery and put the rule of law behind human rights.

The Foundation’s Media Development team runs a range of initiatives aimed at promoting the highest standards of journalism worldwide. One of our major programmes is Wealth of Nations, funded by Norad, which boosts the capacity of African media to report and investigate illicit financial flows and the abuse of tax laws. More information at www.wealth-of-nations.org.

The programme is now entering a new four-year phase and features a range of interventions across the continent:

• Professional development schemes for journalists – journalists will take part in a support scheme composed of training workshops, mentoring and small grants to support story development
• A capacity development scheme for newsrooms – independent news organisations will receive bespoke training, consultancy and support
• Reporting opportunities at international events and conferences – journalists will have the opportunity to attend events relevant to illicit financial flows, and receive guidance as they produce reports on location
• High level convenings – at which investigations supported by the programme will be presented to, and discussed with, key stakeholders.

The activities take place in English, French and Arabic.

The expected outcomes from the programme are:

• Journalists have increased motivation and ability to report on Illicit Financial Flows (IFF). Newsrooms have increased motivation and capacity to report on IFF.
• Relevant stakeholders (including civil society, government and revenue authorities) have increased knowledge on IFFs in Africa, and an increased motivation or ability to act to reduce IFFs/publish content on this.
• The programme is scheduled to run until 2021. The Foundation seeks an external evaluator to carry out monitoring and evaluation activities during this time.

2. Scope of work

The external evaluator will:

• Work with TRF to create a monitoring and evaluation framework and plan, covering: o indicators, targets, tools and methodologies to monitor progress of programme interventions/activities to assess overall progress against programme outcomes
• Conduct baseline and endline assessments
• Perform and/or advise on regular monitoring and evaluation activities, likely to include:
• Pre and post workshop exams and interviews with participants
• Content and quality analysis of stories produced
• Assessment of stakeholders’ awareness/understanding of the topics in question
• Assessment of capacity at media organisations
• Produce regular monitoring (and evaluation) reports during the programme
• Conduct final evaluation of the programme, including the delivery of results, partnership arrangements and the overall impact from the programme

3. Deliverables

Monitoring and evaluation framework, plan, budget, methodology and tools- Intervention (e.g. training workshop) assessments, as required- M&E reports at the end of Years 1-3- Final evaluation report at end of programme

4. Timeframe

November 2017 – January 2021

5. Number of days

We anticipate that the external evaluation will require approximately 25-35 days per year.

6. Requirements

Thomson Reuters Foundation is looking for an individual or organisation to take on this role.

We are looking for candidates who have a participatory approach and who are willing to use their findings and expertise to help us improve the programme throughout its lifetime.

Key criteria:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in evaluating media development and/or education and training programmes
• Experience of evaluating programmes with an annual budget of $300,000 or more
• Proven track record of conducting quantitative and qualitative research
• Excellent analytical, writing and presentation skills
• Experience of working in Africa (desirable)
• Excellent written and spoken English skills
• Working knowledge of French and/or Arabic preferred.

Due to the number of activities taking place in Africa in this programme, we are interested to hear from individuals or organisations based in this region. However, those outside Africa are also welcome to apply. For candidates applying from outside Africa, we encourage them to find ways of involving Africa-based consultants/colleagues in the evaluation.

7. Application procedure

Please send the following documents to us by email:

• Brief proposal (no more than 3 sides of A4) – describing your relevant experience, your understanding and interpretation of the assignment, and a proposed methodology, indicating what tools you will be using in monitoring and evaluation and potential challenges/limitations
• An example of your previous evaluation reports most similar to that described in this TOR
• Basic budget in USD – the budget should outline how you would divide the estimated number of person-days between the key tasks outlined here. Please indicate relevant day rates of all consultants involved
• CV detailing relevant experience of all consultants to be involved

Please email these documents to trfmedia@thomsonreuters.com by Friday, 27 October 2017. Please ensure the subject of your email reads: “Wealth of Nations – external evaluator”.