Consultant for Baseline and Endline Evaluation at Theirc · Islamabad

Consultant for Baseline and Endline Evaluation Location: Islamabad, Pakistan The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future. Assignment Description IRC is implementing the "Building Resilience of Afghan Refugees and Host Communities through Integrated Protection, Health and Education Assistance in Balochistan Province" project in Killa Abdullah, Chaman, and Pishin Districts, funded by ECHO and aligned with the Afghan Regional Refugee Plan (RRP) 2024–25. In response to limited community access and inadequate public services, the project delivers integrated protection, education, and health support to Afghan refugees and host communities, including men, women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Protection services include case management, GBV and child protection, cash for protection, and community protection committees. Education support enrolls children in ALPs with transitions to formal schools, backed by trained teachers and parent engagement. Health services cover primary care, MNCH/BEmONC, MHPSS, nutrition, immunization, and facility rehabilitation through government health facilities. 2.1 Assignment one: Closing Project ( Endline Evaluation) IRC is implementing the “Building Resilience of Afghan Refugees and Host Communities through Integrated Protection, Health and Education Assistance in Balochistan Province” project in Killa Abdullah, Chaman, and Pishin Districts, funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) Office. The project is aligned with the Afghan Regional Refugee Plan (RRP) 2024–25 and targets 460,237 unique clients, comprising 60% Afghan refugees and 40% host population. The project is implemented with two sub-partners: Medical Emergency Resilience Foundation (MERF), supporting health services across 8 health facilities, and Taraqee Foundation (TF), supporting education across 71 Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) centres. Protection programming includes Women and Girls Safe Spaces, helpdesks, hub centres, and community protection committees The four key results are: •            Provision of protection services to prevent and respond to violence and lifesaving assistance. •            Increased accessibility and availability of essential, lifesaving quality healthcare services. •            Improved access to safe, inclusive, and quality education through formal and non-formal services. •            Crisis Modifier for rapid response to onset emergencies across Pakistan. 2.2 Assignment Two: Starting Project (New Project —Baseline Evaluation) A new ECHO-funded project building on the gains of the completed project is commencing in the same three districts (Killa Abdullah, Chaman, Chaghi, and Pishin) of Balochistan. While operating in different villages/communities from the ongoing project, the new project retains the same integrated thematic focus across protection, health, and education for Afghan refugees and host communities, and uses a substantially overlapping indicator framework. The baseline evaluation of this new project is required at the outset to: (a) establish verified baseline values for all key outcome and result indicators; (b) characterize the current situation of target communities; and (c) provide a foundation against which mid-term and endline evaluations will be measured. Purpose of the Endline EVALUATION The combined assignment serves two complementary purposes: Assignment 1 (Endline): To conduct an independent, objective, and evidence-based endline evaluation assessing the overall performance, achievements, and impact of the project across protection, health, and education components in the three target districts. Assignment 2 (Baseline): To establish a rigorous, credible, and comprehensive baseline for the new ECHO-funded project, generating verified starting values for all key indicators and characterizing the socioeconomic, health, education, and protection status of target communities in the new project villages. Specific Objectives Endline Evaluation: Determine the extent to which planned results were achieved across protection, health, and education sectors. Assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact of project interventions. Examine the contribution of the project to strengthening health and education systems through integrated protection services and referral mechanisms engaging government and non-government stakeholders. Assess the post-IFRP situation and its impact on achieving project goals, and the current Afghan refugee situation. Identify lessons learned and good practices to inform future programming in the context of Afghan refugees. Provide actionable recommendations for sustaining and scaling up successful approaches beyond the project’s lifespan. Baseline Evaluation: Establish verified baseline values for all key outcome indicators (KOIs) and key result indicators (KRIs) of the new project. Document the current protection, health, and education situation of target communities in the new project villages. Identify existing gaps, risks, and vulnerabilities among Afghan refugees and host communities in the new villages. Provide a reference point for measuring progress at mid-term and endline stages of the new project. Offer early recommendations to inform project implementation and adaptive management. The consultant will undertake both assignments as an integrated engagement while producing separate deliverables. The geographic scope covers Killa Abdullah, Chaghi, Chaman, and Pishin Districts in Balochistan Province, Pakistan, with distinct community/village-level sampling for each assignment. Methodology The consultant is expected to propose a clear, practical, and ethically grounded methodological framework for both assignments. While an integrated fieldwork approach is encouraged for efficiency, the two assignments must maintain distinct analytical frameworks, sampling strategies, and reporting outputs. The methodology shall address the following elements for each assignment: Evaluation/study design: outline the overall design and approach for each assignment. Mixed-methods approach: combining quantitative surveys (household/individual level) with qualitative methods (focus group discussions, key informant interviews, case studies) as appropriate. Sampling strategy: separate sampling frames for the project villages (endline) and new project villages (baseline), ensuring statistical representativeness and purposive inclusion of key subgroups. Data collection tools: survey questionnaires, FGD guides, KII guides, and observation checklists tailored to each assignment’s indicators and questions. Data quality assurance: pre-testing, enumerator training, supervision protocols, and data validation procedures. Data analysis framework: quantitative analysis aligned with indicator targets; thematic qualitative analysis. Ethical standards: informed consent, confidentiality, do-no-harm, child protection and GBV safeguarding protocols must be strictly applied. Reporting structure: separate inception, draft, and final reports for each assignment (see Section 8). All data must be disaggregated by residential status (refugee/host), sex, age, disability status, and location. Gender considerations must be integrated throughout planning, data collection, analysis, and reporting. The methodology must adhere to ECHO evaluation standards and IRC’s MEAL guidelines. Team Composition: The lead consultant is responsible for assembling a competent, well-balanced team that covers all required roles. The team must include professionals with expertise across the protection, health, and education sectors and must have sufficient capacity to conduct simultaneous fieldwork on both assignments. All field staff must be fluent in local languages. The table below presents the indicator framework applicable to both assignments. Level Indicator KOI % of beneficiaries reporting that humanitarian assistance is delivered in a safe, accessible, accountable, and participatory manner KOI % of targeted girls and boys who are retained in education at the end of the action KOI Case Fatality Rate (number of deaths due to ARI and Diarrhoea /10.000p/day) KOI % of persons/target population in a given context reporting an improved feeling of safety with dignity by the end of the intervention compared to at the beginning KOI % reduction in the number of affected people (experienced, expected or modelled) Custom % of persons referred to other specialized services or assistance providers effectively received services/assistance KRI Number of persons reached by the implementation of specific prevention measures KRI Number of persons who receive an appropriate response through case management KRI Number of Protection Information Management (PIM) products enabling evidence-informed action for quality protection outcomes produced Custom % of survivors who are satisfied with  GBV services through case management KRI Number of persons with increased/appropriate information on relevant rights and/or entitlements Custom # of persons who receive appropriate focused psychosocial care report an improved subjective well-being and capacities to cope KRI Number of primary healthcare consultations KRI Number of live births attended by skilled health personnel KRI Number of mental health consultations Custom Number of health facilities where nutrition programs are implemented Custom % Of people who retain key messages at the end of the awareness sessions/training Custom Number of health facilities rehabilitated KRI Number of learning spaces established to minimum standards for safe learning KRI Number of targeted girls and boys enrolled in formal education services KRI Number of targeted girls and boys enrolled in non-formal education services KRI % of girls targeted by education in emergencies activities KRI Number of teachers/education personnel showing increased knowledge and teaching skills to address children’s learning needs KRI Number of students, teachers and other education personnel provided with psycho-social support services Custom % of procurement whose selection/evaluation procurement criteria include equity and environmental considerations Custom % change in students’ foundational learning outcomes who enrolled in ALP Custom Number of days between the onset of a crisis and delivery of assistance KRI Number of people covered by early action and contingency plans The consultant will engage key stakeholders, including targeted communities, protection committees, health, education, and social welfare authorities, as well as beneficiaries, to ensure that the findings accurately reflect the current health, education, and protection mechanisms in the targeted districts. The methodology should also include a data quality assurance plan, a data analysis framework aligned with project objectives, and a reporting template for presenting findings, lessons learned, and recommendations. Key deliverables and schedule The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following outputs: Inception Report: Detailed evaluation plan, methodology, tools, sampling strategy, workplan, and team structure. To be submitted within 7 working days of contract signing. Draft Report: Full draft report with findings, analysis, indicator values, situation analysis, and early recommendations. Conclusions and recommendations. To be submitted within 45 days of contract signing Final Report: Incorporating all IRC feedback. To be submitted within 55 days of contract signing. A summary PPT of the assignment: Key findings and recommendations for stakeholder dissemination. Complete dataset and all collected information: All raw and cleaned data, codebooks, and data collection instruments. The consultant is expected to present findings of both assignments during relevant forums or meetings organized by IRC. All soft and hard data shall be submitted to IRC upon completion. The external consultant will report directly to the IRC MEAL Unit and provide regular progress updates throughout both assignments. Intellectual property rights: Allproductsarising from this assessment will be ownedby IRC. Without prior written authorization, the consultant will not be allowed to present any analytical results as their work or use the assessment results for private publication. Timeline The endline evaluation is expected to be completed within two months of the signing date of the agreement. The consultant will provide a breakdown of their Level of Effort (LoE) as exhibited through a work plan. The assignment is expected to begin in the 3rd week of June 2026. Qualification of Consultant and his/her team The consultant and their team must meet the following qualifications and experience requirements to conduct both assignments effectively: Postgraduate degree in research, medical sciences, health and nutrition, social work, gender studies, development studies, or a related field. Proven experience conducting endline evaluations and/or baseline studies for multisectoral projects integrating protection, health, and education, targeting both Afghan refugee and host community populations. Demonstrated experience of studies in relevant sectors in humanitarian contexts, including Protection, Health, Education, Community Outreach, Gender Equality, Mainstreaming and Inclusion, Mass Awareness, Multipurpose Cash, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH. Experience managing combined or concurrent multi-assignment evaluations/studies will be a strong advantage. Strong expertise in quantitative and qualitative data collection, synthesis, analysis, and reporting, with the ability to transform findings into clear, actionable insights and data visualisations. Good understanding of the Afghan refugee context and the sociopolitical and programmatic dynamics of Balochistan Province. Prior experience working with ECHO or other major institutional donors. Familiarity with the cultural and contextual dynamics of Balochistan, with experience engaging government officials, community committees, women, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) from Afghan refugee and host communities. Demonstrated experience with ethical research standards, informed consent, and safeguarding protocols for GBV and child protection components. Strong report writing skills with the ability to produce clear, evidence-based, well-structured reports (samples from similar assignments required). Excellent command of English; knowledge of Pashto, Brahui, or other local languages is desirable. All enumerators and field staff must be fluent in the relevant local languages. Strong time and resource management skills with proven ability to meet deadlines across concurrent assignments. IRC Core Values & Commitments: The IRC workers and partners/consultants must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Adult Safeguarding, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons. IRC is committed to ensuring that the consultant is suitable to work with children and women/girls and has the knowledge s/he needs to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy. Level of interaction with clients: Frequent direct contact with clients IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to promoting gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures and actions demonstrate this commitment. Women candidates and persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply. Proposal submission: Interested parties should submit their proposals, including technical and financial proposals (on the IRC template annexes A & B), along with key staff CVs and sample reports for similar assignments, to the following email address by June 15, 2026. Email:hr.pakistan@rescue.org PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients. Cookies: https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/cookiesettings