Director, Independent Office of Evaluation; IOE

Director, Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE)
Apply : ROMEDate of issue: 31/07/2026

Close Date (Midnight, Rome Time): 09/09/2026

Organizational Unit:
Office of Evaluation Full/Part Time:
Full-Time Regular/Temporary:
Regular Assignment Duration: 6 Years Grade: D-2

Organizational Setting The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The Independent Office of Evaluation for IFAD (IOE) evaluates IFAD-funded projects and programmes to assess what works and what doesn
¿ t, and to determine how far IFAD's policies and strategies are successful in rural transformation. IOE's evaluation is based on a coherent set of evaluation methodologies. In identifying key insights and recommendations drawn from evaluation findings, IOE is also concerned, in keeping with IFAD's disclosure policy, with communicating and sharing IFAD's knowledge and experience of rural and agricultural development with a wider audience.

Recipients of IOE's evaluation knowledge include IFAD Management and staff, the Evaluation Committee, the Executive Board, government officials and project staff in the field, as well as the public at  line with the Revised IFAD Evaluation Policy (the
¿ Evaluation Policy¿), the IOE multi-year strategy ) and the Evaluation Manual (2022), the Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) reports directly to the IFAD Executive Board (EB). Drawing from the international norms and standards as outlined by the Evaluation Cooperation Group, United Nations Evaluation Group and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Development Assistance Committee, the evaluation function at IFAD is driven by the following set of six key principles: usefulness, impartiality and credibility, transparency, partnership, consultation and collaboration, evaluability, and value for money/cost effectiveness.

The IFAD Evaluation Policy also states that the IOE Director will ensure that IOE is staffed by independent-minded, experienced evaluators. The IOE regularly undergoes External Peer Reviews to inform and further guide the evaluation function. As such, the IOE Director would be responsible for the implementation of recommendations pertaining to the Office.

Reporting directly to the Executive Board of IFAD and working in collaboration with IFAD Management, the Director, IOE is responsible for managing IOE as the independent evaluation function of the Fund in accordance with its rules and procedures.

Job Role The Director is responsible for managing the IOE. The Director provides strategic leadership, innovation and management. The Director is responsible for managing and supervising the delivery of the offices programme of work within the allocated budget.

The main purpose of the position is to ensure that independent evaluation contributes to IFAD's strategy by improving IFAD policies, strategies and operations throughout their life cycle, by providing necessary evidence-based analysis in a timely manner to decision makers. As such, a robust evaluation policy is key to enhancing the development and organizational effectiveness of the Fund.

Key Functions and Results
1. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND VISION:
The Director provides strategic direction and a clear vision for the role of evaluation within IFAD and translates that vision into medium and long-term strategies for IOE.
2. COMMUNICATION, PARTNERSHIPS AND REPRESENTATION:
The Director serves as designated representative of the independent evaluation function of the Fund. He/she catalyse effective partnerships, internally and externally, including with Member States and a broad range of institutions including borrowers, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, UN agencies, funds and programmes, international financial institutions (IFls), non-governmental organizations…