INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT OVERVIEW

World Wildlife Fund, Inc. (WWF) policies and procedures for all GEF financed full-sized projects require a midterm evaluation (MTE). The following terms of reference (TOR) sets out the expectations for the MTE for the project: Coral Reef Rescue: Resilient Coral Reefs, Resilient Communities project, hereafter referred to as the “Project.” The technical consultant selected to conduct this evaluation will hereafter be referred to as “evaluator.”

The Project seeks to build capacity and solutions that ensure the long-term survival of climate refuge coral reef ecosystems, thereby conserving their biodiversity and supporting the blue economies and communities dependent on them.. The Project was organized into the following components:

• Component 1: Global to local capacity strengthening for climate refuge coral reef monitoring and conservation
• Component 2: Planning for climate refuge coral reef rescue at the national level
• Component 3: Financial solutions for climate refuge coral reef rescue
• Component 4: Knowledge Management and Monitoring and Evaluation

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

WWF is seeking an independent consultant to undertake a Midterm Evaluation (MTE) of the Project. The scope of the MTE will cover the WWF GEF financed components.

The objective of this evaluation is to examine the extent, magnitude, sustainability and potential for project impacts to date; identify any project design problems; assess progress towards project outcomes and outputs; and draw lessons learned that can improve the project effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of project benefits. Based on this assessment, it is expected that the evaluator will provide feasible recommendations that could be applied for the remaining duration of the project.

EVALUATION APPROACH AND METHOD

The evaluation will adhere to the relevant guidance, rules and procedures established by WWF1 and align with guidance from the GEF Terminal Evaluation2 and Ethical Guidelines.3 The evaluation must provide evidence‐based information that is independent, participatory, transparent, and ethical. The evaluator must be unbiased and free of any conflicts of interest with the project. The evaluator is expected to reflect all stakeholder views and follow a participatory and consultative approach. There should be close engagement with government counterparts, the GEF operational focal points in each country, the Executing Agency project management unit (PMU), partners and key stakeholders. Contact information will be provided.

The Evaluation process will include the following, with deliverables marked by “*”:

1. Kickoff;
2. Desk review consisting of, but not limited to:

• Project Document and CEO Endorsement Letter;
• Relevant safeguards documents, including the Safeguards Screen and Categorization memo, and the Stakeholder Engagement Plan;
• Annual Work Plans (AWP) and Budgets;
• Project Progress Reports (PPR) including Results Framework and AWP Tracking;
• GEF Agency reports, including Project Implementation Reports (PIRs) and Supervision Mission Reports (PrISM);
• Relevant financial documents, including financial progress reports; co-financing monitoring tables and co-financing letters;
• Meeting minutes (Project Steering Committee (PSC)) and relevant virtual meetings with the WWF- GEF Agency and support team; and
• Other relevant documents provided by the Executing Agency and partners.

3. Inception Workshop to agree on approach and methods used;

4. Inception report that outlines evaluation methodology*, which shall include data sources and data collection procedure, initial list of partners and stakeholders to be contacted for visits and interviews, revised timeline, survey tools or questionnaires to be utilized ,Evaluation Matrix with guiding questions, etc.;

5. Site visits with PMU and project partners, as necessary and feasible;

6. Interviews, discussions and consultations at local levels, national and international levels, including executing partners, GEF Operational Focal Points (OFP), Project Steering Committee (PSC) members, beneficiaries, and consultants hired to create tools and methods to capture and share community narratives, lessons and experiences.

7. Post-field visit debrief and/or presentation* of initial findings to project management team and other partners as feasible;

8. Draft report* not to exceed 50 pages (excluding annexes) shared with GEF AMU and PMU for review and feedback. A sample outline will be provided; and

9. Final MTE report* and package that has incorporated feedback and comments.

EXPECTED CONTENT OF REPORT

The Midterm Evaluation report will include:

• Information on the evaluation process, including when the evaluation took place, sites visited, participants, key questions, summary of methodology and rating rubric, and feedback log showing how comments on draft were incorporated;
• Assessment of Relevance (project design, theory of change);
• Assessment of project Effectiveness and rating of project objective and outcomes (individual and overall);
• Assessment and rating of risks to the Sustainability of project outcomes;
• Assessment and rating of Monitoring and Evaluation design and implementation;
• Assessment of knowledge management approach, including activities and products;
• Assessment of replication and catalytic effects of the project;
• Assessment of Relevance of the project (e.g. with WWF and GEF priorities) and Coherence;
• Assessment of stakeholder engagement and gender-responsive measures;
• Assessment of any environmental and social impacts and safeguards used for the project. A review of risk category classification and mitigation measures;
• Assessment of Efficiency, financial management and summary of co-financing delivered;
• Assessment and ratings of Implementation and Execution;
• Summary table of key findings by core criteria4 and GEF ratings, including justification and/or indicators for their determination;
• Key lessons tied to identified strengths or issues;
• Recommendations that include: practical and short-term corrective actions by evaluation criteria to address issues and findings; and best practices towards achieving project outcomes, and knowledge sharing / replication for other projects of similar scope.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience
• Previous experience with evaluation methodologies
• Excellent written and oral communication in English.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Recent experience conducting evaluations (for GEF financed projects is an advantage);

• Relevant technical knowledge (e.g. coral reefs, climate resilience, climate finance, etc.);

• Knowledge of GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy;

• Experience with WWF Project and Program Management Standards or Conservation Standards;

• Experience with social assessments, participatory techniques, and gender mainstreaming;

• Knowledge and experience in implementing or reviewing application of social and environmental safeguards policies in GEF (or similar) projects; and

• Regional experience an asset.

  POSITION DETAILS

• Location of consultant: Flexible

• Reporting to : Amelia Kissick, WWF-US

• Preferred timeframe : June –September 2025

• Potential sites to visit : University of Queensland (UQ) to meet with key project stakeholders. Other additional sites could include 1. UQ St. Lucia Campus, Brisbane, Australia; 2. WCS office, Suva, Fiji; 3. Reef Check office, Jakarta, Indonesia; 4. WCS office, Honiara, Solomon Islands; 5. WCS office, Antananrivo, Madagascar; 6. MPRU office, Dar Es Salam, Tanzania. Of the above mentioned sites, UQ and Fiji would be priorities.

  PROJECT DATA

• Project/Program Title: CORAL REEF RESCUE: RESILIENT CORAL REEFS, RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

• GEF Project ID: 10575

• Implementing Agency: WWF US

• Executing Agency : University of Queensland (UQ) International Development

• Executing Partners : Reef Check Indonesia, Tanzania Marine Parks Unit, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Wildlife Conservation Society

• Countries: Fiji, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Indonesia, Madagascar, Tanzania

• Focal Area: International Waters

• GEF Operational Program: GEF- 7

• Total GEF Approved Budget: 7,648,000

• Total Co-financing Approved: 71,338,534

How to Apply:

Interested consultants are invited to submit a technical and financial proposal with their curriculum vitae, a relevant writing sample and three professional references*.* Only complete proposals will be accepted.The financial proposal should include fee and reimbursable expenses, if applicable. The total budget shall not exceed USD $35,000. Individual, team or consulting firm proposals are welcome. Women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply.

Interested consultants are requested to send their proposals to EvaluationsWWFGEF@wwfus.org by June 6th. All questions about the requirements or process should be submitted to this e-mail address by May 30th. Responses to frequent and submitted questions will be available to all interested consultants until the application deadline in Annex F at this link.

The technical proposal and qualifications/experience of the individual or team will account for 90% of the weighted score of the proposal. The technical score will be based on how the proposal reflects an understanding of the work and adherence to the TOR and quality of the proposal (readability, depth/breadth and suitability of the methodology), as well as the degree to which the candidate meets desired and required qualifications/experience mentioned in the terms of reference above. The financial elements of the proposal will account for 10% of the weighted score of the application.

Once all proposals have been scored by the review committee, a shortlist of proposals will be determined, and the candidates notified. Shortlisted candidates will have their references contacted, proposal reviewed by project stakeholders and will participate in an interview. Shortlisted candidates who are not selected will be provided with information on relative strengths and weaknesses of their proposal, but specific scores and the identity of other candidates will not be shared.

The selection process will be in compliance with WWF and GEF requirements. Any questions or concerns about non-compliance or irregularities in the process can be raised through WWF’s mechanism for reporting concerns available here: https://wwfus.ethicspoint.com.

To see the full terms of reference and other consultancies, visit: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/wwf-gef-vacancies