Value of Money (VfM) Expert Individual Consultant International Position Part time Senior level Short term contract

Position Title: Value for Money (VfM) Assessment Expert (Consultant / Part-Time / As-Needed)
Organization: STOOS Consulting (STOOS)
Reports to: Team Leader / Project Director (STOOS)
Contract Type: Consultancy agreement (short-term, assignment-based)
Duty Station: Remote, with potential travel depending on assignment scope
Duration: Variable (typically 10–40 working days per assignment), based on ToR and deliverables
Start Date: As agreed per assignment

1) Introduction to STOOS Consulting

STOOS Consulting is an international consulting firm established in 2019, delivering high-quality monitoring, evaluation, research, assessments, and learning services for humanitarian and development actors across MENA, Africa, and Europe. STOOS supports donors, UN agencies, INGOs, and local organizations through evidence-based analysis that strengthens decision-making, accountability, and program performance. STOOS is recognized for rigorous methods, strong field implementation capacity, ethical research standards, and context-responsive delivery—particularly in complex and fragile settings.

2) Role Summary

The Value for Money (VfM) Assessment Expert will lead and/or provide technical oversight for VfM components within research, evaluation, feasibility, and assessment consultancies. The expert will ensure that VfM analysis is methodologically sound, decision-oriented, and aligned with donor expectations, generating practical insights on economy, efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and cost-effectiveness (as applicable). The role includes contributing to research design, tool development, data analysis, interpretation, and reporting, and ensuring VfM findings are integrated into clear recommendations.

3) Key Tasks During Research and Assessment Consultancies

A. Assessment Design and Analytical Framing

• Lead the VfM framework for each assignment, including the VfM questions, assumptions, and analytical approach.
• Contribute to the evaluation/research design, ensuring VfM is embedded in the methodology and linked to the ToC/results framework.
• Define the data needs (financial, operational, output/outcome) and feasibility of VfM analysis within time/budget constraints.

B. Tool Development and Data Collection Readiness

• Develop and refine data collection tools relevant to VfM (e.g., cost templates, unit-cost trackers, efficiency checklists, structured KII/FGD prompts).
• Support sampling and field planning to ensure VfM-relevant evidence is captured (including triangulation of financial/program data).
• Provide guidance/training to team members and enumerators on VfM concepts, data requirements, and quality assurance.

C. Data Management and Quantitative/Qualitative Analysis

• Lead analysis of cost structures, unit costs, cost drivers, resource utilization, and links to outputs/outcomes.
• Conduct VfM analyses as appropriate, such as: unit cost analysis, cost-efficiency comparisons, cost-effectiveness narratives, economy checks, efficiency mapping, and sensitivity considerations.
• Triangulate financial data with qualitative insights to explain why performance occurred (constraints, market factors, delivery modalities, operational bottlenecks).

D. Interpretation, Reporting, and Recommendations

• Draft VfM sections for inception reports, analysis briefs, draft and final reports, ensuring clarity and defensible conclusions.
• Translate findings into actionable recommendations (cost optimization, delivery model improvements, targeting and equity trade-offs, scalability implications).
• Participate in debriefs, validation workshops, and client presentations, communicating VfM insights in a non-technical, decision-ready manner.

E. Quality Assurance and Compliance

• Ensure VfM work meets STOOS quality standards, ethical commitments, and donor/client requirements.
• Maintain documentation of calculations, assumptions, and limitations to ensure auditability and transparency.

4) Key Deliverables (Assignment-Dependent)

• VfM analysis plan integrated into the inception report (questions, approach, data plan).
• VfM tools and templates (unit-cost sheets, cost capture formats, interview prompts, efficiency checklists).
• VfM analysis outputs (tables/graphs/unit cost metrics/narrative synthesis) as applicable.
• Draft and final VfM report sections, including conclusions and recommendations.
• Presentation/debrief slides summarizing VfM findings (if required).

5) Required Qualifications and Experience

Education:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Development Studies, Statistics, or a related field (Master’s preferred).

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in VfM, economic analysis, cost analysis, evaluation, or performance measurement in humanitarian/development contexts.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to or leading evaluations/assessments where costs are linked to outputs/outcomes.
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis (unit cost, efficiency metrics, basic modeling) and ability to triangulate with qualitative evidence.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in Excel (advanced), and familiarity with analysis tools (e.g., Power BI, Stata, R, SPSS—advantage).
• Strong report-writing skills in English (Arabic and/or French is an advantage depending on assignment context).
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and produce high-quality, client-ready outputs.

Core Competencies:

• Strong analytical judgment, attention to detail, and ability to communicate complex VfM findings clearly.
• Teamwork and mentoring capacity for mixed-method teams.
• Understanding of donor expectations around economy, efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and responsible resource use.

Interested consultants/ experts should submit their application through the following link:

https://forms.gle/jMW1PFvNNghUFEQG6

Tagged as: Agriculture, Food Security and Livelihoods