External Evaluator – Shared Horizons Project
Project: Shared Horizons – Component 2 (Cultural Heritage)
Geographical scope: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia
Project duration: October 2024 – June 2026
Evaluation period: 2025–2026
ALDA – The European Association for Local Democracy is dedicated to the promotion of good governance and citizen participation at the local level. ALDA in particular focuses on activities that facilitate cooperation between local authorities and civil society. It was established at the initiative of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to coordinate and support the network of Local Democracy Agencies. ALDA developed in one of the strongest stakeholder in the field of cooperation between local authorities and civil society engaged in promotion of local democracy and active citizenship. For more information, please see our website: www.alda-europe.eu
Terms of Reference
ALDA is looking for an External Evaluator – Shared Horizons Project. The incumbent will work under the supervision of ALDA’s Project Manager for Shared Horizons and in close coordination with the ALDA Balkans team.
The evaluator will be in charge of:
- Ensuring objectivity, impartiality, and confidentiality in all stages of the evaluation.
- Conducting an independent evaluation of the Shared Horizons project, Component 2 (Cultural Heritage), implemented from October 2024 to June 2026 in six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia).
- Carrying out a mid-term evaluation (January 2026) and a final evaluation (June 2026), assessing project relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability.
- Reviewing project documents, logical frameworks, work plans, and reports to establish a baseline and evaluation methodology.
- Undertaking data collection and analysis, including field visits (as feasible), stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and surveys.
- Producing the required deliverables:
- Inception Report (within 4 weeks of contract signature)
- Mid-Term Evaluation Report (by 31 January 2026)
- Draft Final Report (by 15 May 2026)
- Final Evaluation Report (by 15 June 2026)
- Providing lessons learned and actionable recommendations for ALDA, project partners, and donors.
- Ensuring objectivity, impartiality, and confidentiality in all stages of the evaluation.
Skills Needed
- Relevant qualifications and experience in the evaluation of international projects, particularly in the fields of cultural heritage, peacebuilding, and youth engagement in the Western Balkans or similar contexts.
- Capacity to design and apply a methodological approach and work plan, including data collection, stakeholder engagement, and analysis.
- Ability to provide a comprehensive M&E plan, with indicators, methodology, and timeline.
- Experience in producing evaluation reports in line with donor requirements (EU-funded or donor-funded cultural or social projects).
- Excellent knowledge of English (all reports must be submitted in English).
- Availability to perform the activities within the required timeframe (November 2025 – June 2026) and deliver the requested outputs (Inception, Mid-term, Draft Final, and Final Reports).
- Ability to provide references or samples of similar previous work (up to 2 examples).
Terms of Contract
The contract will cover the period of the evaluation, from November 2025 to June 2026, in line with the project’s implementation calendar.
The assignment is a service contract with a maximum budget of €9,000 (including all taxes and charges).
The evaluator may be based anywhere, with field visits in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia) foreseen as feasible.
Payment will be made in accordance with agreed milestones and deliverables as outlined in the signed contract.
Application Procedure
Interested candidates (individuals or organisations) must submit the following documents:
- Technical Proposal, including:
- Profile of the candidate/company and CV(s), outlining relevant qualifications and experience in evaluation of international projects, particularly in the fields of cultural heritage, peacebuilding, and youth engagement in the Western Balkans or similar contexts;
- Methodological approach and work plan, describing how the evaluation will be carried out, including proposed methods for data collection, stakeholder engagement, and analysis;
- Preliminary timeline indicating the evaluator’s availability within the required timeframe;
- References or up to 2 samples of similar previous work (preferably in EU- or donor-funded projects).
- Financial Proposal, including:
- Detailed budget in euros;
- Statement that the total amount does not exceed €9,000, including all applicable taxes and charges.
📧 Applications must be sent by email in English or French with the subject line:
External Evaluation – Shared Horizons Project
to: aldabalkans@aldaintranet.org and viktorija@aldaintranet.org
🗓 Deadline for applications: 15 October 2025
For full details, please consult the Terms of Reference and Annex 1: Information on the Processing of Personal Data.