Национален консултант за междинния преглед на Националната стратегия за младежта 2021–2030 г.

UNICEF Bulgaria is looking for a national consultant to support the office and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in conducting a mid-term review and assessment of the implementation of the National Youth Strategy 2021-2030. The Strategy articulates the vision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports for young people in Bulgaria. It outlines a set of long-term goals and strategic objectives.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports is responsible for the implementation, coordination, and monitoring of the National Youth Strategy (NYS). The Strategy is operationalized through an annual action plan adopted by the Council of Ministers and is prepared on the basis of summarized information about youth activities and initiatives submitted by the relevant ministries and regional authorities. Each annual action plan implementation status is then reported by the same stakeholders. In addition, there are two national youth programmes that are administered by the Ministry of Youth and Sports with the targeted allocated budget for youth policy: the National Youth Programme (2021-2025) and the National programme for the implementation of youth activities under Article 10a of the Gambling Act (2023-2025). These two programmes are the main tools used by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to directly implement the national youth policy in the country.

As specified in the National Youth Strategy 2021-2030 Monitoring and Evaluation Section, it is a requirement to conduct a mid-term review and assessment no later than the sixth year of the Strategy’s implementation. The main objective of the mid-term review would be to assess the results achieved and to identify whether there is a need to revise and adjust the objectives and proposed measures. The review is also expected to contribute to a more active involvement of key stakeholders in the monitoring and evaluation process. The mid-term review should include an assessment of the progress to date, with particular emphasis on the intermediate results achieved towards the objectives set in the Strategy. It should also include an assessment of the degree of alignment of the national youth policy with other national policies and the European youth policy frameworks. The mid-term review shall also contain an analysis of the indicators set for tracking the progress in achieving the Strategy’s objectives.

UNICEF Bulgaria is currently in the third year of implementing its Country Programme Document for 2023–2027. As part of this programme, UNICEF provides technical support to the Government of Bulgaria, including the Ministry of Youth and Sports. In line with the Memorandum of Cooperation between UNICEF and the Ministry, UNICEF is supporting the undertaking of this mid-term review of the implementation of the National Youth Strategy 2021–2030.

Objective and Scope of the Assignment

The purpose of mid-term review is to assess the progress in implementing the National Youth Strategy  2021-2030 towards achieving the Strategy objectives. The mid-term review will cover the period from 2023 to 2025 inclusive as the Strategy was approved by the National Parliament and entered into force as of 31.01.2023.

The mid-term review and relevant recommendations will aim to support and guide potential adjustments to the National Youth Strategy and its alignment with evolving developments, challenges, and needs of young people. The results are also expected to help the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the preparations and the design of the national youth programmes beyond 2025, and better alignment between the national youth programmes and the Strategy.

The National Youth Strategy 2021-2030 defines the thematic scope for review and assessment. The mid-term review should focus on key strategic objectives and thematic priorities. It  should also examine the implementation of the national youth programmes in the period of 2021-2025 to capture their alignment with the Strategy’s priorities, objectives, and monitoring framework.

More precisely the mid-term review is expected to cover:

• The relevance of the Strategy’s objectives, by considering whether it still appropriately addresses current and future developments and needs of young people, including adaptability in the rapidly changing context.
• The progress and results achieved between 2023 and 2025 by looking at the effectiveness of the measures taken to achieve the Strategy’s objectives, the implementation of the main instruments – the two national youth programmes, priorities and actions used as well as by looking at the efficiency of the Strategy’s instruments.
• Strategy’s internal and external coherence, including with other national and EU-level policies and strategies with similar or complementary objectives.
• Indicators for youth policy monitoring and evaluation frameworks of the Strategy and the national youth programmes.
• The challenges and lessons learned and propose recommendations to assure relevance and impact of future activities going beyond 2025. The lessons learned from the mid-term review will help the Ministry of Youth and Sports to adjust the Strategy and the national youth programmes to the new developments and needs of young people.
• In addition, the mid-term review should cover the existing coordination mechanisms or arrangements that have facilitated the implementation of the National Youth Strategy 2021-2030.

Work Assignment Overview

Qualification Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Social sciences, Monitoring and Evaluation, Economics, Development Studies, Strategic Management, Public Policy
• Experience in designing, undertaking programme reviews and evaluations and/or impact assessments covering multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary programmes and projects .
• Excellent academic and research background and proven record of accomplishment in conducting similar assignments.
• Experience in mixed methods and interdisciplinary approaches in data collection, analysis and management for evaluation of development programmes and strategies.
• Knowledge and experience of evaluation concepts, approaches, methodologies, and tools.
• An ability to conduct high quality research or evaluation, meet deadlines and respond to requests and feedback provided in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Excellent analytical skills in overall aspects of assessment design and implementation of project evaluations.
• Ability to produce clear, comprehensive and high-quality assessment reports.
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and professional skills in interacting with multi-stakeholders’ teams and multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent knowledge of English is required.

The assignment is envisaged to take place between 25.08.2025 – 31.12.2025.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications by 17 August 2025 to the following e-mail [email protected], indicating they are applying for “National consultant to support the mid-term review of the National Youth Strategy 2021-2030”. The applicants should provide a CV in English, a proposed fee for the whole assignment in Bulgarian leva, as well as any additional supporting documents relevant to the application. Only short-listed applications will be moved to the next stage. The selected candidate will undergo reference checks.