Senior Evaluation Specialist for USAID Bangladesh Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Services At NORC

NORC is seeking a Senior Evaluation Specialist for an anticipated, five-year Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning contract for USAID’s Bangladesh Mission. The Bangladesh MEL contract will provide the USAID Mission with strategic and technical support to improve monitoring performance, evaluation and operational learning and advance Mission learning and adapting. The project will provide comprehensive MEL services, including capacity strengthening and technical support, to USAID and its partners, local organizations, and government counterparts.

The position is contingent on funding. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Evaluation Specialist will provide technical leadership of impact, performance, and mid-term evaluations as well as various research studies and assessments. The Senior Evaluation Specialist will work full-time over a 5-year period based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Responsibilities will include oversight of evaluation and study designs (e.g., sampling design, data sources and collection methods) with well thought-out research questions and associated indicators; development of data collection tools including surveys and interviews and focus groups guides; key informant interviewing and focus group discussions; managing survey data collections including data quality insurance, reviewing data and preparing datasets, analyzing quantitative or qualitative data to measure program impact and implementation performance, and report writing.

It is expected that s/he will serve as evaluation team leader for some evaluations conducted under this contract. In addition, s/he will also contribute to the learning component of this contract, overseeing the development of learning products (e.g., interactive dashboards, graphic summaries) and participating in workshops and capacity building as needed. The Senior Evaluation Specialist also has significant managerial responsibilities, including the recruitment and management of team members and short-term technical experts and local data collection firms.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the COP to deliver high quality monitoring, evaluation, and learning services as required by USAID, ;
• Provide senior level technical and managerial support on projects, such as designing, conducting or managing evaluations, strategy consulting, learning agenda development, training, or other tasks as required;
• Provide trainings and other capacity building services to USAID Mission staff, project staff, and other key stakeholders to improve evaluation processes and techniques;
• Share and disseminate evaluation findings to all relevant parties and prepares findings for deliverables;
• Represent the company to USAID technical officers and implementing partners; and
• Other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum Master’s degree in international development/studies, social science, public policy, economics, or other relevant field;
• Minimum of six years’ experience in monitoring, evaluation, and management consulting in international development programs;
• Experience working on USAID-funded projects;
• Strong quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills including knowledge of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis software;
• Strong communication, supervision, and management skills; and
• Fluency in written and spoken in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of knowledge management as it relates to USAID programs;
• Experience building evaluative and learning capacities of USAID staff, implementing partners, and government counterparts;
• Knowledge of and ability to implement CLA approaches in project activities;
• Professional experience working in Bangladesh
• Proficient in Bengali or other local languages; and
• Technical expertise in one or more thematic sectors (such as private sector engagement, governance/security, natural resource management, human capital, food security, health, energy, refugee displacement)