Consultant: Team Leader, Policy Systems Services Midterm Evaluation (Senegal MELS) At EnCompass

Position Description

EnCompass LLC is seeking a consultant to serve as Team Leader for a midterm evaluation of the Feed the Future Senegal Policy Systems Service (PSS) activity. We are looking for a consultant with experience in agricultural policy and the Feed the Future initiative.

The position involves travel to Dakar, Senegal and may include travel within Senegal.

1. LLC implements the USAID-funded contract, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning in Senegal Platform (the Platform) in partnership with MSI. The purpose of the Platform is to support USAID/Senegal in its performance management and contribute to building a sustainable MEL culture in Senegal through holistic engagement and strengthening of local practitioners and institutions. The Platform will provide evidence-based decision-making to support adaptive management in the Mission, engage USAID partners in their efforts to continuously improve, and provide capacity-strengthening to local partners and MEL service providers.

The Platform is leading a mid-term performance evaluation of the Feed the Future Senegal Policy Systems Service (PSS) activity, a five-year program that aims to strengthen the Senegalese Agricultural and food policy systems to advance Senegal’s self-reliance as well as decrease poverty, improve nutritional outcomes, build resilience, improve water security, and accelerate inclusive agricultural growth and transformation. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess PSS Activity performance as it completes its third year of implementation, the broader issues that impact its theory of change and expected results, and the scalability and sustainability of its interventions.

Period of Performance

• July – December 2024
• Estimate of working days: Approximately 49

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Essential functions:

Administration :

• Orient the team, determine the materials and logistics necessary to complete the task, and coordinate team contributions, working under the guidance of the Senior Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist
• Submit a weekly progress report during data collection phase

Technical:

• Review documents provided by USAID and other stakeholders, present findings, and determine how this information will feed into data collection
• Lead work plan development in coordination with team members, including methodology to address evaluation questions, sampling strategy, stakeholders to be interviewed, and data collection tools (surveys, interview guides, and discussion guides)
• Identify and conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders and organizations
• Produce detailed interview notes after each interview
• Review and analyze the data collected to produce a Report for submission USAID
• Guide the development of the findings and conclusions table
• Present evaluation initial findings to USAID
• Lead the workshop for the co-creation of recommendations with relevant stakeholders
• Serve as lead writer for the report, integrating comments as needed
• Develop and deliver PowerPoint presentation of findings for USAID

Other :

• Any other tasks or activities necessary for the successful completion of the evaluation

Expected deliverables include the following:

• Desk review matrix
• Work Plan
• Data collection tools for the different stakeholders identified in the work plan
• Interview notes
• Weekly progress report during data collection phase
• Findings and conclusions table
• Recommendations matrix
• PowerPoint presentation of findings
• Draft evaluation report
• Final evaluation report with abstract in coordination with the Team Leader
• Report and other work products to be determined in consultation with the Platform team

Position Requirements

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• Advanced degree in social sciences or relevant field with 10 years of experience in development, agricultural policy analysis, evaluations and/or social science research. Bachelor’s degree and additional years of experience may substitute.
• Graduate certificate or professional certification in program evaluation would be highly desired.

Experience and Skills

• Strong understanding of the agricultural policy analysis
• Previous experience in leading evaluations of development projects and programs funded by bilateral or multilateral donors, with at least 5 evaluations as Team Leader
• Demonstrated experience in the use of quantitative and qualitative methods in evaluations, including surveys, interviews, or focus groups, among others.
• Experience in using software for quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis
• Drafted or contributed to at least 3 evaluation, assessment, or research reports
• Strong management and team building skills
• English and French proficiency is required
• Experience with USAID evaluations, assessments or research is an asset

Position : Team Leader, Mid-Term Evaluation Policy Systems Services

Reporting to : Senior Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist

Job Description

EnCompass LLC is seeking a consultant to serve as Team Leader to conduct a mid-term evaluation of a Feed the Future Senegal Policy Systems Service (PSS) project. We are looking for a consultant with experience in agricultural policy and the Feed the Future initiative.

1. position includes travel to Dakar, Senegal and may include travel to interior regions of Senegal.
2. LLC is implementing the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Platform in Senegal (the Platform), funded by USAID in partnership with MSI. The objective of the Platform is to support USAID/Senegal in its performance management and contribute to the establishment of a sustainable MEL culture in Senegal, through holistic engagement and strengthening of local actors and institutions. The Platform will facilitate evidence-based decision-making to support adaptive mission management, engage USAID partners in their continuous improvement efforts, and provide capacity building to local partners and MEL service providers.

The Platform is conducting a mid-term performance evaluation of the Feed the Future Senegal Policy Systems Service (PSS) activity, a five-year program that aims to strengthen Senegal’s agricultural and food policy systems to advance Senegal’s self-reliance and reduce poverty, improve nutritional outcomes, build resilience, improve water security, and accelerate inclusive agricultural growth and transformation. The objective of the evaluation is to assess the performance of the PSS activity as it completes its third year of implementation, as well as broader issues that impact the theory of change and intended outcomes, and the scaling up and sustainability of interventions.

Completion time

• July – December 2024
• Estimated approximately 49 working days

Roles and responsibilities

Essential functions:

Administration:

• Orient the team, determine the materials and logistics needed to accomplish the task, and coordinate the team’s contributions, under the supervision of the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
• Submit a weekly progress report during the field data collection phase

Technique:

• Review documents provided by USAID and other stakeholders, present a summary of the results of the document review and determine how this information will contribute to data collection
• Guide the development of the work plan in coordination with other members of the evaluation team, including the methodology, sampling strategy and identification of relevant targets and the development of data collection tools (interview guides, questionnaires and discussion guides).
• Guide the development of investigator training materials and participate in their training
• Identify and conduct interviews with the stakeholders identified in the work plan
• Produce detailed interview notes after each interview
• Exploit and analyze the data collected to produce a report to submit to USAID
• Guide the development of the table of findings and conclusions
• Present preliminary evaluation results to USAID
• Facilitate the co-creation workshop of recommendations with relevant stakeholders
• Serve as the primary writer of the evaluation report, incorporating comments as necessary
• Develop a PowerPoint of the final results and present them to USAID

Other :

• Any other task or activity necessary for the successful completion of the assessment

The expected deliverables are as follows:

• Documentary review matrix
• Workplan
• Data collection tools for the different stakeholders identified in the work plan
• Notes from the interviews conducted
• Weekly Field Data Collection Progress Report
• Table of findings and conclusions
• Matrix of recommendations
• PowerPoint presentation of results
• Draft of the evaluation report
• Finalized version of the report in coordination with the team leader
• Report and other products to be determined in consultation with the Platform team

Job Requirement

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• Advanced degree in social sciences or relevant field with 10 years of experience in development, agricultural policy analysis, evaluations and/or social science research. A bachelor’s degree and additional years of experience may be substituted for the degree.
• A graduate certificate or professional certification in program evaluation would be strongly preferred.

Experiences and Skills

• Good experience in agricultural policy analysis
• Previous experience in conducting evaluations of development projects and programs of bilateral or multilateral donors with the conduct of at least 5 evaluations as Team Leader/Mission Leader
• Proven experience using quantitative and qualitative methods in evaluations, including surveys, interviews, or focus groups, among others
• Experience in using software for processing and analyzing quantitative and/or qualitative data
• Have led or participated in the writing of at least 3 evaluation, analysis or research reports
• Good organizational and team management skills??
• Ability to read, write and speak in English and French is required
• Previous experience in conducting studies, evaluations or research, with USAID is a plus

EnCompass LLC is a progressive Equal Opportunity Employer. We promote, celebrate, and support a diverse and inclusive organizational culture and workforce. We are committed to providing all of our employees with an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where all are treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate, and explicitly prohibit, discrimination or harassment of any kind, at any time, in all aspects of employment. This includes recruitment, hiring, promotions, disciplinary measures, terminations, compensation, benefits, social and recreational programs, and training. EnCompass also does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or harassment. Our continuing commitment to the principle of Equal Opportunity Employment for all means all employment decisions are based only on the job requirements, the candidate’s qualifications, and the needs of EnCompass as a business—not on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, belief, sex (including pregnancy and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, genetic information, HIV status, family/marital/parental status, or any other status protected by the laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where we work.

For US based positions: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified.

The incumbent must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to juggle and prioritize multiple, competing tasks and demands and to seek supervisory assistance as appropriate.

If you require accommodations in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act to complete your application, please call 301-287-8700, provide your contact information and a description of your accessibility issue. We will make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case-basis, and we will call you back within approximately 3 business days.

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