Implementation Research Consultant (Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management) at International Research and Exchanges Board

POSITION SUMMARY

IREX seeks a qualified implementation research consultant for the global, cross-sectoral USAID Youth Excel (YE) Activity. Youth Excel has designed and is applying an approach to using implementation research to strengthen cross-sectoral positive youth development programming, help youth-led and youth-serving organizations use implementation research, and synthesize and promote findings broadly.

With the USAID Center for Gender and Development (GenDev), Youth Excel is implementing a grant competition to strengthen menstrual health and hygiene management (MHH) for girl’s education. The grant competition will engage three (3) local youth-led or youth-serving organizations to test and adapt locally developed positive youth development (PYD) solutions to strengthen MHH in schools.

The Implementation Research Consultant will provide technical advising and mentoring to the three (3) grantees who are conducting different types of local-level implementation research. The Consultant will be available for ad hoc consultations, providing technical assistance for research, reviewing and strengthening research plans, ongoing mentoring as youth organizations conduct research, input to facilitation or guides for workshops and trainings, supporting program adaptation using data, and/or input to knowledge products. Supported by Youth Excel global and regional experts, the Implementation Research Consultant will use Youth Excel’s implementation research approach and tools.

Additionally, the Implementation Research Consultant will co-lead the development of learning briefs which summarize data-informed adaptations of grantees and a meta-analysis leveraging data across all three grantees to understand the local priorities of implementers working in school-based MHH and the effectiveness of different school-based MHH packages in reaching improved education outcomes, and to provide recommendations for future investments in school-based MHH.

This consultancy is expected to include 30 days of effort distributed from February 2022 to February 2023.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

• Working collaboratively with the Youth Excel team, grantees, and USAID, serve as an implementation research technical mentor. Learn and use the Youth Excel implementation research approach.
• Provide individualized technical assistance and strengthen grantee capacities to use implementation research tools, use a variety of data collection methods, and help them succeed in using implementation research.
• Support the development and strengthening of grantee implementation research plans
• Provide technical guidance to collaborative events and initiatives to interrogate, synthesize, and apply research data and findings.
• Coach grantees in preparing knowledge products in a variety of formats.
• Co-lead the grant competition meta-analysis of grantee findings and develop knowledge products of grantee learning updates and meta-analysis findings.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in a field related to implementation research and/or participatory action research in a field related to international development, youth development, education, employment, health, or another relevant field.
• Technical knowledge and expertise in menstrual health and hygiene management, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, school-based programming, gender transformative approaches, and/or gender and social inclusion.
• At least three (3) years’ experience using implementation research, participatory action research, or related methodologies with local organizations in East Africa. Experience working with youth researchers in these regions is strongly preferred.
• Experience providing technical assistance in research to individuals who may not have had research experience.
• Experience upholding high ethical standards in research. Experience working with minors in research preferred.
• Demonstrated facilitation skills with widely diverse groups.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects in fast-paced work environments, and deliver high quality results under tight deadlines.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English. Conversational skills in local Zambian languages (i.e., Bemba and Nyanja) and/or Malawian languages (i.e., Chichewa) a plus.
• Demonstrated commitment to collaboration, reflection, and learning.
• Physically based in Malawi or Zambia preferred.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

• CV that emphasizes relevant experience for this assignment. Please include the country where you are currently located as well as countries/regions where you have experience, and relevant language skills.
• Cover letter: Please submit a cover letter briefly outlining general information about the consultant, limited to 2 pages or less.
  • Brief consultant profile
  • If attached to a firm, include a brief description (if a firm, note that one individual will be designated as key personnel in the agreement).
  • If a firm, state whether firm/consultant is local, national, or international, and size of firm.
  • Daily rate of consultant
  • Indicate rough schedule of availability