DEPP Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Advisor

Job Summary

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

About the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS): CEPPS is comprised of nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations dedicated to advancing and supporting democratic practices and institutions around the globe. Established in 1995, CEPPS pools the expertise of three premier international organizations dedicated to democratic development: the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute. CEPPS now has a 25-year track record of collaboration and leadership in democracy, human rights and governance support. As mission driven, nonprofit democracy organizations, we differ from many development actors by maintaining long-term relationships with political parties, election management bodies, parliaments, civil society organizations and democracy activists. We operate as a consortium (under a joint venture) to provide USAID and other donors with the capacity to deliver complex democracy, rights and governance (DRG) programming at scale across the entire spectrum of political contexts and geographic regions.

Position Requirements

• Master’s degree or higher in political science, international relations, or related field.
• At least eight years experience in the design and implementation of knowledge management and learning systems to inform programmatic and strategic decision-making. Experience in the DRG field is preferred, but not required.

Primary Functions and Responsibilities

The CLA (Collaborating, Learning, Adapting) Advisor will provide overall management of CEPPS’ knowledge management and collaborating, learning, and adapting practices under the Democratic Elections and Political Processes (DEPP) award. The CLA Advisor will engage all CEPPS partners in the operationalization of CEPPS’ REL policies related to knowledge management and collaborating, learning, and adapting. The CLA Advisor will also engage with the broader democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) community to harness and leverage existing knowledge management and CLA tools, practices, and approaches, adapting them for CEPPS use when appropriate. The CLA Advisor will ensure that key learnings developed through program and technical leadership implementation under DEPP are effectively shared across the CEPPS consortium and with the broader DRG community. The CLA Advisor will support CEPPS staff to integrate and elevate knowledge management CLA practices and products throughout program design and implementation, resulting in processes and programs that prioritize knowledge management and CLA.

The CLA Advisor will work under the direction of the REL Director to undertake the following key duties and responsibilities:

• Support the REL Director and CEPPS staff to develop and manage an inclusive, collaborative process to design and implement a DEPP Learning Agenda
• Support the REL Director and other CEPPS REL team members to assess the DRG evidence landscape, including the evidence gap maps on USAID/DRG’s Learning, Evaluation, and Analysis Platform, to inform development and continual updating of the DEPP Learning Agenda
• Support CEPPS MEL teams in conducting trend analysis of data from the CEPPS indicators database, from CEPPS qualitative data to inform learning agenda development
• Support development of a process to identify priority technical leadership, pilot projects and research that comprises the DEPP learning agenda; monitor implementation of Learning Agenda and provide support to execute the Learning Agenda, as needed
• Manage day to day operations of the knowledge management and CLA components of a robust Research, Evaluation, and Learning (REL) practice in CEPPS that leverages MEL data and rigorous social science research to inform program design and implementation and as well as technical leadership under the DEPP mechanism
• Develop and maintain knowledge management and CLA processes that identify, harvest, validate/contextualize, and share key learnings from DEPP implementation with all CEPPS partners and with the broader DRG community, including USAID.

Program Design and Implementation

• Engage in DEPP program design initiatives to ensure that learnings from CEPPS program implementation and social science research are considered in design of DEPP programs; develop tools or products, such as “trend snapshot” documents or briefing materials, to increase the uptake of learning, as needed.

Reporting and Sharing

• Develop or refine reporting processes that efficiently capture lessons learned and promising practices from CEPPS programming experiences;
• Support staff in actively and consistently collaborating and sharing learning across regions and thematic area through peer-to-peer exchanges; this must include at least semi-annual CEPPS-wide reflection sessions to share best practices and lessons learned that advance effective programming;
• Contribute to reporting, as necessary, on implementation of REL activities for CEPPS quarterly and annual reporting under DEPP, as well as any specific requests for reporting from USAID;
• Support other CEPPS staff in reviewing and gleaning lessons and learning from CEPPS reports including quarterly, final and evaluation reports.

Capacity Building and Internal Learning

• Design and execute internal CEPPS trainings on KM and CLA as needed to build staff awareness and capacity in these concepts and processes, this must include but is not limited to a KM/CLA 101 training;
• Develop and implement clear policies and guidelines for enacting the policies related to CEPPS CLA practices at the project and mechanism levels; these policies and guidelines should foster collaborative learning and adaptation practices during program implementation and should establish specific entry points, tools and products to integrate and apply learning during the program design process;
• Establish and manage inclusive processes that engage all CEPPS and partner staff in identifying and synthesizing learnings from associate awards and technical leadership initiatives;
• Develop and maintain an updated library or repository of learnings organized by theme, stakeholder, region and other similar elements, as agreed upon by CEPPS key personnel.

Communications and External Engagement

• Conceptualize and support of the execution of public events design to highlight CEPPS learning to and for the DRG community;
• Regularly work with the CEPPS Communications team and CEPPS management to develop communications products that highlight DEPP-generated learnings that inform the DRG community of effective programming practices and approaches;
• Engage with academia, donors, and other key stakeholders to keep up-to-date on emerging MEL thinking and to communicate key aspects of CEPPS’ REL practice;
• As needed, represent CEPPS at academic and practitioner events to highlight CEPPS approaches to knowledge management and learning, and to communicate key findings from REL initiatives.