Impact Evaluation Specialist (Team Leader)

Forcier is a multi-disciplinary research and monitoring & evaluation firm operating across Africa and the Middle East since 2011. Our core services include program evaluations, opinion polling, third-party monitoring, and capacity building for UN Agencies, NGOs, governments, and private sector clients operating in post-conflict and challenging environments. Forcier currently has offices in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique.

Job Description:

Forcier is seeking an Impact Evaluation Specialist Team Leader position on an anticipated USAID-funded impact evaluation organized by SoCha for The Partnership for the Development of Eastern Congo (P-DEC) program in Eastern DRC. The aim of this five-month evaluation is to provide benchmark values for key indicators before P-DEC’s interventions. The evaluation will include reviewing existing program documents, conducting an analysis of P-DEC’s theory of change, and designing and implementing a mixed-methods impact evaluation using a quasi-experimental design based on the difference-in-difference (DID) approach via household surveys and key-informant interviews.

The position will be on a contract basis and be based in the Democratic Republic of Congo with possible travel throughout the country. The position is open to international candidates but Congolese citizens are preferred. It is MANDATORY to have past USAID-funded evaluation experience for this role.

Responsibilities:

1. Lead the baseline impact evaluation by mapping project objectives, executing data collection methodology, analyzing the performance of project intervention, and suggesting recommendations to improve project effectiveness and efficiency.
2. Facilitate, validate, clean, and analyze data to provide information for implementation recommendations.
3. Keep track of project activities as presented in the evaluation methodology.
4. Conduct regular project/field monitoring visits to discuss the status and/or progress made with relevant stakeholders using M&E reporting tools.
5. Support staff in the use of monitoring instruments/tools, and on a collection of quality data, ways to properly document and organize and capture program progress.
6. Work to identify implementation bottlenecks and recommend solutions, particularly those affecting project objectives.

Education Requirements

• Advanced Degree (Masters/PhD) in Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies, Comparative Research, or any other relevant university degree

Other Requirements:

• Minimum 7 years’ experience designing impact evaluations in the international development sector using quasi-experimental methods (e.g., double-difference techniques, regression discontinuity design, propensity score matching, etc.)
• At least 5 years’ experience leading household surveys and expertise in statistical analyses (familiarity with data analysis software, R, SPSS, and STATA highly desirable)
• Experience implementing impact evaluation in the peace and international development sector
• Fluent in English and French

Forcier Work Culture:

Forcier isn’t the place for everyone. But for those who do find us to be a good fit, they can’t imagine being anywhere else. Our company operates with five immutable laws. If these don’t resonate with you, working with us probably won’t be a good fit for you. If they speak to you, you’ll find a new home with us.

• Be nice or leave. All our staff deserves to be treated professionally and with respect. Discrimination, racism, tribalism, sexism, and neo-colonialist language will not be tolerated. This applies to our clients as well.
• This is a stress-free zone. The places where we work are stressful enough, we don’t need to add extra pressure. Increasing stress increases the likelihood of errors. We all work to minimize stress together.
• We embrace a strong work ethic and a strong rest ethic. We believe that balance is critical to long-term success. We all work together to avoid burnout on our teams and ensure that team members have the opportunity to frequently and regularly take complete time off. We recognize the needs of every team member may be unique depending on their individual circumstances.
• Safety first. We never put staff or partners in harm’s way for any reason, and we do not ask staff to go places or complete work with which they do not feel personally comfortable – for any reason.
• Quality is paramount. We stand behind the integrity of our work. We don’t cut corners and we deliver the absolute best product possible every single time, both internally and externally.