REQUEST: Organizational Learning and Systems Measurement Consultant

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

Background

Results for Development (R4D) seeks an individual consultant or organization to support an organizational effectiveness grant to enhance R4D’s capacity to measure, learn from, and adapt our initiatives. R4D’s mission is to work with change agents around the globe to create self-sustaining systems that support healthy, educated people. In other words, we seek to catalyze and support system-level change in health systems, education systems, and food systems across the globe.

While R4D already captures the short- to medium-term outcomes of our learning networks and partnerships, we have yet to develop an effective approach for understanding and measuring the impact of these networks on system-level change. Since the change we seek takes years to occur and our interventions are among many efforts contributing to long-term outcomes, measuring and determining attribution for system-level impact proves challenging.

One of R4D’s signature approaches to harnessing the collective action needed to bring about sustained, system-level change is ‘collaborative learning’. R4D is a global pioneer in developing collaborative learning platforms, which we define as follows:

Collaborative Learning brings together a deliberately organized set of change agents that have common—but not identical—purposes and are convened in a way that allows them to learn from each other and co-create solutions to challenges of common interest.

R4D is a recognized global leader in applying collaborative learning by designing and facilitating action learning networks that bring together decision makers, research partners, and other technical experts to share lessons and good practices, and jointly co-create solutions to pressing social challenges. The collaborative learning approach goes beyond static information-sharing between peers by providing a structured learning process in which practitioners set the agenda and technical priorities, and then co-develop solutions to their common challenges. This approach avoids some of the obstacles created when technical approaches are imposed on country practitioners by the development community, rather than listening, learning, and capturing the valuable tacit knowledge of practitioners. Thus, collaborative learning supports increased ownership and uptake of the knowledge and best practices by those who were part of the process. In doing so, collaborative learning helps us move away from traditional technical assistance and toward partner-driven learning that mitigates the power imbalances that are a common feature of more traditional approaches.

Consultant Scope of Services

We seek the support of an individual consultant or organization for approximately 50 days of work over a 6-month period to help design and deliver a measurement framework and set of indicators that can assess the system-level outcomes of collaborative learning networks. Through this project, R4D will select two of its learning networks as use cases with which to pilot test the measurement framework to determine its viability and feasibility within R4D’s spheres of work.

This work will begin with internal R4D consultations to understand the ways in which R4D works to support local actors to drive system-level change in health, education, and food systems. The consultant will use these consultations to better understand the organization’s key learning questions and key measurement challenges pertaining to long-term, system-level change. Based on the findings of these consultations, the consultant will conduct any outside research necessary to determine how best to meet the learning needs identified.

The consultant will develop a measurement framework and set of indicators designed specifically for collaborative learning networks, which it will pilot test on two selected use cases. Working with R4D program staff that manage those learning networks, the consultant will collect data on the pilot process and deliver a Findings Memo that details the result of the testing process. Through discussion and validation with R4D staff, the consultant will revise and finalize the measurement framework. Additionally, the consultant will develop a user guide that provides clear and detailed instructions for applying the measurement framework to other learning networks.

Finally, the consultant will support R4D in developing materials to share this measurement framework more broadly. The hope is that this work will contribute to the broader field of collaborative learning by testing innovative new ways to tackle the field’s most vexing measurement challenges pertaining to systems change.

Consultant Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience
• Master’s or doctoral degree in relevant field (public health, public policy, economics, etc.)
• Significant experience in the design and implementation of monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks and systems
• Significant expertise in organizational learning, organization-wide measurement, and/or cross-program measurement
• Significant experience in the development of theories of change, results frameworks, and key performance indicators
• Experience applying systems thinking and complexity science to the challenge of measuring long-term, system-level changes
• Experience with individual and organizational capacity development and training related to monitoring, evaluation, and learning
• Skilled manager of projects and teams

Key Deliverables

• Deliverable 1: Signed consultant contract
• Deliverable 2: Memo summarizing notes from stakeholder consultations and highlighting key themes and challenges
• Deliverable 3: Draft measurement framework and set of indicators for collaborative learning networks
• Deliverable 4: Findings Memo detailing the results of the pilot testing of measurement framework on two learning networks
• Deliverable 5: User guide providing detailed instructions and tips for applying the measurement framework
• Deliverable 6: Support to R4D in developing materials for sharing this approach and lessons learned with the broader collaborative learning field

Other Information

The period of performance is anticipated to be approximately June – November 2022.

The level of effort is anticipated to be 50 days.

The consultant can be located anywhere in the world; however, strong internet connection will be needed and willingness to regularly communicate via video conference with the Washington, DC based activity team.