USAID/MALI MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING (MEL) PLATFORM ACTIVITY– SENIOR EVALUATION SPECIALIST

Background

NORC is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Senior Evaluation Specialist for an upcoming USAID/Mali Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Platform Activity. The purpose of the MEL Platform is to provide technical and advisory services to design and carry out various monitoring, evaluation and learning activities for USAID/Mali. This project will have three major components: 1) USAID/Mali monitoring support through a Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) mechanism; 2) Evaluation Services and Surveys; and 3) Collaborating, Learning and Adaptive (CLA) Management and Communication Services.

Job Summary

The Senior Evaluation Specialist will provide technical leadership of impact, performance, and mid-term evaluations as well as various research studies and assessments. Responsibilities will include oversight and coordination of of evaluation and study designs (e.g., sampling design, data sources and collection methods) with well thought-out research questions and associated indicators; development of data collection tools including surveys and interviews and focus groups guides; key informant interviewing and focus group discussions; managing survey data collections including data quality insurance, reviewing data and preparing datasets, analyzing quantitative or qualitative data to measure program impact and implementation performance, and report writing; quality assurance of reports;

It is expected that s/he will serve as evaluation team leader for some evaluations conducted under this contract. In addition, s/he will also contribute to the learning component of this contract, overseeing the development of learning products (e.g., interactive dashboards, graphic summaries) and participating in workshops and capacity building as needed. The Senior Evaluation Specialist also has significant managerial responsibilities, including the recruitment and management of team members and short-term technical experts and local data collection firms; ensuring that all additional technical personnel for individual activities have the appropriate technical knowledge and expertise on monitoring and evaluation related to their technical areas.

The position will be based in Bamako, and local travel will be required. Please note that this position with NORC is contingent upon award and funding. It will be full-time over a multi-year period, at competitive rates. The applicant must be based in Mali.

Required Qualifications

The candidate must possess the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree in development or a related development field, such as Economics, Evaluation Sciences, Political Science, Public Administration, Business Administration, or other discipline related to development assistance required.

• A minimum of 8 years of experience evaluations preferably in Africa. At least 5 years of project management experience.

• Thorough technical knowledge and experience in performance and impact evaluation designs, methodologies and practical applications, including baseline data collection methodologies.

• Experience in the design, testing, and deployment of data collection instruments (e.g., questionnaires and interview guides).

• Familiarity with one or more of the following sectors: agriculture; food security and nutrition; health and health services delivery; education; and peace, democracy and governance

• Familiarity with USAID’s objectives, approaches and operations, particularly as they relate to evaluations is a plus.

• Project management skills, including management of evaluations and oversight of project and short-term staff and data collection partners.

• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated and successful work in an intercultural team environment in a development context.

• Language Proficiency: French Level III (General Professional Proficiency) and English Level III (General Professional Proficiency).

Desired Qualifications

The candidate would be considered more competitive if s/he possess the following qualifications:

• Previous experience serving as evaluation team leader or deputy is highly desirable.

• Experience with USAID projects is desirable.

About NORC at the University of Chicago

NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) is one of the largest and most highly respected social research organizations in the United States pursuing high quality social science research that serves the public interest. NORC’s International Programs designs and implements evaluations, data collection, and other analytical projects throughout the world and has developed close collaborative relationships with researchers, survey firms, and policy think tanks in numerous countries. NORC has also worked extensively throughout Africa, including in the Mali.