Evaluation Specialist

Background

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Learning for Development Activity is a 5-year award led by Bixal Solutions, Inc. that provides USAID/Nepal with technical and advisory services in planning, designing, conducting, and learning from the monitoring and evaluation of the Mission’s strategies, projects, and activities in an efficient manner. USAID Learning for Development supports USAID/Nepal by providing services including a) learning and knowledge management; b) evaluations, study and other studies; c) performance monitoring technical support; d) capacity building; and e) development outreach and communications support.

Purpose

USAID Learning for Development seeks to hire Evaluation Specialist (2-position) consultant to assist in a Midterm performance evaluation of USAID’s Adolescent Reproductive Health(ARH) program in Nepal. The evaluation should provide actionable insights to strengthen the remainder of the current ARH program as well as provide insights on future adolescent reproductive health initiatives. Findings for the evaluation will be used to strengthen current ARH activities, make them more inclusive, plan for future activities, and provide evidence of good practices to the broader health stakeholder network in Nepal. By leveraging lessons learned and best practices, the evaluation endeavors to strengthen the current program and ultimately provide support to adolescents in Nepal so they can reach their full capacity by choosing and practicing healthy reproductive behaviors.

Objectives of the assignment

· Assess the progress that has been made in the ARH program

· Determine the continued relevance of the program’s interventions towards achieving the project’s objectives

· Document lessons learned and suggest any important or necessary modifications or course corrections to ensure achievement of the shared objectives within the lifetime of the project

· Provide evidence-based findings to contribute to ongoing and future activities of USAID/Nepal and share good practices with stakeholders in Nepal

· Provide perspectives on how the Mission is making progress towards the following Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2020–2025 learning agenda questions with specificity to adolescent reproductive health

Roles and Responsibilities

The Evaluation Specialist will be part of a broader consultancy team, with whom they will work in close coordination, and report to the Evaluation Team Lead. They will assist in conducting the evaluation as part of a team, under the direction of the Team Lead, in coordination with local staff that will assist in the evaluation and logistics support. The Evaluation Specialist will support data collection and the preparation of field plans. They will be responsible for ensuring the quality and reliability of data by establishing research protocols, maintaining data integrity and addressing any biases or inconsistencies. They will contribute to the preparation of all reports, including the inception report, the evaluation report, and the presentation slide deck. Work in close coordination of the evaluation team.

Specific Responsibilities of the Evaluation Specialist

· Provide guidance on evaluation methods and data quality guidance.

· Provide inputs to draft an inception report detailing the evaluation design and work plan, including the evaluation tools, its translation to local languages, methodology and schedule for data collection.

· Conduct FGDs and KIIs with relevant stakeholders, program participants, local government contact points, ARH activity implementing partners contact points and USAID staff, which requires travel to field locations.

· Play an active role to ensure the quality and reliability of qualitative data by establishing research protocols.

· Conduct field data collection and observations.

· Prepare the collected data for analysis, including transcription and coding.

· Coordinate with the USAID Learning for Development team to ensure high-quality products.

· Work in close coordination with the team to support and prepare a preliminary finding report and presentations to USAID.

· Support drafting a consolidated evaluation report and presentation.

· Attending regular check-in meetings with the USAID Learning for Development team.

Deliverables

· Weekly or bi-weekly check-in meeting with the USAID Learning for Development team

· Draft and final evaluation tools with translations to local languages.

· Draft and finalize data transcription.

Knowledge and Qualifications

· Have experience of conducting and analyzing qualitative interviews.

· At least 5 years of experience in research and evaluation, preferably in the public health sector.

· Be familiar with the international body of evidence related to, but not limited to addressing child marriage and reducing adolescent childbearing, Positive Youth Development, and social norm change.

Prior experience in designing research tools and analysis of finding would be an asset

Familiarity with obtaining Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) approval for the research.

· Graduate Degree in a relevant field, such as public health, anthropology, or sociology.

· Fluency in Nepali, and English required; fluency in Maithali preferred.

Timeline, Location, and Level of Effort (LoE)

The assignment will last from approximately July/August through February 2025. The estimated LOE of is based on part-time availability, approximately 30 days. This position is based in Kathmandu and may require travel to ARH working districts of Nepal. You must be legally authorized to work in Nepal; Bixal does not provide sponsorship.