SoCha LLC
Program Assessment Experts
Background: SoCha (a portmanteau of Social and Change) is an
independent Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (ME&L) firm that provides
bespoke solutions to social challenges.
We are a US-registered,
veteran-owned small business, headquartered in Mauritius. SoCha supports
foreign assistance interventions across Africa and Asia and specializes in
advancing innovative methodologies and changing the way donors find solutions
to social problems.
USAID Kenya and East Africa
(USAID/KEA) contracted SoCha LLC to implement the five-year USAID Localization,
Inclusion, and Sustainability Activity (LISA).
The activity aims to support
USAID/KEA staff and stakeholders to be more efficient, effective, transparent,
inclusive, and skilled in achieving development outcomes.
USAID/KEA is currently at a
mid-way point in the implementation of its 2020-2025 Kenya Country Development
Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and has consequently recently completed an internal
mid-course stocktaking (MCST) exercise to assess its progress towards its
development objectives and anticipated results.
To complement this stocktaking
exercise, USAID has requested LISA to conduct an additional assessment
documenting said progress and identifying gaps in development hypotheses or
strategy implementation.
Scope of Work: LISA, implemented by SoCha LLC, seeks to engage
assessment experts to support USAID/KEA to systematically review and analyze
existing implementation data and information to assess progress against its
Kenya CDCS.
The assessment will cover the
entirety of implementation under USAID’s Kenya portfolio from 2020 until the
present date, including all sectors where USAID operates: health, population,
and nutrition; economic growth and trade; resilience and food security;
education and youth development; humanitarian assistance; environment; and
democracy, governance, peace, and security.
Assessors will review evidence
from activity level leading up to the achievement of intermediate results and
be responsible for both limited analysis and synthesis of information from a
variety of sources.
The majority of the assessment
will be conducted via desk review, although some meetings with USAID
stakeholders and interviews with USAID technical informants will be required.
Roles and Responsibilities:
The consultant will undertake
the following tasks
- Develop and agree with USAID/KEA on the team’s work plan for
the assignment, methodology and data collection tools.
- Conduct a thorough desk review of available documentation.
- Develop an inception report detailing the summary of relevant
documentation reviewed (desk review), a work plan on how the evaluation
will be undertaken, proposed data collection methodology and schedule,
with proposed list of informants.
- Undertake a systematic evidence review.
- Provide weekly reports and check-ins on progress of desk
review and data collection.
- Develop a draft report, presentation of preliminary findings,
final report, and brief.
- Present inception report, preliminary findings, and final
report, as scheduled.
- Other activities as agreed upon with the USAID Point of
Contact.
Required Skills:
- An advanced degree or equivalent years of experience in
analysis, design, assessment, or evaluation in social sciences or
socioeconomics from a recognized university
- Over 10 years of experience executing similar tasks and
assignments (i.e. systematic reviews/ meta-analysis/ evidence synthesis),
ability to understand performance information across several sectors
- Strong qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills and
sound experience in rigorously testing projects or program theories of
change, ability to help organizations link lower level results to outcomes
and impact
- Understanding of USAID (or similar donor) monitoring,
evaluation, and learning systems is required
- Demonstrated skills and experience synthesizing technical
documents and writing quality technical reports
- Proven experience with high level stakeholder engagement,
including conducting interviews and providing practical recommendations to
decision makers
- Demonstrated high level of professionalism and ability to
work independently in high pressure situations under tight deadlines
- Experience working in the East Africa region preferred
Deliverables:
The following will be required:
- Desk review summary report
- Inception report which provides a desk review, projected
timeline, methodology, interview protocol, and work plan
- Weekly updates and brief check-ins during data collection on
the progress of desk review/ data collection
- Draft Assessment Report
- Presentation of preliminary findings
- Final Assessment Report in line with the applicable
provisions of the USAID evaluation policy
- Presentations to USAID and key stakeholders, including
preliminary findings and the final assessment report highlighting overall
findings and lessons learned
Location: Nairobi
LOE or Contract Length: 1-2 months
How to Apply:
To lodge an application, please
lodge CV via THIS LINK.
Applications close at 1700hrs
Kenyan time on May 10, 2023, application review will be on a rolling basis.