Strategic Advisor - Local Capacity Development

Strategic Advisor - Local Capacity Development
(Learns Task # 3.106)
USAID Learns Contract
Vietnam

Apply here:

https://phg.tbe.taleo.net/phg02/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SOCIIMPA2&cws=1&rid=4108

Please note: This post is open for only local candidates. Multiple candidates may be recruited depending upon client needs.

About Social Impact

Social Impact (SI) is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity-building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits. 

Project Objective

SI is implementing the USAID/Vietnam Learns Contract. The scope of the five-year project is to support USAID/Vietnam staff and its implementing partners to implement more efficient, effective, and sustainable programs by (1) improving staff knowledge and skills in Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) and Collaborating, Learning & Adapting (CLA); (2) advancing evidence-informed decision-making; (3) strengthening strategic collaboration between staff and local stakeholders. 

Background and Purpose

USAID analysis of the governance context in Vietnam indicates that the Government of Vietnam (GVN) is effective and organized, with a clear commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of Vietnamese citizens. The GVN system of governance has yielded considerable benefits for citizens over the last forty years, with marked improvements in economic and social development. Much of the work of policy implementation to achieve these benefits, particularly of social programming and management of domestic economic development initiatives, takes place at the provincial level and below. However, significant technical and operational capacity constraints persist at these levels, hindering the effectiveness and continuous improvement of service delivery. There appears to be an interest in meaningful input and feedback from citizens and local organizations on what is or is not working to improve the performance and effectiveness of public service delivery, and there are instances of constructive engagement between governmental and non-governmental actors that have led to positive changes. Technical and financial challenges also hamper local organizations in Vietnam, and as a result, they are generally unable to contribute meaningfully to Government programming.

USAID is designing a new Local Capacity Development (LCD) activity to respond to these challenges. The purpose of the activity is to support the capacity of and engagement between sub-national government and local organizations, leading to more transparent policymaking, effective implementation processes, and better delivery of services to Vietnamese citizens. By supporting this form of engagement, USAID aims to demonstrate the value of open, issue-based dialogue at the local level, leading over the long term to further collaboration between government and non-governmental actors (local organizations, private sector, and others) on issues of local importance.

Position Description

SI is seeking a Strategic Advisor to support USAID/Vietnam to consult with local stakeholders in Hue and Dien Bien Provinces on the design of the Local Capacity Development activity. The Strategic Advisor will work closely with the USAID activity design team based in Vietnam, supporting engagements with provincial officials and other local stakeholders. The Strategic Advisor will also be expected to support proceedings during workshops to be held in provinces, including securing an appropriate venue and accompanying arrangements, working with the USAID Learns team. The Strategic Advisor will be expected to be on-demand, responding to specific requests from the Mission.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Strategic Advisor will undertake the following tasks:

• Take the lead in engaging with provincial stakeholders, including provincial government officials (People’s Committee, People’s Council, Department of Planning and Investment, and others), local organizations, and others, to notify them of the upcoming consultations and raise interest in the new activity. This will include formal submission of consultation invitation letters, as well as informal engagements in advance of the sessions and responding to queries from stakeholders as needed. The Strategic Advisor will also be expected to conduct any follow-up actions necessary to ensure strong attendance at all consultation events.
• Manage and coordinate one-to-one engagements between USAID and individual stakeholder groups in the two provinces focusing on enabling USAID to share details of the upcoming activity and allowing stakeholders to respond with their own interests and priorities. Stakeholders should be encouraged in these sessions to share candid feedback on the activity design and to provide detail on their upcoming plans in different sectors (e.g., economic growth, health, education, environment, etc.) so that the activity may align its focus to these priorities once it is launched.
• Oversee the proceedings for two workshops, one per province, involving all stakeholders, focused on discussing the details of the activity and sharing ideas on how the activity can support local priorities most effectively. The Strategic Advisor will be expected to ensure that the workshops cover a range of topic areas (see above) of importance to all concerned stakeholders. This may involve direct facilitation of parts of the workshops to ensure they achieve their objectives; this will be agreed with USAID Vietnam.
• Liaise closely with other consultation team members, including the USAID Learns Operations team, to coordinate and harmonize inputs.
• Capture the main discussion and action points emerging from the consultations and support USAID Vietnam in identifying next steps.
• Other tasks as requested by USAID Vietnam.

Deliverables and Timeline

Level of effort:             Up to 25 working days

Timeline:                     June-July 2022

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a field relevant to international development
• About 15 years of experience in facilitation and advisory
• Knowledge and experience in international development. Experience working with USAID is preferred, but not required. 
• Significant experience working at the provincial level in Vietnam, with experience in Hue and Dien Bien provinces strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to access provincial stakeholders and maintain relationships with them to advance project objectives.
• The ability to maintain high-quality work with tight deadlines, including adapting to client requests in coordination with Learns.
• Excellent professionalism, including focus, judgment, and discretion.
• Strong communication skills and experience engaging with a variety of stakeholder groups
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Vietnamese

The closing date for application: June 07, 2022. Selection and interviews will be performed constantly and interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply, please merge both your CV and a cover letter (one-page briefly outlining your qualifications and motivations for applying) into one pdf file and submit it through the online portal.

To learn more about Social Impact, please visit our website: http://www.socialimpact.com

SI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please, no phone calls.