USAID REDUCING POLLUTION PROJECT
RECRUIT
DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATION OFFICER
1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Reducing Pollution Project funded by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) aims to support Vietnam’s efforts to address environmental pollution challenges using a collective impact approach.
Collective impact addresses complex challenges by mobilizing diverse actors to collaborate, identify ways to solve a shared problem, and act based on their roles and comparative advantages. The Project will apply collective impact approach to facilitate networks of local organizations, government agencies, private sector, research and education institutes, and communities in joining efforts to prevent and reduce environmental pollution (For more information about the Collective Impact, please visit: https://collectiveimpactforum.org [1])
Through this Activity, USAID expects to attain the following results:
- Six collective impact initiatives launched, including plastic pollution, air pollution, pollution from craft villages, and transparent data disclosure from companies and industrial zones;
- Improved legal framework on environmental pollution reduction to support the effective implementation of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection;
- Enhanced collaboration among networks of stakeholders working together to prevent and reduce environmental pollution; and
- Strengthened capacity for establishing, sharing, and using environmental data to support the development of policy and solutions for environmental pollution challenges.
(For more information about the project, please visit: https://bit.ly/USAIDReducingPollution [2])
2. POSITION DESCRIPTION
The concept of developmental evaluation focuses on structured, ongoing monitoring, assessment, and feedback on the development of a project while it is in a stage of growth, development, or transition. This is often done through a longer-term relationship between the developmental evaluator(s) and the project team so that the evaluator(s) can gain a nuanced understanding of the many factors and considerations facing the project team and provide feedback that can be used to inform and improve project implementation as it occurs, rather than after the fact. It is within this context that the Reducing Pollution project is seeking a Developmental Evaluation Officer.
The Developmental Evaluation (DE) Officer’s role is to focus on collaboration, learning, and adaptation (CLA) to improve the quality and effectiveness of the Reducing Pollution Project and its six initiatives which requires collaboration amongst many different stakeholders from different organizations and sectors.
The DE Officer will collaborate with the team on an ongoing basis and is integrated into the process of gathering and interpreting data, framing issues, and testing model developments. As the project and its initiatives operate in a dynamic environment that is constantly changing and are concerned with innovation, replication, or mainstreaming, the DE Officer will provide timely feedback and ongoing recommendations to the Reducing Pollution Team, and other stakeholders so that they can use them to adapt and implement new measures and actions. They also take an active role in shaping the course of small grants to support the implementation of initiatives.
Supervised by the Team Leader for Learning and Innovation, the DE Officer will work with the project’s three team leaders to guide the Project’s learning agenda, and coordinate and implement the project’s evaluation activities. They also will actively collaborate with other project staff and the US-based Analytics, Gender, Inclusion, Learning, and Evaluation (AGILE) staff to promote the integration of evaluation across all project components, evaluation data collection activities, and the development, writing, and submission of evaluation reports.
The successful candidate will be based in Hanoi, with periodic travel to the project’s target sites as required for project activities.
3. RESPONSIBILITIES
The DE Officer will have the following responsibilities:
Developmental Evaluation
- In close cooperation with the Team Leader for Learning and Innovation, develop a plan for innovative developmental evaluation with real-time evaluation approaches, guidelines, tools for project, its initiatives, and small grants.
- Collaborate with the MEL team to review and update the Learning Questions in the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) of the Reducing Pollution Project to prepare a plan for beneficiary feedback collection and learning from previous experiences.
- Collaborate with the MEL team and Collective Impact team to monitor, assess and provide feedback on project and initiatives’ activities and for the development of grants or research while they are being designed or modified.
- Develop thorough and accurate questions about the process and findings, identify patterns and added information in those findings, and ensure that these are incorporated into the project via feedback loops.
- Take the lead in planning, organizing, and conducting developmental evaluation activities to gather real-time data and to recognize, record, and feedback on unexpected and unpredicted outcomes to inform ongoing decision-making.
- Produce short, practical developmental evaluation reports and ensure that findings will enhance the learning and effectiveness of the project and its initiatives.
- Identify best practices and lessons learned, promoting their use to improve the Reducing Pollution Project’s performance, and contributing to the work of Winrock International relating to knowledge management, innovation, and communication.
- Use the collected evidence to review and update the theory of change for planning and adaptive implementation.
- With the ongoing MEL system, facilitate systematic, data-based reflection and encourage “learning by doing.” Ensure rigor and depth to learning, and support Collective Impact Initiatives to adapt based on what they learn.
- Participate in developing agenda and facilitating Annual Pause-and-reflect sessions.
Midterm and/or final performance evaluations
- During midterm and/or final performance evaluations conducted by external parties, the DE Officer and other assigned staff (including the Reducing Pollution MEL Team, Winrock’s US-based AGILE team) will assist third-party evaluators commissioned by USAID by:
- Reviewing and providing feedback on draft evaluation designs, questions, and data collection instruments.
- Sharing data used for performance monitoring, learning, and adaptive management.
- Providing written responses to an evaluation self-assessment questionnaire.
- Supporting evaluators in identifying and obtaining access to activity stakeholders, beneficiaries, and sites of operation.
- Reviewing, providing feedback on, and validating draft evaluation findings, conclusions, and recommendations, and
- Supporting evaluators in conducting stakeholder meetings to discuss and finalize recommendations based on evaluation findings.
Other responsibilities
- Support capacity strengthening and assessments for BBOs on MEL.
- Contribute to updating AMELP, preparing annual work plan, closed-out activities, and final report.
- Travel domestically to support backbone organizations that lead the collective impact initiatives and project sub-grantees.
- Participate in workshops, training, and other relevant networking events to improve skills and share project experiences.
4. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Degree:
- A minimum Master’s degree in social science or related fields, or BA/BS and equivalent years of experience.
Experience:
- A minimum of five (5) years working in international development, organizational development and/or social scientific research.
- Demonstrated understanding of developmental evaluation concepts, and experience applying them to project development, management, implementation, and/or organizational development initiatives.
- Proven experience creating learning agendas, knowledge management processes, qualitative and quantitative data management and analysis.
- Proven practical professional experience planning, elaborating effective developmental evaluation approaches, developing developmental evaluation instruments with a variety of methodologies and their practical application, producing developmental evaluation reports, and ensuring that findings will enhance the learning and effectiveness of the project and its initiatives.
- Experience in effective collaboration and organizational learning practices and facilitating workshops for initiating evaluation and sharing evaluation findings.
- Familiarity with the USAID Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) framework, tools and approaches is an advantage.
- Understanding environmental issues and having experience working on environmental projects is an advantage.
Skills:
- Strong interpersonal skills, and ability to work objectively and independently.
- Work well in a team setting and with different stakeholders.
- High level of flexibility, curiosity, and resourcefulness.
- Excellent written and oral communication.
- Fluency in written and spoken English and Vietnamese.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office.
5. SUPERVISOR
The DE Officer reports to the Team Leader for Learning and Innovation.
6. CONTRACT DURATION
The contract is for 2 years with the possibility of extension upon actual performance and project progress.
7. APPLICATION
Applicants should submit a current resume and cover letter referencing DE Officer via email: [email protected] [3] with the title: “Your full name_Application for the DE Officer” by 17 April, 2023.
We would like to thank all applicants for their interest but only candidates who meet requisite criteria and are shortlisted will be contacted.