Country: India
Closing date: 29 Dec 2017
WASH Evaluation Specialist:Ex-post Evaluation of USAID/India’s Financial Institutions Reform and Expansion (FIRE-D) Activity
Social Impact (SI) is a Washington, DC-area international development management consulting firm. SI’s mission is to improve the effectiveness of international development programs in improving people’s lives. We provide a full range of management consulting, technical assistance, and training services to strengthen international development programs, organizations, and policies. We provide services globally in the areas of monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, project and program design, organizational capacity building, and gender and social analysis. SI services cross-cut all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. SI’s clients include US government agencies such as USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the US Department of State, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and non-profits.
Project Objectives:
Social Impact is a sub-contractor to ECODIT on the Water Communications and Knowledge Management (CKM) Project, a five-year task order under the Water and Development IDIQ (WADI) supporting the work of USAID’s Water Office in the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment (E3/W). A key SI role in the CKM project is to conduct a series of performance evaluations of closed USAID-funded water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects to further USAID’s understanding of the extent to which the achievements of their WASH activities have been sustained, and reasons why these outcomes and activities have or have not been sustained. This position will be hired by ECODIT and managed by SI’s CKM M&E Specialist.
USAID funded the Financial Institutions Reform and Expansion- Debt and Infrastructure (FIRE-D) activity in India from 1994-2011. It was implemented by TCG International and Community Consulting International. The activity aimed to increase the participation of city governments, the private sector, and community organizations in the implementation and delivery of water and sanitation infrastructure and services while improving the ability of city and state governments to mobilize resources and increase their revenue. To achieve this, FIRE-D used an iterative process to identify problem areas and their underlying causes, and then to pilot approaches to the planning, design, and financing of urban infrastructure. The most successful projects were then expanded to state and national levels through policy reforms.
This performance evaluation will examine the long-term sustainability of FIRE-D’s approach, including its efforts to improve the policy environment; advise cities on reforms to governance and financial management of water and sanitation infrastructure; help cities leverage new mechanisms to finance infrastructure such as municipal credit ratings, municipal bonds, Urban Infrastructure Funds, and improvements in own-source revenue collection; and provide policy and training support.
Position Description:
Working together with a Social Impact M&E Specialist, Senior Technical Advisor, and Senior Evaluation Specialist, the WASH Evaluation Specialist will be expected to contribute technical and local knowledge into evaluation design and logistical planning. He/she will directly carry out qualitative interviews with state and local government officials, utility managers, implementers, and USAID along with other team members. He/she will contribute to preliminary qualitative data coding and analysis immediately after data collection and will contribute to report writing.
The Specialist will be expected to conduct data collection for up to five weeks in February-March 2018 across India. This assignment requires approximately 25 days of labor between January and May 2018.
**Please note: Only Indian nationals are eligible for this position.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Participate in the evaluation design, development of research tools, data collection, analysis and reporting.
- Participate in three-day evaluation methods training, piloting, and planning session prior to fieldwork
- Conduct qualitative data collection, such as interviews with key stakeholders.
- Support evaluation team with logistical planning and guidance as needed to schedule key interviews and manage completion
- Contribute to preliminary data analysis and note synthesis. Data will be in the form of qualitative notes, transcripts, and utility reports.
- Contribute to developing and drafting documents and reports.
- Participate in client and stakeholder communication, presentations, and interfacing with program implementers.
Qualifications
- 5+ years of demonstrated experience conducting program evaluation or research
- At least 2 years of evaluation or implementation experience specifically in the area of urban water and sanitation in India, or a similar context
- Must have strong understanding of urban water and sanitation utilities in India. Strong knowledge of the India WASH policy, governance, and finance environment is a plus.
- Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative data collection
- Master’s degree, with strong preference for degree relevant to public policy, public finance, public health, or another WASH-related field
- English fluency required, Hindi fluency preferred
- Proficiency with MS Office Suite programs required
- USAID experience is a plus
- Candidates are not eligible if they were involved in implementation of the program being evaluated (FIRE-D), or other WASH projects implemented by FIRE-D implementers.
Come join our energetic and innovative team! We offer you the opportunity to play a leading role in the growth of our company, work as part of a creative and committed team, and make a difference in the well-being of our world.
To learn more about Social Impact, please visit our website: http://www.socialimpact.com
SI is an EEO/AA/ADA Veterans Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please, no phone calls.
How to apply:
Application: https://chp.tbe.taleo.net/chp02/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SOCIIMPA2&cws=1&rid=1855