Senior Evaluation Specialist, USAID Ghana MEL - EnCompass

EnCompass seeks (Senior) Evaluation Specialist candidates for an anticipated five-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) program in Ghana. This anticipated project will provide USAID/Ghana with services focused on supporting and facilitating USAID’s capacity to utilize MEL approaches in service of improving development outcomes, and on strengthening the organizational capacity of USAID/Ghana’s strategic partners.

The (Senior) Evaluation Specialist should possess expertise in designing and executing quantitative and qualitative data collection and analytical methods to support evaluation design and implementation, ideally in complex environments. They will lead the design and implementation of performance and impact evaluations, as well as all assessment activities, along with the required analysis therefrom.

The (Senior) Evaluation Specialist will finalize evaluation reports and facilitate presentations and briefings to disseminate learning among project stakeholders. They may be responsible for leading and/or directing evaluation teams and conducting on-location research.

The position will be full-time and be based in Accra, Ghana with travel throughout the country.  

Position Duties and Responsibilities

The (Senior) Evaluation Specialist will have had prior experience as Team Lead for evaluations in Ghana and/or within the region, as well as experience managing a portfolio of simultaneous evaluative activities and management experience ensuring quality of evaluation team members and subcontracting partners.

They will lead the design and implementation of performance and impact evaluations, as well as all assessment activities, along with the resulting required analysis therefrom, as well as manage the dissemination of learning from these evaluation and assessment activities. The (Senior) Evaluation Specialist will ensure that evaluation team members recruited are of a high caliber and possess the required technical expertise.

They will work with the Chief of Party and other team members to ensure that learning from evaluations and assessments are shared and fully utilized to speed innovation and improve the impact and investments of USAID’s work in-country.

Essential functions include:

• Lead/manage evaluation, analysis, and assessment activities, including coordination and oversight of local partners engaged in these activities
• Design quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analytical methods and tools to support evaluation design and implementation
• Liaise with the Chief of Party to inform the design of each study/evaluative activity and support quality assurance activities throughout each study, including the review of milestone deliverables and final reports before submission to USAID.
• Support the selection and engagement of local partners and experts for activities, and support team development, training, and execution of activities.
• Manage evaluation and task team leaders and provide quality control in the implementation of evaluations
• Establish methodological processes and standards that are compliant with USAID Evaluation Policy for MEL staff to adhere to on project monitoring and evaluation activities
• Employ strong collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) practices throughout the work, with an understanding of the USAID Program Cycle
• Other duties as assigned

Position Requirements

Qualifications

• A graduate degree in social science, organizational development, development studies, or a related field is highly preferred
• Minimum of six (6) years of demonstrated experience leading complex portfolios of evaluative and learning activities for improved development outcomes

Experience and Skills

• Experience designing and implementing various types of mixed-methods evaluations (impact, performance, meta, etc.), analyses, and assessments required
• Significant data analysis skills including command of statistics, sampling methodologies, statistical analysis software, and data validation techniques
• Extensive experience drafting and finalizing evaluation reports
• Experience applying systems thinking in evaluation design, participatory data collection methods and protocols, and facilitating participatory data validation and analysis exercises
• Experience in designing and training on Theory of change / logical frameworks
• Experience building evaluative and learning capacities of USAID staff, implementing partners, and government counterparts highly preferred
• Experience managing complex relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Strong familiarity with USAID’s Evaluation Policy and CLA practices
• Understanding of knowledge management as it relates to USAID programs an asset
• Ability to work with host-country governments at different levels
• Strong communication, supervision, and management skills required
• Working knowledge of and experience with USG-funded program management, policies, regulations, and procedures
• Familiarity with USAID/Ghana Mission is preferred
• Superior skills in written and verbal English required
• Ghanaian citizens are strongly encouraged to apply