Local Consultant for Gender Analysis Activity, USAID/Ethiopia Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Service (EPMES) Activity, Ethiopia
Social Impact (SI) is a US based 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, 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. In Ethiopia, SI implements the Ethiopia Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Service (EPMES) Activity of USAID. The EPMES Activity provides monitoring and evaluation (M&E) services to the USAID/ Ethiopia Mission, which include external evaluation, performance monitoring technical support, and improving capacity for learning and adapting.
Project Objective
The four-year $19 million EPMES Activity aims to provide USAID/Ethiopia with project/activity external evaluation, performance monitoring and performance management support services in alignment with the USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) and Evaluation Policy. It is anticipated that this contract will assist USAID/Ethiopia and its partners to generate empirical data on project/activity implementation as well as foster learning and knowledge management to improve evidence-based project design and development programming in support of the Country Development and Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). The Contractor will provide support services at all stages of USAID’s program cycle. Specific services to be provided under this contract include implementation of external evaluations, as directed by the Mission’s Program Office and Development Objective Teams/Technical Offices; management and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) technical capacity building for implementing partners (IPs), select local organizations, and Mission staff on M&E best practices, data collection, data analysis and data quality assurance practices; support to technical offices to analyze geo-referenced data and produce maps with geographic information system (GIS) tools; and support to IPs and Mission staff for the ongoing use of the Agency’s portfolio management system(s), including AID tracker Plus (AT+), for active performance management. The expected results of this contract are to build internal and external M&E capacities of USAID staff and IPs to improve accountability and the use of empirical evidence for programming, learning and adapting at every stage of the project cycle.
Background
In Ethiopia, women and girls face more substantial challenges compared to boys and men in the areas of education, health, economic empowerment.
Although the primary school enrollment rate of girls in Ethiopia has climbed from 21 to 91 percent in the last three decades, the majority are unable to transition to secondary and tertiary school due to distance, personal security and economic challenges. As girls grow older, academic participation becomes increasingly difficult as it takes time away from essential income generating activities. Only 35 percent of undergraduate university students are female and five percent drop out in the first year. At the same time, female-led instruction at the university level is extremely low at only 11 percent.
According to the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey in 2016, 30 percent of Ethiopian women do not make decisions on individual and family issues. Instead, their husbands make decisions for them on choices including the option to use birth control methods, and whether to give birth in a health facility or seek the assistance of a trained provider. Additionally, harmful traditional practices-early marriage and childbearing, female genital mutilation and gender-based violence-all have adverse effects on Ethiopian women.
Women often face different and more basic economic constraints than men, including less access to credit and limited market access. Moreover, 80 percent of the population resides in rural areas and while women provide the majority of the agricultural labor in these communities, their contributions often go largely unrecognized and their fathers or husbands often restrict access to resources and community participation. A proper understanding of gender related differences, inequalities and influences on program outcomes critical for integrating gender considerations and supporting sound project planning and design.
The Mission conducted macro level gender analysis as part of the development of the new CDCS; however, project level gender analysis is required to identify project specific gender inequalities, issues and constraints.
Summary of Position Description:
Social Impact, through its EPMES Activity, is seeking to recruit, two (2) qualified local Team Members to participate in an upcoming gender analysis activity. The consultants should have strong research backgrounds, particularly in gender focused assessments and analyses. The anticipated period of performance for the assessment is from May 15 - July 15 2019 (60 days). The consultants will work under the immediate guidance of a Team Leader.
The assessment Team Members will be required to participate fully in all aspects of this analysis, including but not limited to the following:
· Participate in the analysis team planning meeting
· Conduct data collection and analysis – including conducting interviews, focus group discussions, and obtaining secondary data from key stakeholders
· Visit GOs, NGOs, donors, and academic institutions to gather additional evidence and data collection
· Assist in document reviews to consolidate/synthesize key findings, analysis, and recommendations and identify gaps which require primary data collection and analysis
· Assist in the preparation and presentation of briefings of the key findings and gaps to SI/EPMES and USAID/Ethiopia
· Assist in, desk reviews and data analysis
· Contribute written technical material (text and/or data presentations) including internal products and draft assessment reports
· Work closely with team leader to ensure that deliverable timelines and standards are adhered to
· Support other activities as instructed by the Team Leader
Minimum Requirements:
· Minimum BA degree in gender studies, sociology, demography, development studies or a related field
· At least 5 years of experience in the field of development with a focus on gender, women’s rights/empowerment, gender analysis and integration in health, agriculture, food security, economic growth, democracy, governance, human rights, conflict resolution/mitigation, WASH and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) areas
· Fluent in English language
· Analytical and good-writing skills
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.