Position Description

EnCompass LLC seeks an international Team Leader with extensive experience evaluating education projects to conduct the evaluation and lead a team of local subject matter specialists.

EnCompass is implementing the four-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bangladesh Upoma Activity, providing a range of analytical and advisory services in support of USAID’s design, performance monitoring, evaluation, and operational learning and adapting efforts. Under Upoma, EnCompass has been tasked to conduct a Midterm Performance Evaluation of the USAID funded the Esho Shikhi (Come and Learn) Activity.

The objective of Esho Shikhi is to improve the learning outcomes of Bangladeshi children in crisis-affected and marginalized communities by improving access to quality education. The activity accomplishes its objectives through interventions in the following result areas:

Result 1: Learning opportunities increased.

Result 2: Enhanced teaching quality and teaching-learning materials to improve the quality of education.

Result 3: National, district, upazila, and community personnel and officials’ ability to plan, manage, and oversee quality education improved.

Result 4: School communities’ ability to mitigate and manage the effects of shocks and stressors on education access and quality improved.

The following Evaluation Learning Questions (LQs) will be answered through a gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) lens:

• LQ1. What is the project progress against its set objectives and result areas?
• LQ2. How are the four result areas of the activity complementing and coordinating with one another to achieve activity objectives?
• LQ3. How well are the contractor’s partnerships with its subcontractors functioning and contributing to successful outcomes across results areas and overall project objectives?
• LQ4. How has the contractor’s partnership with MoPME and DPE impacted the progress of the activity?
• LQ5. What are the major challenges/bottlenecks, both internally and externally, to achieving activity objectives?
• LQ6. What are the major lessons learned and how can they inform future programming?
• LQ7. What else does the project need to do to amplify its interventions for sustainable solutions?

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Essential functions:

Administration:

• Lead the evaluation team comprising the following local staff: a local Teacher Professional Development Specialist, a local Education Research Specialist, two local researchers, and a Field Coordinator.
• Develop an Inception Plan, including methodology, tools, and a timeline to execute the evaluation and answer the LQs.
• Review relevant secondary data, both to inform the Inception Report as well as the final report, integrating secondary data to answer the learning questions.
• Collect primary data through various means, such as interviews and focus groups, and stakeholder surveys, ensuring data quality and integrity.
• Act as the principal point of contact for USAID’s Activity Manager, providing regular updates on the progress of the evaluation. Conduct an in-brief meeting with USAID on arrival to Bangladesh and an out-brief meeting with USAID upon completion of primary data collection, prior to departure from Bangladesh.
• Manage the team’s primary data collection efforts, ensuring methods are ethical and thorough.
• Oversee the collection, analysis, and synthesis of primary and secondary data.
• Prepare the draft and final version of the evaluation report

Deliverables and Timing**:**

• Inception report including work plan, detailed methodology, data collection tools, lists of KIIs and FGDs, outline of the final report presenting the proposed structure of the report, and timeline.
• In-brief meeting with USAID Activity Manager upon arrival in Bangladesh.
• Conduct any additional meetings with USAID, if needed.
• Regular progress reports/updates to USAID Activity Manager.
• Out-brief meeting with USAID at the end of field work/data collection to share preliminary findings and recommendations.
• A draft version of the evaluation report, not to exceed 35 pages (excluding Executive Summary and annexes)
• Detailed notes or transcripts in English from the KIIs and FGDs.
• Data sets of any quantitative data collected through stakeholder surveys.
• A PowerPoint presentation on findings and practical, actionable recommendations
• Facilitate a co-creation workshop with USAID to discuss findings and recommendations.
• A final version of the evaluation report, incorporating feedback from USAID from the co-creation workshop.

Period of Performance and Level of Effort (LOE):

The LOE for the Team Leader is approximately up to 60 days. The period of performance is from on or about July 1 – December 30, 2024.

Travel: The position requires travel by the Team Leader to Bangladesh.

Position Requirements

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• An advanced degree in international development, education, gender issues, or related field is required.

Experience and Skills

• A minimum of 15 years of experience conducting evaluations, studies, or assessments.
• Should have conducted at least three studies at the national level in a developing country for primary education programs, preferably on teacher professional development or early grade reading in one or more comparable countries in South Asia.
• Demonstrated experience conducting studies focused on gender equality and/or social inclusion.
• Prior experience conducting studies in Bangladesh is preferred.
• Proven track record leading evaluations, with expertise in application of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
• Previous recent experience successfully leading at least one USAID evaluation.
• Excellent communication skills in English are required.
• Fluency in Bengali is not required but preferred.
• Demonstrable experience in project management and team leadership within multi-cultural settings.