SENIOR EVALUATION SPECIALIST

Background
NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC), one of the largest and most highly respected social research organizations in the United States, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Senior Evaluation Specialist for an upcoming USAID Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) project in Senegal. The project is expected to conduct studies and evaluation activities that support and improve USAID/Senegal’s performance management to help the Mission meet Agency requirements, make better informed strategic and management decisions, and advance Agency learning.

Job Summary
The Senior Evaluation Specialist will provide technical leadership of impact, performance, and mid-term evaluations as well as various research studies and assessments. Responsibilities will include oversight of evaluation and study designs (e.g., sampling design, data sources and collection methods) with well thought-out research questions and associated indicators; development of data collection tools including surveys and interviews and focus groups guides; key informant interviewing and focus group discussions; managing survey data collections including data quality insurance, reviewing data and preparing datasets, analyzing quantitative or qualitative data to measure program impact and implementation performance, and report writing.

It is expected that s/he will serve as evaluation team leader for some evaluations conducted under this contract. In addition, s/he will also contribute to the learning component of this contract, overseeing the development of learning products (e.g., interactive dashboards, graphic summaries) and participating in workshops and capacity building as needed. The Senior Evaluation Specialist also has significant managerial responsibilities, including the recruitment and management of team members and short-term technical experts and local data collection firms.

The position will be based with NORC in Dakar and local travel will be required. Please note that the position is contingent upon award and funding. It will be full-time over a multi-year period, at competitive rates. The applicant must be based in Senegal. Women are encouraged to apply.

Required Qualifications
The candidate must possess the following qualifications:

• A Master’s Degree or higher in a relevant field, such as international development, public policy, statistics, or economics.
• A minimum of ten years of progressively more responsible experience in leading the monitoring, evaluation, and analysis of donor development projects.
• Thorough technical knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methods including quantitative and qualitative research methods and sampling, and performance management.
• Experience in the design, testing, and deployment of data collection instruments (e.g., questionnaires and interview guides).
• Familiarity with one or more of the following sectors: agriculture; food security and nutrition; health and health services delivery; education; family planning and reproductive health; water, sanitation and hygiene; economic growth, entrepreneurship and private sector development; youth and women employment; democracy and governance; infrastructure; natural resources management; and gender equality and women empowerment.
• Project management skills, including management of evaluations and oversight of project and short-term staff and data collection partners.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated and successful work in an intercultural team environment in a development context.
• Oral and written communication and presentations skills in French – equivalent to R4/S4 under the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale – and knowledge of local languages, particularly Wolof. A limited working or general professional proficiency level of English – equivalent to R/S 2 or 3 or higher under the ILR scale – is also strongly desired.

Desired Qualifications
The candidate would be considered more competitive if s/he possess the following qualifications:

• Previous experience serving as evaluation team leader or deputy is highly desirable.
• Experience with USAID projects is desirable.

About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) is one of the largest and most highly respected social research organizations in the United States pursuing high quality social science research that serves the public interest. NORC’s International Programs designs and implements evaluations, data collection, and other analytical projects throughout the world and has developed close collaborative relationships with researchers, survey firms, and policy think tanks in numerous countries. NORC has also worked extensively throughout West Africa, including in Senegal.