Collaboration, Learning and Adaptive Management Specialist DAI Global LLC

The five-year (2020-2025) USAID Local Impact Governance Project (Local Impact) is helping Zambia build up a sub-national system of governance for devolved service delivery more responsive to citizen needs. The program is engaging national and sub-national authorities to expand the capabilities of partner provinces and districts to deliver sustainable development outcomes, increase effective citizen and private-sector involvement in development planning and monitoring, and improve public financial management and domestic revenue generation.

The activity is specifically working toward three objectives:

• Objective 1: Citizens improve their collective skills to effectively assess service-delivery needs and performance and constructively engage with government.
• Objective 2: The sub-national governance system becomes more responsive to citizen needs, generates, and accountably expends revenue, and improves service-delivery outcomes.
• Objective 3: The program generates learning and facilitates problem solving that supports the development of an effective, financially viable sub-national governance system for devolved services, capable of being scaled up throughout Zambia.

Local Impact is initially working in eighteen districts in Central and Muchinga Provinces to expand the capacity of district authorities to perform core functions, including strengthening the delivery of essential services, deepening citizen and private sector involvement in development planning and monitoring, improving public administration and public financial management, and increasing locally generated revenues.  The Project is recruiting for the following positions.

Position Summary

Position: Collaboration, Learning and Adaptive Management Specialist
Location: Lusaka, Zambia
Contract Name: USAID Local Impact Governance Activity
Type: Long Term Technical Assistance
Period of Performance: Subject to the availability of funds

PURPOSE

The Collaboration, Learning and Adaptive Management (CLA) Specialist will lead the monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities of the project under supervision of the CLA Director. S/he will ensure that Local Impact is collaborating with the right partners at the right time to promote synergy over siloed efforts; asking the most important questions and finding answers that are relevant to decision-making; using the information gathered through collaboration and learning activities to make better decisions and adjustments; and that staff are working in an organizational environment that supports collaborating, learning, and adapting efforts.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Undertake periodic reviews of the CLA strategy to ensure that CLA procedures are responsive to the changing project;
• Oversee internal technical collaboration for common and shared understanding across the project objectives, ensuring that activities are integrated and achievement of results within each objective contributes to the overall goal of the project;
• Work with the Learning Lab to design and implement operational research and evaluations to inform learning, adaptive management, and development of Policy Briefs;
• Work with the Learning Lab to design and implement internal and external knowledge exchange and learning events to improve peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application;
• Develop and/or maintain strategic relationships with relevant stakeholders to promote effective coordination, collaboration, and dissemination of program learning;
• Work with the Learning Lab to ensure that the learning agenda is updated, providing answers required on critical decision points for adaptive management and informing the development of Policy Briefs;
• Contribute to the development of policies, implementation practices and processes for improving knowledge management, organizational learning, and related activities inclusive of processes for After Action Reviews, Pause and Reflect and Learning Summits;
• Provides technical support and training, as needed, to the project partners and technical staff to improve their requisite skills in collaboration, learning and adaptive management;
• Work with the Learning Lab to document and share lessons learnt, best practices, innovations and/or models as well as ensure that these are used to drive adaptive management processes;
• Work with the MEL Specialist to manage MEL Management Information Systems and with the Learning Lab to ensure that the virtual and physical resource hubs are regularly updated and remains up to date;
• Work with the MEL Specialist to ensure that MEL data is turned into useful knowledge that supports project decision-making;
• Collaborate with MEL Specialist to develop and administers post training assessment to assess the short-term outcomes of project supported training
• Supports the CLA Director to deliver progress reports

Other duties

• Provides leave of absence cover for staff as required;
• Escalates any issues to his/her supervisor immediately;
• Prepared to travel to project provincial offices as required;
• Performs any other duties as assigned

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE AND REPORTING

• The position will be based in the Local Impact Activity’s main office in Lusaka, Zambia and will report to the CLA Director.
• There may be some travel to provincial offices

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PERSONAL SPECIFICATIONS

• University degree in economics, statistics, demography or related field preferred, required;
• At least 8+ years of CLA experience on USAID project is required;
• At least 8+ years of experience in designing and implementing operational research and evaluations is preferred;
• Proficiency in USAID CLA Framework, database management and data analysis;
• Strong writing abilities;
• Ability to respond effectively to time sensitive demands & inquiries;
• Demonstrated experience in developing and/or maintaining strategic relationships with GRZ, Cooperating Partners, and International and Local NGOs aimed at promoting effective coordination, collaboration, and learning;
• Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to take initiative and be proactive;
• An energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual with high ethical standards and appropriate professional image;
• Fluency in English is required.