Position Description

EnCompass LLC seeks an international consultant -Team Leader- to conduct a Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) of the USAID-financed Women Thrive activity in Bangladesh 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 Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) of the USAID-financed Women Thrive activity in Bangladesh.

The objectives of the Women Thrive Activity are: (1) improve the ability of Bangladeshi workers, especially women workers, to increase productivity through the development of core professional and negotiation skills; (2) improve workers’ livelihoods and well-being by increasing efficiency and job retention; (3) create career-progression opportunities for women workers by securing buy-in from employers; and (4) build a more resilient women workforce by connecting women with other employment opportunities to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and other shocks in the future." It is designed to benefit approximately 110,100 women through opportunities of greater economic participation.

Implemented by CARE Bangladesh, Women Thrive uses a comprehensive approach to increase opportunities for decent work for women. This includes professional skills and leadership development through the Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) program in collaboration with PVH Corp. for Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector workers, as well as the formation of women solidarity groups (EKATA) to support informal sector workers.

Major challenges to implementation include systemic barriers, gender norms, discrimination, and violence in the workplace. Key successes include the initiation of professional development training, graduation of RMG workers from the P.A.C.E. program, worker promotions, and the mobilization of community-based EKATA groups.

To achieve the program goal and objectives, interventions under Thrive are grouped into the following Intermediate Results for the life of the program:

• Intermediate Result 1: Enhanced Governance and Fiscal Integrity of Institutions.
• Intermediate Result 2: Improved capacity of organizations and leaders to advocate for inclusive growth.
• Intermediate Result 3: Enhanced ability to adapt to and recover from shocks and stressors.?

To conduct the evaluation and lead a team of local subject matter specialists, EnCompass LLC seeks an international Team Leader with an advanced degree in international development, gender issues, conflict resolution, political science, or related field.

The Learning Questions (LQs) of the evaluation are:

• How effective are Women Thrive’s interventions at increasing opportunities for decent work for women and what are recommendations to increase the effectiveness?
• What is the impact of P.A.C.E. program and EKATA groups on the professional development and leadership skills of women workers and what are recommendations to increase the impact?
• What are the challenges faced in implementing Women Thrive and what are recommended strategies to overcome these challenges?
• How sustainable are Women Thrive’s initiatives beyond the activity’s duration and what are recommendations to increase sustainability?

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Essential functions:

• Lead the assessment team including one Country Context Specialist, one MEL Specialist, and one Logistics Support Specialist.
• Develop an Inception Plan, including methodology, tools, and a timeline to execute the MTE 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 MTE’s 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 DRG 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’s DRG Activity Manager upon arrival in Bangladesh.
• Conduct any additional meetings with USAID, if needed.
• Regular progress reports/updates to the USAID’s DRG 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 June 10, 2024, to November 15, 2024.

Travel:

The consultancy requires travel by the Team Leader to Bangladesh.

Position Requirements

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• An advanced degree in international development, gender issues, conflict resolution, political science, or related field is required.

Experience and Skills

• A minimum of 15 years of experience conducting evaluations, studies, or assessments required.
• Proven track record leading evaluations, with expertise in application of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies required.
• Specialized experience in gender equality, workforce development, and the ready-made garment (RMG) sector preferred.
• Previous recent experience (past 5 year) in Bangladesh undertaking consultancies of a similar nature required.
• Previous recent experience successfully leading at least one USAID evaluation required.
• 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 required.
• Thorough knowledge of the gender equality and female empowerment context of Bangladesh required.
• Previous experience working in Bangladesh is not required but preferred.

How to Apply

Please submit a CV and complete the application. Please, note that due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

EnCompass LLC is a progressive Equal Opportunity Employer. We promote, celebrate, and support a diverse and inclusive organizational culture and workforce. We are committed to providing all of our employees with an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where all are treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate, and explicitly prohibit, discrimination or harassment of any kind, at any time, in all aspects of employment. This includes recruitment, hiring, promotions, disciplinary measures, terminations, compensation, benefits, social and recreational programs, and training. EnCompass also does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or harassment. Our continuing commitment to the principle of Equal Opportunity Employment for all means all employment decisions are based only on the job requirements, the candidate’s qualifications, and the needs of EnCompass as a business—not on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, belief, sex (including pregnancy and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, genetic information, HIV status, family/marital/parental status, or any other status protected by the laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where we work.

For US based positions: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified.

The incumbent must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to juggle and prioritize multiple, competing tasks and demands and to seek supervisory assistance as appropriate.

If you require accommodations in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act to complete your application, please call 301-287-8700, provide your contact information and a description of your accessibility issue. We will make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case-basis, and we will call you back within approximately 3 business days.

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