Position Description

EnCompass LLC is seeking an International consultant to serve as a Statistician for the evaluation of resilient food security (RFSA) activities in Bangladesh. 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 two separate comprehensive evaluations of the Resilience Food Security Activities (RFSA) and subsequent initiatives in Bangladesh, specifically focusing on the SHOUHARDO and Nobo Jatra programs that span from 2016 to 2025.

The two evaluations will assess the performance and sustainability of the two programs, which were designed to improve food security, nutrition, and resilience outcomes among vulnerable populations in disaster-prone regions. Additionally, the evaluations will explore the broader community-level impacts and synergies of disaster risk reduction activities that overlapped with these programs, offering critical insights into their long-term effectiveness and the sustainability of service delivery systems established during their implementation.

To conduct the two evaluations, EnCompass LLC is seeking one or two statisticians to independently provide sampling and quantitative analysis for the SHOUHARDO and Nobo Jatra programs evaluation.

The Learning Questions (LQs) of the evaluation are:

LQ1: What is the performance of RFSA and post-RFSA in implementing sustainability strategies to achieve each program’s goal? What is the performance of RFSAs in developing/ influencing sustainability factors/parameters (motivation, linkages, resources, and capacity) and maintaining productive partnerships between LSPs, government agencies, private sector and local communities to enhance service provision?

LQ2. How viable is the Local Service Provision (LSP) model, established and promoted by the RSFAs, to ensure the sustainability of services for vulnerable populations and their continuation beyond the programs? Are the programs’ (RFSA) sustainability factors, facilitation modalities and interventions contributing to improve LSP businesses and incomes, and will this improvement result in continued service delivery?

LQ3. How, and to what extent, have the RFSA and post-RSFA activities impacted gender-equitable food and nutrition security and resilience capacities within targeted communities? How have program interventions impacted individuals’, households’ and communities’ perceived ability to cope with shocks and stresses? Does the impact on ability change by gender of participants?

LQ4. How and to what extent have the key food and nutrition security outcomes at the household-level changed since baseline and the 2021-2022 endline evaluations? What unintended consequences (positive or negative) have arisen from both programs?

LQ5. How are the village savings and lending associations (VSLA) contributing to the building of resilience capacity at the household and community levels? How likely are VSLAs to continue working (and does the effect vary by length of program support/number support cycles)? Is the sustainability of the cooperatives and networks of the savings groups and LSPs viable without external support?

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Essential functions:

• Calculate sample sizes for SHOUHARDO and/or Nobo Jatra evaluations, accounting for baseline rates, intra-cluster correlation, and design effects.
• Develop and implement a statistical analysis plan to evaluate key outcomes such as food security, resilience, and nutrition.
• Provide statistical expertise in designing household and LSP surveys to ensure effective data collection and analysis.
• Oversee the data cleaning process, ensuring datasets are accurate, complete, and free of inconsistencies..
• Conduct advanced statistical analyses, including regression modeling and trend analyses to assess changes over time.
• Adjust for clustering and design effects in statistical models to ensure valid and reliable results.
• Create visualizations such as charts and graphs to present statistical findings in reports and presentations.
• Collaborate with the qualitative analysis team to triangulate quantitative findings with qualitative insights.
• Contribute statistical input to evaluation reports, ensuring proper interpretation and presentation of results.
• Ensure data integrity, confidentiality, and compliance with USAID data security policies throughout the analysis.
• Prepare cleaned, anonymized datasets, codebooks, and statistical documentation for submission to the USAID Development Data Library.

Deliverables and Timing:

• Sample size calculations for SHOUHARDO and/or Nobo Jatra evaluations, including rationale and assumptions.
• Statistical analysis plan, outlining methods for analyzing quantitative data (e.g., regression models, trend analysis).
• Cleaned quantitative datasets, free from inconsistencies and ready for analysis.
• Survey design recommendations for household and LSP surveys, ensuring proper question structure and response options.
• Advanced statistical analysis outputs, including regression results, descriptive statistics, and trend analysis outcomes.
• Visualizations of key findings, such as charts and graphs, for inclusion in reports and presentations.
• Integrated quantitative findings for final reports, triangulated with qualitative data.
• Data documentation and codebooks detailing all variables and transformations used in the analysis.
• Anonymized, final datasets for submission to the USAID Development Data Library, with supporting documentation.
• SPSS/Stata syntax files and programming specifications for data processing and analysis.

Period of Performance and Level of Effort (LOE): The LOE for each evaluation for this position is approximately up to 42 days (with cumulative LOE of 84 days for both evaluations). The period of performance is from on or about October 20, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

Travel: The position does not require travel.

Position Requirements

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications: Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Statistics, Biostatistics, Economics, Data Science, Public Health, or a related field.

Experience and Skills:

• At least 8 years of experience in applying advanced statistical methods in program evaluations, preferably in international development contexts.
• Proficiency in statistical software such as SPSS, Stata, or R, with proven experience in conducting advanced analyses (e.g., regression modeling, cluster analysis, hypothesis testing).
• Experience with quantitative survey design, sampling methods, and large-scale data collection, particularly in two-stage cluster sampling; experience with anthropometric data
• Strong data management skills, including data cleaning, validation, and preparation for analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret complex datasets, generating insights on key outcomes like food security, nutrition, and resilience.
• Experience integrating quantitative and qualitative data to produce comprehensive evaluation findings.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present statistical findings through clear, accessible visualizations (e.g., charts, graphs) and reports.
• Familiarity with USAID data reporting requirements and experience preparing anonymized datasets and codebooks.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring alignment of statistical analysis with overall evaluation objectives.
• Only qualified international consultants will be considered for this role.

How to Apply

Please complete the application and submit a cover letter and CV demonstrating how your experience aligns to the requirements above and complete the application online.

• Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs to write your application materials or to submit answers to screening questions could disqualify your application and/or candidacy

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.