CLA Specialist- USAID/Europe and Eurasia Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Decision Support (MELDS)

Job Description

EnCompass LLC seeks Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) Specialist candidates for an anticipated five-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Decision Support (MELDS) support activity to be based in the Washington, D.C. area.

MELDS will provide USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E) with strategic and technical support to improve performance management and advance Mission learning. The project will provide comprehensive MEL services, including capacity strengthening and technical support, to USAID/E&E, local organizations, implementing partners, and potentially local government counterparts.

The CLA Specialist will lead the development of knowledge management and learning activities and facilitate a culture of collaborative and adaptive management. The CLA Specialist will work to ensure that data collected and evidence generated are disseminated to and applied by MEL project stakeholders for more effective development programming.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Essential functions:

• Oversee collaborative dialogue and learning among USAID, implementing partners, and other stakeholders around emerging issues, facilitate reflections on the implications of new learning, and assist in responding to key learning findings
• Develop and maintain a knowledge management system for learning and adapting of development programs
• Develop a learning agenda, with activities and best practices that promote learning, to meet USAID/E&E goals and manage the promotion and use of the learning agenda
• Ensure program information is shared and effectively used through knowledge sharing and strategic learning processes to adapt and improve programming as well as bring new innovations to the Mission’s work
• For all activities, ensure clear objectives are set, resources are coordinated, and feedback loops to adjust approaches as necessary are in place
• Establish, build, and maintain collaborative relationships with stakeholders relevant to the learning needs of USAID/E&E, to include implementing partners and government stakeholders
• Support strategic communications activities, when necessary, including publication dissemination and events with stakeholders
• Employ strong collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) practices throughout the work

Position Requirements

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 6 years’ experience; or Master’s degree and 4 years’ experience in international development, organizational development, social science, or a related field preferred

Experience and Skills

• Minimum of four (5) years of demonstrated experience leading organizational learning, change management, and/or M&E; Senior candidates should have at least seven (7) years of demonstrated experience
• Strong familiarity with USAID’s CLA practices; familiarity with USAID’s Evaluation Policy preferred
• Understanding of knowledge management as it relates to USAID programs an asset
• Ability to work with host-country governments at different levels
• Strong communication, supervision, and management skills required
• Working knowledge of and experience with USG-funded program management, policies, regulations and procedures
• Prior experience on USAID projects required; experience working on/in activities within the E&E region an asset
• Fluency in English required

How to Apply

Please submit CV and cover letter and complete the application

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.

About the Organization

EnCompass LLC is a women-owned, small business consulting firm working in International Development, and offering innovative and customized solutions for leadership, capacity strengthening, technical assistance, and monitoring and evaluation. We have experience in more than 70 countries and a team of more than 100 staff and 1,200 experts around the globe. We partner with government and multilateral agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporations around the world, offering thought leadership, rich diversity, and technical expertise in global health, inclusive development, education, human rights, and food security.

Founded in 1999, EnCompass began as a virtual organization supporting clients and implementing work through a network of staff and expert consultants. Today, we have more than 110 full-time staff and a Global Consulting Network, our vetted database of specialists, through which we engage, on average, 200 consultants each year. In early 2017, EnCompass opened its first international office in Addis Ababa for Transform: a Primary Health Care project. In 2019, we set up our second field office in Lima, Peru. We maintain a full-time staff presence in Benin, Ethiopia, Germany, Great Britain, Peru, and Uganda.