Team Leader - Central Asia Evaluations

Job Description

Background 

The U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, Public Diplomacy Section (PDS), is procuring two mixed-methods evaluations:  

1. The C5+1 Youth Council, focused on leadership, skills, entrepreneurship, and cross-border connectivity, and  
2. Work Where You Are, focused on local employment pathways.  

Both evaluations require document review, surveys, key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), case studies, and network mapping. The full design-through-delivery period must not exceed 12 months. Monthly progress briefings are required, with a draft design due at 5 weeks, 10–12 weeks of data collection, and 10–12 weeks of analysis and drafting. A draft report and final report follow. 

Selection is contingent upon SoCha’s successful award of the contract.  

Scope of Work

The Team Leader will lead both evaluations end-to-end, manage the experts and research team, ensure methodological rigor and data protection, and deliver all reports and briefings on schedule. Responsibilities include: 

• Own the evaluation design for both evaluation statements of work (SOWs), developing the evaluation matrix, sampling plan, and instrument set, and submitting the draft design report within 5 weeks of receiving project documents. 
• Lead tool development and approval, delivering finalized tools within 6 weeks of consolidated feedback; ensure no fieldwork begins before tool approval. 
• Direct mixed-methods implementation across both projects: document review; surveys; KIIs and FGDs with members, alumni, staff, employers, and stakeholders; development of case studies; and network mapping. 
• Manage the subject matter and technical experts and a two-person research and analysis team experienced in qualitative and quantitative collection. 
• Ensure data quality, ethics, and protection standards, including disaggregation by country, sex, and role, and maintain auditable analysis files. 
• Provide regular progress briefings to American Embassy representatives and coordinate efficiently with the Implementing Partner. 
• Oversee scheduling and risk management to meet the 10–12 week data collection window and 10–12 week analysis and drafting window. 
• Produce clear, evidence-based reports: draft within 3 weeks after analysis, then final reports that meet content requirements, plus a findings presentation and executive brief. 
• Ensure compliance with contract terms and U.S. Government expectations for responsibility and quality control. 

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

Required:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation of foreign assistance programming. 
• Familiarity with Public Diplomacy educational programs, and with the sphere of education and, or economic development. 
• Demonstrated leadership of multi-country, mixed-methods evaluations and timely delivery against structured deliverable schedules. 
• Excellent analytical writing and client-facing communication in English, with the ability to brief senior stakeholders.
  

Preferred:  

• Experience in Central Asia and familiarity with regional institutions, labor markets, and youth programming. 
• Working knowledge of Russian or a Central Asian language; ability to manage bilingual field teams. 
• Prior work with U.S. Embassy or Department of State evaluations or similar donor evaluations. 
• Experience integrating network analysis into evaluation findings and visualizations. 

Contract details

• Period of performance: Not to exceed 12 months from contract start for the design-through-delivery cycle. 
• Estimated level of effort (Team Leader): Approximately 70–90 billable days across the period, indicative and subject to final work plan.  
• Location: Remote first. Monthly briefings may be virtual. Short, targeted travel to Bishkek or a secondary hub may be requested. 
• Team structure you will lead a team comprising:  
• Social Network Analysis (SNA) Specialist, 
• SME/Technical Expert for C5+1,  
• SME/Technical Expert for WWYA, and  
• a two-person, regionally-based research and analysis team with appropriate regional and local language skills,  
• with surge moderators and transcribers as needed. 

How to apply

To submit your application, kindly provide your CV using the form provided below. 

To apply before 3 September 2025. 

About the Organization

About SoCha 

SoCha is a leading Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) firm specializing in providing high-quality independent monitoring and evaluation services in development and humanitarian settings. We have successfully implemented multi-year MEL projects and independent evaluations across Africa and Asia for major international donors, using innovative data collection approaches, rigorous oversight, and operational efficiency to ensure program success.