Position Background
The MSP program, implemented by SoCha LLC, seeks a consultant to serve as an Independent Member of the TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) Evaluation Committee, on behalf of USAID/KEA. To ensure independence, the consultant will be contracted by SoCha, on behalf of USAID, and will report directly to the SoCha MSP Chief of Party.
TradeMark East Africa Background
TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) is a multi-donor funded organisation established in 2010, which is incorporated in Kenya and operational in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Burundi. TMEA aims to increase sustainable and shared prosperity in East Africa by increasing East Africa’s trade within the region and with the rest of the world. Specifically, TMEA aim to (i) invest in improving the efficiency and capacity of transport, logistics and trade infrastructure at key port and border points (ii) invest in systems to improve trading standards, reduce non-tariff barriers and enhance transparency in trade processes (iii) improve the regulatory and policy environment for trade and (iv) support private sector advocacy for trade competitiveness, the export capacity of East African businesses and the greater participation of women and small and growing businesses in trade.
TMEA’s Evaluation Committee steers and advises on the monitoring, evaluation and learning of TMEA programmes during quarterly meetings and at key strategic points.
Roles and Responsibilities
The role of the consultant, as an independent member of the Evaluation Committee, is to (1) review the scientific and technical quality of evaluations commissioned by TMEA and others (2) to ensure the design and implementation of the evaluations are robust and will stand up to external scrutiny (3) provide strategic oversight of the implementation of TMEA’s Monitoring, Evidence and Learning Strategy.
In order to fulfil these objectives, the consultant will be required to sign a code of conduct and openly declare any direct, indirect, or potential conflicts of interest. The consultant will also need to comply with TMEA’s procurement rules on confidentiality when involved in any tender processes.
Methodology and Deliverables
The consultant will review documents and provide comments in writing, and take part in discussions during the quarterly Evaluation Committee meetings through video conferencing or in Nairobi as agreed by the Evaluation Committee. The consultant may need to provide written comments or join video conferencing discussions outside the quarterly meeting schedule depending on the timelines for the evaluation, monitoring, and learning activities commissioned. No additional travel outside the quarterly Evaluation Committee meetings will be required.
The independent technical advice provided through written feedback and in person discussions should consider the OECD-DAC standards for evaluations, and TMEA’s Monitoring, Evidence, and Learning Strategy.
In line with the objectives above, the consultant is expected to:
Competences, Experience, and Qualities
Required:
Preferred:
Place of performance
Nairobi, Kenya or remote with the ability to teleconference, but preference will be given to candidates based in Kenya.
Period of performance
4-8 days per quarter, for a period of two years, commencing 2020. Dates of engagement are based on Evaluation Committee dates.
Per quarter the consultant can expect to work a minimum of four days, up to a maximum of eight days. The schedule for the meetings is listed below.
SoCha (a word created by combining the terms Social and Change) is an independent Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (ME&L) firm that provides bespoke solutions to social challenges. We are a veteran-owned small business, registered in the United States, and headquartered in Mauritius, which is an IT hub for Southern Hemisphere international organizations. SoCha is structured to be nimble and flexible, where we can rapidly respond to evaluative and analytical requests globally and have a well-established network across Africa and Asia. Since our inception in 2010, we have grown from a consortium of globally recognized experts who specialize in evaluating the effectiveness of development assistance, to a full-fledged ME&L services firm that specializes in advancing innovative methodologies and changing the way donors find solutions to social problems.
To support USAID/Kenya East Africa (KEA) to align programming toward promoting self-reliance outcomes, SoCha LLC has recently been awarded and will implement a two-year (optional three-year) mission support program to enable USAID to pivot into this journey to self-reliance (J2SR). To support this journey, the J2SR program will support USAID/KEA to understand context, align programs, collect data, understand complexity, and apply learning to program adaptation.
