Evaluation / Data Specialist - USAID / Nigeria Education Midterm Portfolio Performance Evaluation at Navanti Group

Navanti provides timely and insightful data and analysis that shapes programming and empowers local voices, bringing their concerns, ideas, and knowledge to a broader audience. Its systems inform high quality interventions in rapidly evolving, conflict affected environments, employing an approach to contextual, nuanced data that uncovers and engages local actors and opportunities in need of support, resources and training – to create sustainable and transformative solutions that impact their communities. Navanti offers near-real time understanding of local dynamics, enabling an anticipatory programmatic capacity that takes advantage of near horizon change.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Evaluation / Data Specialist - USAID / Nigeria Education Midterm Portfolio Performance Evaluation

Location: Nigeria
Department: Programs
Team: USAID/Nigeria MEL Support Activity
Project: Education Midterm Portfolio Performance Evaluation USAID/Nigeria
Reporting to: Assessment and Evaluation Advisor
Employment Type: Independent Contractor / Short-Term Technical Assistance (STTA)
Period of Performance: August 2023 - February 2024

Background

• Navanti supports a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Support Activity program that assists USAID/Nigeria in advancing its broader organizational learning and development efforts. This program strengthens the Mission’s capacity and performance in programmatic monitoring, evaluation, learning, collaborating, and adapting. The MEL Support Activity closely aligns with USAID/Nigeria’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and provides a broad range of specialized technical assistance, training, data gathering and analysis, field-based monitoring, evaluations and assessments, facilitation of organizational learning and adaptation initiatives, and short-term technical assistance.

Performance Evaluation Objectives

• USAID/Nigeria has engaged the MEL Support Activity to conduct a midterm performance evaluation of the education portfolio. The purpose of the performance evaluation of the USAID/Nigeria Education portfolio is threefold:
  • To assess the extent to which all the recently completed and current activities together contribute to achieving the Education Development Objective.
  • To inform mid-course corrective actions on the implementation of ongoing or upcoming activities; and
  • To inform the next Country Development Coordination Strategy design.
• The results will be shared with broader USAID audiences, including USAID/Washington and other missions, to highlight best practices and lessons learned, and to inform upper management of the results achieved by the Nigeria mission in basic education and early grade reading. Finally, relevant results will be shared with Government of Nigeria (GON) counterparts at the Federal and State levels, and other donors to further promote collaboration on improving foundational learning in Nigeria.
• This evaluation is not intended to be an impact evaluation. The evaluation specialist and the team of research experts are expected to use a primarily qualitative approach to addressing research questions of interest. The team is highly encouraged to consider and suggest the collection and use of quantitative data, whenever possible and relevant, to help strengthen and nuance the qualitative findings.
• The estimated start date will be August 28, 2023. The evaluation is expected to last until February 2024, and the estimated LOE will be 42 days, maximum.

Position Description

• We are seeking an Evaluation/Data Specialist who will be responsible for the overall design of data collection tools and procedures, lead training of research assistants, manage and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data collected from the field.
• Under the technical leadership of the MEL Support Activity, the Evaluation/Data Specialist will be working alongside three other team members on the evaluation.

Locations:

• Abakaliki, Ebonyi state
• Abuja, Federal Capital Territory
• Bauchi, Bauchi State
• Damaturu, Yobe state
• Gombe, Gombe State
• Ibadan, Oyo State
• Maiduguri, Borno State
• Minna, Niger State
• Sokoto, Sokoto State
• Yola, Adamawa State

Responsibilities
The evaluation/data specialist must demonstrate experience in organizational capacity building/assessment required. S/he must demonstrate strong experience with data collection procedures, surveys, interview guides and analysis of data. The evaluation/data specialist is expected to:

• Design the data collection instruments and ensure it addresses all evaluation objectives.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret data using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Analyze data sets using statistical methods and relational databases.
• Support in preparing reports of research findings.
• Work with the team leader and other evaluation team members in planning, developing, coordinating, and administering research tools.
• Perform quality assurance reviews of both quantitative and qualitative data.
• Support the team leader in writing or editing technical reports and summaries of findings.
• Work with the other team members to perform desk review and identify additional information required for analysis.
• Work with the other team members in preparation and presentation of the In-brief and Out-brief to USAID/Nigeria and other stakeholders as requested.
• Support the other team members to develop the draft Evaluation report with support from the team members, taking into consideration feedback from the Out-brief presentation.
• Work with the other team members to respond to USAID comments on the draft report, incorporate USAID/Nigeria staff comments into the final version of the report and finalize the report.
• Work collaboratively with team members throughout design, implementation, analysis, and report writing to complement each other's areas of expertise.

Qualifications
The candidate is expected to have the following qualifications:

• Advanced Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Data Science or related field.
• A minimum of eight years of experience in program evaluation design, data management and analysis, computer science or a similar role.
• Strong experience in designing qualitative and quantitative data collection tools.
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of statistical software programs, such as SPSS or STATA.
• Previous experience as evaluation specialist on education sector evaluations, assessments, and research studies. USAID evaluation experience strongly preferred.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.