USAID Democracy Fellowships – Impact Evaluation and Research

Democracy Fellowships – Impact Evaluation and Research

Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Center – Learning Team

United States Agency for International Development

Washington, DC

Introduction

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is offering two full-time Impact Evaluation and Research Fellowships under the Democracy Fellows and Grants Program (DFG), funded by USAID’s Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG Center) in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA).  The DFG program is managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The two new Fellows will be hired as full-time, salaried IIE employees, with benefits.  Fellowships will be two years in duration, with the second year contingent upon funding and successful performance reviews during the first year. Fellowships may be renewed for up to four years.  Depending on candidates’ experience and academic training, each fellowship will be structured either as a post-doctoral position, a mid-level specialist, or a senior level specialist. Fellows’ salaries will be competitive and commensurate with salary history and experience. 

Purpose

The DRG Center is recruiting for two qualified applicants interested in serving as Impact Evaluation and Research Specialists. The Fellows will help establish the Center as a learning organization by completing the following:

• In collaboration with DRG partners, designing and carrying out impact evaluations of democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) programs funded by USAID missions worldwide. 
• Authoring research, systematic review papers, and technical tools related to foreign assistance in the DRG sector.
• Helping to create communities of practice among USAID DRG experts and practitioners worldwide and support organizational learning efforts at USAID.
• Supporting and fostering a learning environment and the development and promotion of evidenced-based programs at USAID missions abroad, within the DRG Center, and within other USAID/Washington bureaus and offices.
• Supporting the day-to-day priorities of the DRG Center.

Background

The DRG Center’s Learning Team is the locus of DRG-specific evaluation, learning, and research across USAID.  The Learning Team applies rigorous research methods, including individual program evaluations, qualitative case studies, cross-national quantitative research, systematized expert interviews, survey methods, and systematic reviews in DRG subsectors such as the rule of law, governance, civil society, and elections/political processes to promote evidence-based design of and modifications to DRG programs.

With over $2 billion in USAID funding dedicated annually to programs to improve democracy, human rights, and governance in over 80 countries, there is a great need to invest in enhanced research to improve – and evaluation to assess – the effectiveness of these programs. 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Democracy Fellows will:

1.       Represent the DRG Center on teams engaged in the design, implementation, and analysis of DRG impact evaluations.

2.       Contribute to systematic reviews of academic literature and findings of impact evaluations and field experiments in the DRG sector.

3.       Travel to USAID missions to provide hands-on support in designing evaluable DRG projects, as well as rigorous impact evaluations using experimental or quasi-experimental designs.

4.       Represent the DRG Center on project teams engaged in the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of USAID democracy, public opinion, and program evaluation surveys. 

5.       Participate in review committees on DRG learning activities and work with other DRG Center staff to develop and implement rigorous research proposals in their areas of focus.

6.       Participate in design (including indicator development) and/or evaluation of selected DRG programs.

7.       Design and deliver training modules (including training plans and resource materials) to be delivered to USAID DRG officers and other USG employees on how to use results from impact evaluation and surveys in program design and implementation.

8.       Participate in a Community of Practice focused on a DRG subsector, e.g., decentralization and local government improvement, civic education, legislative strengthening, or political party development assistance.

9.       Support efforts to disseminate results of USAID-supported research on DRG programs to specific targeted audiences (e.g., USAID DRG officers, senior USAID leadership, U.S. congressional committees, relevant academic communities, media outlets, etc.).

10.   Perform other tasks and bureaucratic functions as assigned to support the ongoing work of the DRG Center and Learning Team. For example, Fellows may be required to coordinate and attend meetings with other USAID and USG units on both evaluation-related topics and the broader DRG  technical areas;  brief senior DRG staff on Learning Team activities; draft summaries for a generalist audience highlighting the work of the Learning Team; and respond to ad hoc information requests. As members of the Learning Team, Fellows will be required to attend weekly DRG Center staff meetings and other Center activities such as retreats, portfolio reviews, annual planning sessions, and other events as they are identified.

Supervision and Guidance

The Fellows will be hired as full-time, salaried IIE employees and will report for administrative purposes to the DFG Director at IIE.  On a day-to-day basis, Fellows will serve as members of the DRG Center’s Learning Team and be supervised by their on-site manager, the Learning Team Chief.  Fellows will participate in relevant working groups in other parts of USAID, as required.  Fellows are expected to exercise the highest degree of individual initiative, resourcefulness, responsibility, and authority, consistent with USAID’s overall policy and procedural framework.

Location

Fellowships will be based at USAID headquarters in Washington, DC.  Extensive international travel may be required.

Duration of the position

Initial appointment is for two years, with the possibility of renewal for up to four years.  The second year and any renewals are contingent upon available funding and acceptable performance.  The DRG Center anticipates hiring two full-time Democracy Fellows as Impact Evaluation and Research Specialists.   

Applications are due at 11:59 pm on March 6, 2013. Only complete applications will be considered

• US citizenship is required.
• A graduate degree in political science or other social sciences is a prerequisite. (PhD is preferred but not required.)
• Demonstrated competence in experimental, quasi-experimental, or non-experimental research designs and survey research, including statistical skills to analyze the results of field experiments and public opinion surveys using STATA or R statistical packages—is required.
• Substantive knowledge required in at least one DRG subsector field, such as: democratization, voter and civic education, civil society strengthening, electoral behavior, human rights, or government accountability/transparency in developing and/or transitional countries.
• Knowledge of questionnaire and survey design, web surveys, and sampling is required.
• Excellent English writing skills are required.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well on a team are required.
• Knowledge of international donor efforts to promote improvements in democracy, human rights, and/or governance in developing and transitional countries is required.
• Experience in developing or transitional countries, i.e., living and working in a developing country for field research, short-term assignments, or long-term residential postings is desirable.
• Foreign language skills are desirable.

http://www.iie.org/Programs/USAID-Democracy-Fellows-and-Grants-Program/Fellowship/How-to-Apply