Company profile:

SoCha (a portmanteau of Social and Change) is an independent Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) firm that provides bespoke solutions to social challenges. We are a US-registered, veteran-owned small business and staff support offices in Nairobi, Bangkok and Mauritius. SoCha currently supports multiple foreign assistance interventions across Asia and Africa. SoCha leads the Zambia Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Platform (Z-MELP) for USAID from its office in Lusaka.

Background:

Over 75 percent of peri-urban and urban households in Zambia use charcoal as their primary cooking fuel source. Demand for charcoal is rising exponentially, propelling the over-exploitation of Zambia’s biodiverse forests and contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions that drive global climate change. Efforts to address these issues are constrained by the fact that widespread adoption of alternative technologies and fuels is hindered by cultural barriers, poor business enabling conditions, and value chain inefficiencies. USAID/Zambia’s Alternatives to Charcoal (A2C) Activity works to reduce dependence on charcoal as an energy source in Zambia by catalyzing the increased use of low emissions alternative technologies and fuels (ATFs). The A2C Activity is guided by an understanding of local market systems, strong private sector engagement, and a commitment to engaging youth and empowering women.

USAID has commissioned a midline performance evaluation with two key purposes: 1) Assess the performance of the USAID A2C Activity to date (including in the achievement of expected performance targets) and the extent to which the Activity is on track to achieve its intended results, and 2) Inform any mid-course corrective actions and adaptive management that can help to strengthen performance and address identified shortcomings. This evaluation will employ primarily qualitative methods, desk review, and potentially other innovative methods to answer specific evaluation questions.

Scope of Work

To support the work of the project, SoCha seeks an experienced Energy Transition Specialist (ETS). The ETS will bring subject matter expertise on the dynamics of charcoal transitions in Africa to ensure the evaluation design, data collection, and analysis are appropriate and rooted in local and sector context.

The ETS responsibilities include:

• Conduct rigorous desk review of project and sector documents
• Advise on data collection tools and methods that are responsive to the Zambian charcoal and alternative technologies and fuels (ATF) issues
• Undertake field visits to conduct primary data collection, including key informant interviews and focus group discussions
• Conduct data analysis and data triangulation in collaboration with other team members, ensuring conclusions and recommendations are rooted in findings and responsive to local sectoral realities.
• Co-author the evaluation report and other deliverables

The tasks outlined above are subject to change and are indicative, but not exhaustive for the role and other tasks may be assigned by the Project Lead or their designee.

Minimum qualifications and experience

This position is open to local and regionally based consultants; however, Zambian nationals are especially encouraged to apply.

• Degree in a relevant field such as environmental science, monitoring and evaluation, social science, or international affairs
• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge and experience working on activities/projects pertaining to clean energy, deforestation, rural livelihoods, and/or the market environment pertaining to alternative technologies and fuels (ATFs)
• 4+ years of demonstrated professional experience in the design, collection, and analysis of qualitative data
• Strong understanding of private sector involvement in development and public-private partnerships a strong plus
• Prior experience undertaking performance evaluations on donor-funded projects focused on these issues
• Experience with USAID a strong plus
• Strong English communication skills are required, both interpersonal and written.
• Proficiency in local languages of Zambia is a strong plus