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 Team Leader. The Team Leader will serve as chief technical advisor and will be responsible for the management of the entire evaluation and technical management of the evaluation team.

The Team Leader responsibilities include:

• Serve as the chief technical advisor, responsible for managing the day-to-day implementation of the evaluation
• Ensure the quality and timely submission of evaluation deliverables, including leading the drafting of the evaluation report and other key deliverables
• Serve as the evaluation’s main point of contact for Z-MELP.
• Design and implement appropriate evaluation methodologies to assess project impact and outcomes.
• Conduct rigorous desk review of project and sector documents
• Undertake field visits to conduct primary data collection, including key informant interviews and focus group discussions
• Lead data analysis and data triangulation
• Ensure the quality, accuracy, and rigor of the evaluation process.
• Ensure timely delivery of evaluation deliverables and reports.

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 international consultants; however, Zambian nationals are especially encouraged to apply.

• An advanced degree in a relevant field such as monitoring and evaluation, social science, or international affairs.
• 10+ years of demonstrated professional experience in design, methods, management, and implementation of evaluations of international development projects.
• Proven skills and experience to develop methodological tools and instruments for evaluation such as interview protocols or questionnaires
• Proven skills in qualitative data analysis and report writing
• Demonstrated understanding of issues pertaining to clean energy, deforestation, rural livelihoods, and/or the market environment pertaining to alternative technologies and fuels (ATFs)
• 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 at least one Zambian local language is a strong plus.

Location: Zambia

Estimated level of effort:  45-50 days between January and May 2024.