Senior Technical Advisor, Evaluation of the Education is the Answer (EiA) Activity

The IPL activity will target out-of-school youth ages 9 - 18 in the regions of Maradi, Tillaberi, Zinder and Dosso. To reach out-of-school youth, the activity will address the challenges associated with access to educational attainment and vocational training opportunities. Adolescents and youth, particularly girls and those affected by conflict and crisis are the focus beneficiaries, and access to safe, equitable and contextually relevant learning and skill building opportunities needed to strengthen their resilience and contribute to their communities are the planned inputs. In preparation for the activity design process and the development of the Mission's first strategy, an education sector analysis was conducted which highlighted the role that accelerated, non-formal learning and vocational training programs can play in transforming gender norms and promoting girls' education by working with adolescents, traditional leaders, and community members.

The activity targets four distinct groups within the NFE sector: 1) out-of-school youth, 2) educators including teachers, instructors, and facilitators, 3) parents, caregivers and community leaders, and 4) local institutions and civil society organizations. Out-of-school youth include those who have never been to school and those who have dropped out of school. Young girls particularly at risk of early marriage or are already married, young mothers, and other marginalized groups are also included in the target groups. A flexible and adaptable approach to meeting youth's learning and wellbeing needs in Maradi, Tillaberi, Zinder and Dosso is planned as contexts shift and to enable communities to increase resilience to shocks and stresses.

The evaluation team is proposing a mixed methods, longitudinal, multi-cohort study of the youth who enroll in IPL programs–as well as their families and extended support networks–over three years. Four rounds of quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews and observations) data collection over two to three weeks, each round separated by 9 months, will follow three cohorts of IPL participants organized by age group (9-12, 13-15, 16-18 tentatively) across the four focus regions. An initial design phase of the activity is included where the evaluation team will conduct an NFE landscape assessment and literature review as well as analyze secondary monitoring, evaluation, and population data in order to produce a detailed design report for review and approval by USAID/Niger prior to beginning field work.

Activity Objectives

The mission seeks to conduct an evaluation of the IPL activity focusing on its effectiveness across diverse crisis– and conflict–affected contexts in Niger. The objectives of the evaluation activity are:

1. To map and describe the current landscape of NFE funders, providers, locations, models, and beneficiary characteristics in the Maradi, Tillaberi, Zinder, and Dosso regions of Niger.
2. To collect and summarize existing research on NFE in Niger and similar contexts and identify key knowledge gaps.
3. To collect and analyze primary quantitative and qualitative data that examines the short, medium, and longer-term effects of IPL on its beneficiaries;
4. To identify in which communities and populations and in what models and approaches the government of Niger, USAID, and other donors should invest to improve the quality, relevance, and accessibility of NFE in Niger, especially for both married and unmarried adolescent girls.
5. To disseminate the evaluation findings to multiple audiences including USAID Niger, its implementing partners, the Education Cluster, Government of Niger, community leaders, and other stakeholders.

The Senior Technical Specialist (STS) will support the Team Leader to design and implement the evaluation activity in collaboration with the IDG Activity Management Team, the Evaluation Team, the USAID Africa Bureau, the USAID Mission in Niger, implementing partners, government ministries, and other local and national stakeholders. The STS will co-design the methods and tools that will be used to answer the evaluation questions, lead and manage extensive fieldwork activities, manage the qualitative analysis process, co-lead report writing, and contribute to the dissemination of findings.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Team Leader (TL) with managing the evaluation team including a Field Coordinator, and a team of 12 local researchers,
• Provide technical support and guidance to the TL and research team, perform tasks assigned by the TL and meet deadlines.
• Support a desk-review and stakeholder consultations with the USAID Mission in Niger, implementing partners, government ministries, and other local and national stakeholders in preparation for producing a design report.
• Assist the TL in the production of a draft evaluation design report (EDR) using the ALOA template, including a detailed workplan and data collection tools and protocols, and a final EDR after revising based on feedback from IDG and USAID.
• Assist the TL in the development, submission, and approval of an international (and local if required) IRB application based on the EDR.
• Assist the TL in designing the data collector training regime, producing training materials, and co-leading the training.
• Assist the TL with field testing and subsequent revising of data collection tools and protocols.
• Assist the TL in launching and managing four rounds of fieldwork over three years, manage field visits and data quality checks, conduct interviews, focus groups, participant observations, and other data gathering activities.
• Lead collection, transfer, storage, and cleaning of data for each round.
• Assist the TL in leading, managing, and ensuring a rigorous quantitative and qualitative data analysis process and produce a findings, conclusions, and recommendations (FCR) matrix for each round.
• Assist the TL in producing a draft and final report for each round.
• Co-lead the design and facilitation of further dissemination activities including presentations to USAID, the government of Niger, and other stakeholders for each round.
• Assist the TL in providing regular updates to the IDG Activity Management Team and other progress monitoring as directed throughout the entirety of the evaluation activity.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in education or other relevant field.
• At least 5-7 years of professional experience conducting fieldwork for evaluations of education or youth activities in Niger.
• Expert knowledge of the Nigerian formal and informal education systems and the constellation of local, national, and international institutions providing formal and informal education services in Niger
• Professional experience working with the Niger Federal Ministry of Education and other relevant government Ministries as well as the communities served by the IPL program.
• Demonstrated expertise in qualitative methodologies and analysis, including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, participatory appraisal, ethnography, written, photo, and art diaries, play inquiry, walkabouts, community mapping and other techniques.
• Professional fluency in written and verbal English. Professional fluency in French and/or other local language in Niger is preferred.