Evaluation Team Leader, USAID/Senegal Collaborative Management for a Sustainable Fisheries Future (COMFISH) Outcome Harvesting Evaluation Project, Senegal Consultancy

Evaluation Team Leader, USAID/Senegal Collaborative Management for a Sustainable Fisheries Future (COMFISH), Outcome Harvesting Evaluation, Social Impact, Senegal

About INRM

The Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) activity provides on-demand support services and technical assistance for USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices across a wide array of environmental and natural resource management issues. INRM is designed to help USAID operating units achieve higher impact environment programming.

Background

The USAID Collaborative Management for a Sustainable Fisheries Future in Senegal (COMFISH) was implemented between February 2011 and September 2016 through a cooperative agreement between USAID and the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center (CRC). COMFISH worked to achieve reforms in Senegal’s fisheries sector, promote biodiversity conservation, support sustainable livelihoods in the fisheries sector, and advance gender equity and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. To achieve these objectives, CRC worked in collaboration with Senegal’s Ministry of Maritime Economy, the World Wildlife Fund, Environnement et Développement en Afrique-Energie, Centre de Suivi Ecologique, Institut Universitaire de Pêche et d’Aquaculture/ Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye, and Fédération Nationale des GIE de Pêche. Additionally, COMFISH worked with local artisanal fishing councils and fisheries associations.

COMFISH included the following intermediate results (IR): (1) Institutional and stakeholder capacity strengthened at all levels to implement an ecosystem based, co-management approach towards sustainable fisheries, taking into account climate change impacts in the fisheries sector; (2) Governance strategies, policies and best practices identified, tested, assessed and applied to build ecosystem resilience to threats to biodiversity conservation and climate risk; (3) Vulnerability assessed and capacity of vulnerable coastal communities strengthened to adapt to the impacts of climate variability and change; (4) Enhanced social and economic benefits to artisanal fishing communities provide incentives to a continued sustainable fisheries agenda.

COMFISH Plus was a two-year activity that started in October 2016 to “scale up and institutionalize” the approaches implemented by COMFISH in the previous five years. Given the temporal and technical continuity between these two activities, this assessment will focus on outcomes of both (hereafter COMFISH/COMFISH Plus).

Project Description

USAID’s Biodiversity Division has requested INRM support to design and implement an outcome harvesting based evaluation of COMFISH/COMFISH Plus, focusing on key stakeholders’ perceptions of and evidence for the most significant outcomes. INRM will consult with the USAID/Senegal Mission to define the final scope of the evaluation, including an inception report, and aims to implement it in Q1 and Q2 FY24.

The full methodology for this activity will be developed during implementation and described in an inception report. However, per USAID’s guidance, outcome harvesting will be the main technical approach in this exercise. The evaluation team will carefully review COMFISH/COMFISH Plus documents and data as needed and will design and conduct a series of semi-structured interviews with selected informants in Dakar and in one or two coastal sites selected in consultation with the Mission.

Position Description

DAI is seeking an individual to fulfill the role of Team Lead (TL) for the COMFISH Outcome Harvesting Evaluation. The TL is responsible for leading the technical team, guiding evaluation activities, and ensuring the production and completion of all deliverables. In collaboration with INRM and the evaluation team members, the TL will guide the desk review, direct data collection and compilation, support the design of tools for data collection, conduct data analysis, coordinate technical inputs of team members, and lead the production of a final report.

The TL will ensure quality assurance and timeliness of all deliverables, including adherence to DAI’s quality assurance standards and in in accordance with the scope of work and work plan timelines. The TL will report to the INRM Technical Advisor and the Program Director, and will be supported by a Program Manager, as well as a Senegal-based Senior Qualitative Researcher and Research Assistant/Notetaker. This is a short-term consultancy with an estimated level of effort (LOE) of up to 43 days, and a period of performance from approximately November 2023 through June 2024.

Responsibilities

• Lead the evaluation team, including a Senior Qualitative Researcher and Research Assistant/Notetaker.
• Serve as primary liaison with USAID regarding technical aspects of the evaluation.
• Prepare the evaluation schedule and work plan, and work closely with other team members to determine information requirements, develop key questions, oversee qualitative data collection, and gather other relevant information.
• Lead the development and finalization of the inception report, including methodology determinations, organization of calendar/travel/meetings, document review, and interview guides/instruments. This includes preparing and delivering a virtual presentation to socialize the methodology and work plan.
• Lead the development and finalization of the final report (20- 30 pages), including analyzing data with inputs from team members, developing a clear presentation of the findings, conclusions and recommendations, and responding to USAID and other stakeholder feedback. This includes preparing and delivering a virtual presentation of key findings.
• Ensure that all expected tasks and deliverables are achieved on time and of high quality, in accordance with the agreed upon scope of work and workplan.
• Maintain clear and regular communication with the evaluation team and INRM support staff, and inform the INRM team of any risks, problems, or challenges in a timely manner.

Deliverables:

In collaboration with the assessment team, the researcher will lead or contribute to the following:

·        Inception report

·        Draft assessment report

·        Final assessment report following review by INRM and USAID

Qualifications:

• At minimum, bachelor’s degree and 12 years of related experience, master’s degree and 10 years of related experience, or PhD and 6 years of related experience, including substantial demonstrated experience in evaluations and assessments in the development sector.
• Demonstrated experience leading an ex-post evaluation utilizing outcome harvesting or a similar methodological approach and producing actionable recommendations.
• Superior management skills, including experience managing multinational teams and producing high-quality and timely reports for USAID or similar audiences.
• Excellent oral communication and written skills in English.
• Exceptional organizational, analytical, writing, and presentation skills.
• Experience in evaluating USAID Activities related to biodiversity, sustainable fisheries, or similar sectors, strongly preferred.
• Oral communication and written skills in French, preferred.
• Experience conducting research or evaluations in West Africa, specifically Senegal, preferred.