About the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS): CEPPS is comprised of nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations dedicated to advancing and supporting democratic practices and institutions around the globe.Established in 1995, CEPPS pools the expertise of three premier international organizations dedicated to democratic development: the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute. CEPPS now has a 25-year track record of collaboration and leadership in democracy, human rights and governance support. As mission driven, nonprofit democracy organizations, we differ from many development actors by maintaining long-term relationships with political parties, election management bodies, parliaments, civil society organizations and democracy activists. We operate as a consortium (under a joint venture) to provide USAID and other donors with the capacity to deliver complex democracy, human rights and governance (DRG) programming at scale across the entire spectrum of political contexts and geographic regions.

PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE:

The Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DM&E) Consultant will be responsible for maintaining and providing oversight over DM&E protocols and practices under the DEPP leader and associate awards, and will work closely with the Research, Evaluation, and Learning (REL) team to incorporate monitoring and evaluation data into program and strategy design, learning processes, and knowledge management processes under DEPP. The consultant will help ensure that all program proposals, Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plans (AMELP), as well as evaluation deliverables under DEPP are responsive to donor needs, reflect best practices for program design and MEL, and can provide actionable data for adaptive management at both the program and mechanism level. This will include supporting program staff to design evidence-based projects that incorporate learnings gleaned from internal and external research and learning. The DM&E Manager will also contribute to mechanism-level learning and reporting processes.

The DM&E Consultant will work under the direction of the CEPPS REL Director to fulfill the following key duties and responsibilities:

1. Provide oversight and technical support on M&E practices during DEPP program implementation

• • Liaise with CEPPS program and MEL personnel in overseeing appropriate implementation of DM&E policies and protocols
  • Maintain standard templates and protocols under the guidance of the REL Director for key M&E documents including PIRS, PMPs, Results Frameworks, evaluation reports
  • Review key program design and M&E deliverables including AMELPs, baseline and mid-term scopes of work and inception reports, evaluation reports, and similar to ensure consistency and quality of CEPPS deliverables
  • Provide technical advisory services to CEPPS program teams on M&E issues on an as needed basis
  • As needed, contribute to and review CEPPS quarterly reporting

2. Strengthen integration of evidence and lessons learned in the development of responsive DEPP programs designs and proposals for associate awards

• • Facilitate or support facilitation of joint program design sessions alongside the REL Director in order to establish results frameworks for DEPP associate programs
  • In tandem with the DEPP CLA Advisor, promote the use of learning tools and processes that facilitate the integration of CEPPS best practices, lessons learned, and innovation into new program designs
  • Provide guidance for CEPPS program teams on preparation of required M&E deliverables for joint proposal processes
  • Review all M&E deliverables and ensure REL Director approval for proposal processes

3. Work with CEPPS leadership to respond to reporting and oversight needs related to MEL implementation under DEPP

• • Support coding of DEPP evaluation data into the CEPPS database and other knowledge management systems
  • Provide input into regular and ad-hoc reporting at the mechanism level, including quarterly and annual reporting to the donor, as well as specialized reporting on an as-needed basis

Qualifications:

Education: Master's degree or higher in political science, international relations, or related field preferred, but not required.

Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience in the design and implementation of research and MEL systems to inform programmatic and strategic decision-making. Familiarity with USAID MEL systems and requirements critical. Experience in the DRG field is preferred, but not required.

Technical Skills: Experience Microsoft Office Suite, relational databases, quantitative and qualitative data collection, coding and analysis.

Language Skills: Fluency in English required. Fluency in other languages, such as Spanish, French, Arabic, or sign language, is preferred but not required.