Locally Led Development (LLD) Advisor At NORC

Background

NORC at the University of Chicago is one of the largest and most highly respected social research organizations pursuing high quality social science research both in the U.S. and internationally. NORC is seeking a Locally Led Development Advisor for the recently awarded USAID DDI Building Evidence for Decision Making (BE4D) activity. The overall purpose of the activity is to support USAID DDI and its partners in incentivizing evidence use for decision-making through high-quality monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and collaboration, learning, and adaptive management (CLA) related services. The activity will achieve its purpose through the following objectives: Design; Performance Monitoring for Learning and Adaptive Management; Evaluations and Other Analyses/Assessments for Learning and Adaptive Management; Training and Advising/Mentoring; Communications, Dissemination, Knowledge Management, and Organizational Learning; and Collaborating, Learning, and Adaptive Management.

The Locally Led Development Advisor is based in NORC’s Bethesda location, with the possibility of hybrid or remote working arrangements.

Responsibilities

· Provide technical subject matter expertise on locally led development to integrate LLD approaches into the program cycle in coordination with an Activity Manager from the Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships (LFT) Hub

· Provide LLD subject matter expertise to integrate LLD approaches by the Bureaus buying into the mechanism

· Work collaboratively with the Bureaus to gain buy-in for these approaches

· Monitor broader LLD trends at the Agency and beyond so that best practices for LLD feed into this mechanism

· Share relevant knowledge from LLD best practices from the mechanism with others at the Agency and beyond

· Track and keep a record of all LLD-related activities from this mechanism

Required Qualifications

· At least 8 years of experience with MEL related to locally owned and locally led development efforts which may include:

· Conducting research fieldwork in developing countries/resource-poor settings

· Working with or for local organizations in developing countries. This may include working directly for a local organization, as an employee; working as a consultant for an implementing partner and working directly with local sub-awardees and local stakeholders; and/or working with local government entities/local firms on development initiatives

· Working with networks of local organizations/grantees or other local actors

· An advanced degree in a relevant field such as monitoring and evaluation, social science, or international affairs.

· Demonstrated excellent written and spoken English skills

· Demonstrated ability to apply locally led development principles

· Demonstrated strong interpersonal and collaboration skills for dealing with a wide variety of projects, contracts, counterparts, personnel, and other related issues.

· Demonstrated experience facilitating collaborative processes for the design of community-focused development programming, MEL frameworks, and other multi-stakeholder development efforts.

· Excellent communication skills to foster open, transparent, and collaborative communications with the Government.

· Demonstrated ability to foster transparency and trust with other partners.