Senior Design Advisor

Senior Design Advisor

(Learns Task # 3.106)

USAID Learns Contract

Hanoi, Vietnam

Apply here:

https://phg.tbe.taleo.net/phg02/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SOCIIMPA2&cws=1&rid=4059

Please note: This post is open for both local and international candidates.

About Social Impact

Social Impact (SI) is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits. 

Project Objective

SI is implementing the USAID/Vietnam Learns Contract. The scope of the five-year project is to support USAID/Vietnam staff and its implementing partners to implement more efficient, effective, and sustainable programs by (1) improving staff knowledge and skills in Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) and Collaborating, Learning & Adapting (CLA); (2) advancing evidence-informed decision-making; (3) strengthening strategic collaboration between staff and local stakeholders. 

Background and Purpose

USAID analysis of the governance context in Vietnam indicates that the Government of Vietnam (GVN) is effective and organized, with a clear commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of Vietnamese citizens. The GVN system of governance has yielded considerable benefits for citizens over the last forty years, with marked improvements in economic and social development. Much of the work of policy implementation to achieve these benefits, particularly of social programming and management of domestic economic development initiatives, takes place at the provincial level and below. However, significant technical and operational capacity constraints persist at these levels, hindering the effectiveness and continuous improvement of service delivery. There appears to be an interest in meaningful input and feedback from citizens and local organizations on what is or is not working in order to improve the performance and effectiveness of public service delivery, and there are instances of constructive engagement between governmental and non-governmental actors that have led to positive changes. Technical and financial challenges also hamper local organizations in Vietnam, and as a result, they are generally unable to contribute meaningfully to Government programming.

USAID is designing a new Local Capacity Development (LCD) activity to respond to these challenges. The purpose of the activity is to support the capacity of and engagement between sub-national government and local organizations, leading to more transparent policy-making, effective implementation processes, and better delivery of services to Vietnamese citizens. By supporting this form of engagement, USAID aims to demonstrate the value of open, issue-based dialogue at the local level, leading over the long term to further collaboration between government and non-governmental actors (local organizations, private sector, and others) on issues of local importance.

Position Description

SI is seeking a Senior Design Advisor to support USAID/Vietnam to finalize the design of the LCD activity. The Senior Design Advisor will work closely with the USAID activity design team based in Vietnam, providing high-quality technical inputs to all aspects of activity design. The Advisor will take ownership over key aspects of the design process, to be agreed in advance with the Mission. This may include development and refinement of technical sections, contractual documentation, RFI and RFP notices, proposal evaluation criteria, and presentations to various stakeholders. In addition, the Advisor will be expected to be on-demand, responding to specific requests from the Mission. The Advisor should draw upon insights from other USAID activity designs, key lessons and recommendations from USAID PPL, DRG Center, and other knowledge centers within the Agency, and make use of available academic resources and other secondary sources as relevant. The Advisor must draw upon recent research work conducted on programming in Vietnam, insights on the Vietnamese context, and familiarity with recent USAID/Vietnam programming.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Senior Design Advisor will undertake the following tasks:

• Support USAID/Vietnam as needed to design the LCD Activity, taking full ownership over key aspects of the design process as agreed with the Mission and in coordination with the design team
• Liaise closely with other design team members to coordinate and harmonize inputs
• Present design progress and challenges to USAID staff and other key stakeholders as relevant, and respond accordingly to feedback
• Participate in design workshops and team meetings as required, and assume facilitation responsibilities where requested
• Other tasks as requested by the Mission

Deliverables and Timeline

Level of effort: Up to 10 working days

Timeline:            April - November 2022

Deliverables will be agreed with USAID/Vietnam at the start of the assignment.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in a field relevant to international development
• About 10 years of experience leading and/or supporting at a senior level USAID activity designs, including routine engagement with the Front Office and the Office of Acquisition and Assistance in-country to meet senior level objectives
• Detailed understanding of USAID/USG regulations and design processes
• Demonstrated ability to author technical and contractual design documents with minimal supervision
• Strong familiarity with key concepts relevant to this design, including problem-driven iterative adaptation (PDIA) and collective action
• Demonstrated experience designing and/or advising adaptive programs, making use of resources disseminated by USAID and other thought leaders
• Experience designing or advising governance activities, particularly in closed environments, ideal but not required
• Experience working in or on South-East Asia and Vietnam in particular, ideal but not required
• Familiarity with the Vietnamese context, ideal but not required
• Strong communication skills and experience engaging with a variety of stakeholder groups
• Experience managing remote/online facilitation processes
• Fluency in spoken and written English

The closing date for application: April 05, 2022. Selection and interviews will be performed constantly and interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply, please merge both your CV and a cover letter (one-page briefly outlining your qualifications, motivations for applying) into one pdf file and submit it through the online portal.

To learn more about Social Impact, please visit our website:http://www.socialimpact.com

SI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please, no phone calls.