United States of America: Technical & Research Specialist

World Learning’s civic engagement and governance (CEG) programs strengthen government systems and capacity while also strengthening citizen action and engagement to promote social accountability. To do this, we cultivate emerging leaders and engaged youth, provide civic education and skills building, connect activists across borders and sectors, and strengthen the performance of civil society organizations. Targeted resources and capacity development provided strengthen local groups’ ability to promote citizen action for good governance and democratic policies at the local, national and global levels.

The Technical & Research Specialist will position World Learning’s CEG unit as a leader in innovative programming to improve political participation, citizen engagement, social accountability, and good governance through rigorous program design and proposal development, technical support for project implementation, and leading the learning and research agenda to capture and disseminate best practices/lessons learned. The ideal candidate will have proven experience designing and delivering civic engagement and governance programs for USAID, the Department of State, other U.S. government agencies and departments, and non-US government donors such as UN, DFID, and the EU. In addition, s/he will have a successful track record in research, business development, partnership and relationship building, be a proactive and effective networker and convener, and be an advocate for gender equity and social inclusion integration in all programs.

Specific Responsibilities:

Program Development (approximately 45%)

• Identify new project opportunities related to civic engagement and governance;
• Lead technical design and proposal writing for new projects related to area of civic engagement and governance, in coordination with Director of Cross-sector Programming as well as other HQ and field staff. This includes field assessment/design missions, proposal writing, proposal review, proposal coordination, and coordination with local and international partners;
• Stay abreast of and advise World Learning on donor trends in CEG and share with relevant teammates across World Learning;
• Position World Learning with external stakeholders as a preferred partner for civic education and engagement and social accountability and governance programs; develop and maintain strong relationships with partners and donors;
• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) team and other technical teams to develop and oversee the implementation of a technical learning agenda in CEG;
• Contribute to creating and implementing sector strategies for program development.

Program Implementation (approximately 35% LOE)

• Design and deliver technical assistance and complete deliverables for existing programs such as designing training curriculum and delivering trainings; conducting participatory program reviews or evaluations; providing technical advice and assistance to field teams to improve program outcomes and quality; Coordinate with Program Manager to ensure work aligns with overall program needs;
• Support research and learning agenda development that includes quantitative and qualitative research, research synthesis and analysis, and dissemination and use of new knowledge;
• Provide technical support in the development of reports, studies, and policy briefs related to CEG interventions and the scalability and sustainability of programs in CEG;
• Work closely with the MERL team to design/inform project M&E, advise on result and outcome level MEL for CEG; and contribute to measuring and achieving higher level CEG organizational goals and objectives;
• Prepare or assist with reports, work plans, MEL plans, and project deliverables in conjunction with HQ or field staff; meet with/respond to donors as required.

Outreach and Quality Promotion (approximately 15%)

• Liaise with external and internal stakeholders to increase World Learning’s profile in the area of civic engagement and governance;
• Represent World Learning as thought leader on panels at conferences, working groups, and other external engagements;
• Develop Working Papers and other products to share lessons learned and program impact;
• Document evidence-informed best practices, innovations, lessons learned and proven methodologies in civic engagement and governance;
• Provide sector training to HQ and field staff;

• Participate in internal working groups and provide substantive recommendations.
  Unit/Portfolio Leadership and Management Backstopping (approximately 5%)

• Represent CEG unit on behalf of Global Programs leadership when needed;

• Assist Director of Cross-sector Programming in creating unit strategy and annual plans and in ensuring unit meets or exceeds annual program-wide objectives and deliverables;

• Perform other duties as required or assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field required; Ph.D. preferred;
• Seven to ten years of relevant experience in implementing democracy and governance, and civil society development programming;
• Strong knowledge of implementing programs for USAID, Department of State and other relevant donors;
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing civic education, policy advocacy, civic engagement, or governance programming in developing or transition countries;
• Experience leading needs assessments and analysis to inform programming and strategy using a range of appropriate methodologies (such as gender and social inclusion analysis, political economy analysis, conflict analysis, local system analysis, etc.);
• Strong understanding of effective monitoring and evaluation for civic engagement and governance programming; experience leading development of M&E Plans, Research and Learning Agendas, and program performance and/or impact studies. Understanding of appropriate methodologies for M&E and research activities;
• Experience designing, conducting and disseminating CEG-related research;
• Experience in proposal design, development, conceptualization and technical writing; Proven success winning proposals for donor funding;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Proactive and effective networker, convener, and partnership builder;
• Ability to travel internationally, sometimes to sensitive environments;
• Commitment to inclusive programming that values full participation of stakeholders regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, race, disability status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Demonstrated experience with inclusive programming a plus.

Desired Qualifications:

• Fluency in one or more foreign languages, preferably French or Arabic;
• Two or more years living and working in a developing or transitioning country.

World Learning is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action/veterans/ADA employer, committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce.

Interested candidates should apply through World Learning's website