Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) is a global program housed in the World Bank's Development Research Group (DECRG). Its purpose is to increase the use of impact evaluation (IE) in the design and implementation of public policy and increase institutional capacity and motivation for evidence-based policy.
DIME seeks a consultant to manage a growing program of impact evaluation work with the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda (MINAGRI). The DIME/MINAGRI collaboration takes a sector-wide approach and includes a variety of impact evaluations designed to understand the constraints farmers face. We are testing innovations to extension services (farmer feedback tools; e-extension services) and rural finance (commitment savings and insurance), pilots of remote imaging technology for agricultural data, and evaluation of large-scale infrastructural investments in irrigation and feeder roads. The position offers the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with policymakers at MINAGRI to generate and incorporate evidence in policy decisions, and be directly involved with scaling up "what works".
The consultant will coordinate DIME’s portfolio of impact evaluations with the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda. S/he will work on the research design, implementation and analysis related to the multiple ongoing impact evaluations, and support capacity development for evidence-based policy-making on the client side.
The consultant’s main responsibility is to coordinate and supervise the implementation of the impact evaluation studies in the field, working closely with the project implementation team and delivering training to the clients as needed. The consultant will also be involved in analytical aspects of the impact evaluations.
Program description
DIME’s work focuses on three areas:
- Evaluating programs at scale to answer policy-relevant questions;
- Building capacity to strengthen country institutions for evidence-based policy-making;
- Building theory on mechanisms in strategic development areas based on high-quality evidence.
By doing so, DIME attempts to overcome the challenge to identify true cause-and-effect relations in policy programs. By linking researchers to policymakers and feeding results back into policies, DIME fosters systematic use of evidence which informs adoption, mid-course corrections, and scale-up of policies. DIME builds capacity while forming a wider community practice, through workshops and clinics with operational staff and government clients, joint research teams, active field coordination, as well as research products such as seminars, papers, and policy briefs.
Tasks:
The consultant is responsible for overseeing the DIME portfolio of impact evaluations with the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda. The consultant is expected to manage a team of interns, local consultants, students, and survey firms that work together to complete these assignments.
Duties include:
- Work closely with MINAGRI and local implementation partners to set up new impact evaluations in irrigation and ICT for agriculture, and to pilot new remote sensing technologies for agricultural data collection;
- Oversee all aspects of survey work, including but not limited to: programming data collection instruments in SurveyCTO or Stata, planning and facilitating training of field staff, supervising field work;
- Ensure high quality data through field data protocols, careful checks of logical consistency and response, data cleaning;
- Database management, integrating the project team’s monitoring data, administrative data from local government, and the household survey data;
- Work closely with MINAGRI and other partners (One Acre Fund, Innovations for Poverty Action) to ensure strategies are aligned.
Deliverables:
- Terms of Reference for data collection;
- Protocols for high quality data collection;
- Finalized household survey questionnaires, programmed in SurveyCTO;
- Documentation and supervision of household surveys;
- Deliver training courses on statistical analysis of micro data for GoR officials as demanded;
- Manuals for training of survey enumerators and supervisors;
- Documentation of support role in organizing surveys and routine monitoring reports on data collection and the roll out of the interventions;
- Clean household survey data files with accompanying Stata do-files and documentation.
Desired Skills and Experience
- Academic specialization: At least a Master’s degree in economics, public policy or related field with strong quantitative research skills is essential, preferably with a concentration in development economics, impact evaluation and applied micro-econometrics.
- Experience: The candidate must have demonstrated ability to manage high-level partnerships with government officials, strong project management skillscandidate must have field experience and technical expertise in impact evaluation and econometric analysis (including proficiency in STATA), and experience working with governments to implement impact evaluations. Ideally, the candidate will have some teaching experience.
- Capacity Building Skills: Demonstrated ability and experience in designing and deliver training and capacity building activities.
- Language: Superior written and oral communications skills in English are essential; working knowledge of French or Kinyarwanda is an advantage.
- Interpersonal skills:Demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively in teams and with government counterparts.
A minimum 1-year commitment is desired, with opportunities for extension. The Field Coordinator will be hired as a short term consultant (STC). Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Field Coordinator is expected to use his/her own laptop and mobile phone. S/he will be reimbursed for travel expenses to/from Kigali and for travel expenses (including accommodation) for in-country travel outside Kigali. All payments and reimbursements will be conditional on the submission of outputs or receipts, as applicable.
Qualified candidates should send their resume and a brief (maximum 300 words) statement of interest to Maria Jones (mjones5@worldbank.org) and Susumu Yoshida (syoshida@worldbank.org) Applications will be considered on a rolling basis but the position will be filled as soon as possible.
The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
