Senior Democracy Fellow
Applied Political Economy Analysis (PEA) and Thinking and Working Politically (TWP)
Introduction:
The Institute of International Education (IIE) seeks applications from qualified individuals for one to two part-time Senior Democracy Fellow positions to provide technical expertise on the use and dissemination of applied PEA and embedding thinking and working politically (TWP) in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs. The positions will be managed by IIE under the Democracy Fellows and Grants Program (DFG), funded by USAID’s Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG Center), located in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA).
The Senior Democracy Fellows will be hired as part-time IIE consultants and will work remotely. The Fellows’ rates will be competitive and commensurate with salary history and experience. The level of effort (LOE) for each fellowship is 80 – 115 days over the course of a one-year period. The positions will require travel to Washington for consultations and to various USAID Missions to support training and field work related to applied PEAs. Between 42 and 80 days of travel is anticipated for each Fellow, depending on his/her overall LOE and on Mission needs. The proposed start date for the fellowships is August 1, 2016.
Background:
Over the past two years, members of the Cross Sectoral Programs (CSP) Division in the DRG Center have designed and piloted an applied PEA methodology, informed by the experience of other development partners over the past decade. Applied PEAs are used by USAID to explore not simply how things happen in a developing country, but why things happen. Outcomes of an applied PEA may include specific strategic and programmatic recommendations for a country or sector strategy, more contextually informed project or activity designs, course corrections during project implementation, and/or insights as part of a program evaluation.
Applied PEA is a growing priority for USAID. The Agency’s Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) Strategy, finalized in 2013, states that “Effective integrated programming requires analysis of the various interdependent factors that underlie a development challenge…Therefore, USAID will employ political economy analysis and other assessment tools to consider constraints to development holistically across its assistance portfolio and to develop integrated programs that leverage DRG interventions and strategies to support wider development results.”
The DRG Center piloted its applied PEA methodology in Colombia, Indonesia, and Ukraine in 2014 and 2015, and has conducted several workshops to familiarize USAID staff with the applied PEA methodology and framework. USAID staff members have participated in applied PEAs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Serbia, Tanzania, Uganda, and other countries across many sectors and areas such as health, biodiversity, rule of law, service delivery, devolution of fiscal authority, fisheries, and hunting concessions. Based on lessons learned, DRG Center staff updated the PEA methodology, created a field guide, and have continued to refine the applied PEA training materials. The resulting Applied PEA Field Guide and Framework was designed to be used at the country, sector, or problem level, though demand within the Agency has substantially focused on the latter. The Applied PEA Field Guide and Framework is intended for use by USAID staff, supported by implementing partners and PEA experts as needed, to inform the design and delivery of programming at any phase of the program cycle and across all sectors.
With the growing interest in applied PEA, the DRG Center requires the expertise of one to two (1-2) Senior Democracy Fellows to provide technical support to USAID Missions and operating units on applied PEA and to support the DRG Center as it refines and grows its applied PEA practice and documents the learning from these efforts. The Fellows also will assist USAID staff to explore and document whether applied PEA and other USAID assessment tools and processes are helping USAID staff to take more pragmatic approaches to development that are attuned to context, political factors, and power dynamics, often referred to as “thinking and working politically” (TWP).
While the Agency has made significant progress on applied PEA, the DRG Center also would like to solidify its TWP practice. In essence, applied PEA gives USAID staff an approach to think politically. Applying the findings to program design or making course corrections is one of the first steps in working politically. Thus, the Senior Democracy Fellows also will help Center staff to further articulate and expand TWP in the Agency.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior PEA Fellows will support the following DRG Integration efforts:
Qualifications and Skills:
Supervision and Guidance:
The Senior Fellows will be IIE consultants and will report for administrative purposes to the DFG Director. Daily technical guidance will be provided by the Division Chief, Cross Sectoral Programs (or her/his acting designate).
Location:
The Fellows may be located anywhere globally, but must be available for telephone or video teleconference calls with USAID personnel in Washington, DC, during normal working hours, Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Duration of the position(s):
80 – 115 days (approximately 30-45% LOE) from August 1, 2016, through July 31, 2017.
Compensation:
The daily rate for these fellowships will be competitive and commensurate with each candidate’s salary/rate history and experience.
The deadline for applications is 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, July 17. Only complete applications will be considered.
IIE is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer of Females/Minorities/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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