Team Member - Colombia WPPL Assessment

Team Member

Women’s Political Participation & Leadership (WPPL) Assessment in Colombia

NORC at the University of Chicago

Background

NORC at the University of Chicago is leading a Women’s Participation and Leadership (WPPL) Activity under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Democracy, Rights, and Governance Learning, Evaluation, and Research II (DRG-LER II) task order. The purpose of the WPPL Research Activity is to design an Assessment Framework, with an accompanying set of assessment tools, and implement WPPL assessment using the Framework in a series of priority countries. Results from the assessments will inform USAID programming by guiding resources to the areas where USAID will have the greatest impact, increasing the effectiveness and sustainability of programming to advance gender equality.

Objective

Since 2011, USAID has taken concrete steps to integrate gender analysis into its work. To encourage gender-inclusive programming in the DRG sector, USAID developed a toolkit for DRG staff to integrate gender into programming and advance gender equality in civil society and government institutions. To advance WPPL specifically, USAID carried out the Women in Power project. It analyzed barriers to women’s political empowerment, explored how USAID and its partners can most effectively increase the supply of and demand for women leaders, and developed a new measure of women’s political leadership in the public sector. This WPPL Assessment Framework builds on these prior efforts. It consists of six parts, which together seek to guide research teams with research background and sample questions. USAID has requested NORC to implement a WPPL Assessment in Colombia. The goal of this WPPL Assessment is to (1) map the current situation with regard to WPPL; (2) identify barriers and opportunities to WPPL; and (3) formulate country-specific recommendations to advance WPPL.

Role of Team Member

The Team Member will contribute to a WPPL assessment for USAID/Colombia, under the leadership of the Team Leader. The Team Member will be part of a small team of researchers, using four assessment tools to develop a holistic view of WPPL dynamics in Colombia: a Desk Review, a Politician Survey, Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. The Team Member will assist in carrying out the research, for example, by contributing to the desk review, collecting survey responses, conducting interviews, and facilitating focus groups. The Team Member will also provide content and feedback on the final Assessment Report summarizing the research findings. The Team Member should be based in Colombia and available to conduct field research in Colombia for three weeks in March 2023.

Responsibilities

• Conduct a country-level assessment using appropriate assessment approaches and methodologies under the leadership of the Team Leader
• Contribute to a desk review of available documents and publications to inform assessment design and analysis
• Revise quantitative and qualitative data collection tools to ensure pertinence and sensitivity to the country context
• Conduct qualitative data collection in the field (focus group discussions and interviews)
• Contribute to the analysis of primary (survey, focus group discussions, and interviews) and secondary data
• Contribute to the assessment report and final presentation

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in relevant field
• Proven subject-matter expertise (demonstrated through research or implementation experience) on issues related to women’s political participation and leadership, and the empowerment of women and marginalized communities, with a focus on Colombia, is essential
• Familiarity with issues related to political participation, elections, political parties, civic engagement, and other related topics in Colombia is highly desirable
• Experience using quantitative and/or qualitative research methods
• Proven record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals or other academic outlets is desirable
• Field experience in Colombia or the region
• Strong written and spoken English skills required
• Proficiency in Spanish required; command of local languages highly desirable

Proposed Level of Effort (LoE)

This assignment will be a short-term, part-time commitment with a maximum LoE of 44 days.

Timeline

The assignment is estimated to begin in February 2023 and end in July 2023. The assessment team will be onboarded and meet with the USAID/Colombia mission in February 2023. From February – March 2023, the Assessment Team will conduct a desk review and help localize the survey instruments to the Ivorian context. In March 2023, the Assessment Team will produce an Inception Report, Data Collection Plan, and prepare for field work.

The bulk of the Assessment Team’s qualitative, in-country fieldwork will be performed in April 2023. Analyses and report drafting will take place over six weeks following data collection. The final report will be submitted to USAID in July 2023.

Work Schedule

• Kick-off call with USAID/Colombia: February 2023
• Desk review and localize instruments: February 2023 (4 weeks)
• Inception Report, data collection plan, and field work preparations: March 2023
• Qualitative fieldwork and analysis: April 2023
• Draft assessment report and USAID feedback: May-June 2023 (8 weeks)
• Final assessment report and presentation: July 2023

Application Instructions

To apply, please email a copy of your current CV attached to an email to wppl@norc.org with the subject line “Colombia WPPL Assessment Team Member Application” by January 29, 2023.