Learning & Capacity Strengthening Advisor

Position Description

EnCompass LLC is seeking a Learning and Capacity Strengthening Advisor local resident in Bangladesh (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning/ Gender Equality and Social Inclusion) to join our awarded four-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bangladesh Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (UPOMA) contract, based in Dhaka. This contract is a central Mission-wide platform that provides a range of analytical and advisory services to the USAID Mission in Bangladesh, including project and activity design, performance monitoring, evaluation, and operational learning and adapting efforts.

Reporting to the DCOP/MEL Director, the Learning and Capacity Strengthening Advisor will be responsible for managing and implementing learning and capacity building activities, including strategic planning. They will implement activities to strengthen the ability of the USAID mission and its partners to connect knowledge and evidence to decision-making to ensure effective organizational and program learning and adaptative management. They will work closely and coordinate with the MEL and Monitoring Advisors to ensure knowledge cross-fertilization. They will strengthen the monitoring, evaluation, collaboration, learning, and adapting capacities of USAID staff, USAID implementing partners, locally supported organizations, government counterparts, targeted private sector actors, and academic partners.

The ideal candidate (Bangladeshi or legal resident) will be a skilled facilitator with a gift for communication and experience leading large/complex learning and capacity strengthening efforts and events, as well as experience supervising staff or consultants. We are looking for a candidate who has previous CLA experience and understands the USAID CLA cycle, and is solution-oriented, highly organized, and resourceful.

The position is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Learning and Capacity Strengthening Advisor will be expected to travel throughout Bangladesh, as needed.

Position Duties and Responsibilies

Essential functions:

• Oversee all UPOMA CLA activities.
• Lead participatory in-person and virtual learning and capacity building activities for USAID staff and implementing partners on MEL and CLA. This may include formal and informal training, webinars, pause and reflect sessions, workshops, mentoring, and coaching.
• Work with USAID and implementing partner staff to ensure that monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning information is shared and fully utilized through knowledge sharing and strategic learning processes.
• Lead the development and implementation of organizational and technical learning agendas.
• Lead the review, aggregation, and dissemination of evidence along key themes. Support the systematic use of evidence.
• Support USAID staff in the design and implementation of program cycle learning and adaptation activities and other collaborations, such as CDCS midcourse stocktaking exercises and pause and reflect sessions, providing direct leadership and facilitation of such events as required.
• Lead the design, organization, and implementation of Communities of Practice and other related collaborations.
• Following each learning event, prepare a learning product that participants can take to their teams.
• Support the selection and engagement of local partners and experts/consultants for CLA activities, including:

• Scoping and designing activities.
• Coordination and oversight of partners/consultants, including management of implementation calendars, to ensure activities include best practices, are within budget, and happen on time.
• Providing field-based quality assurance of CLA activities.

• Conduct needs assessments, tailor and implement capacity strengthening strategies, and build learning pathways on topics related to MEL, CLA, gender equality, and social inclusion.
• Prepare a capacity strengthening plan for USAID, with content priorities. The plan should focus on multidirectional learning using transformational facilitation and learning technology, encompassing a full suite of learning services including blended learning and coaching.
• Validate session designs using select participants and by applying Appreciative Inquiry to uncover best practices and success stories.
• Compile PMP, evaluation and assessment evidence and create data placemats for strategic events and learning visits.
• With support from the Data Management and Visualization Specialist
• Lead the co-creation of a leadership approach for the Mission, collaborating to clarify leadership competencies and develop a leadership road map that may include pre-work, assessment, in-person application workshop and action learning activities. Create an evaluation plan based on the Kirkpatrick Model to ensure the program is resulting in behavior change.
• Supervise the Learning and Capacity Strengthening Specialist.

Other:

• Engage fully as a member of the Bangladesh MEL Activity team, including participating in staff meetings and other team events.
• Provide support to other tasks as required by the Bangladesh MEL Activity team.

Position Requirements

Qualifications

Academic qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 12 years of overall relevant experience; OR Master’s degree and 10 years of overall relevant experience in strategic planning, capacity strengthening, organizational development, adult learning, curriculum design and development, communication, action learning and knowledge management, and monitoring, evaluation and learning.

Experience and skills

Required

• Must have at least seven (7) years of experience managing capacity strengthening and learning activities, including in the MEL space and leading the design and facilitation of large and complex learning events and developing quality learning products

• Prior experience in Bangladesh and/or the region
• Experience in international development required
• Strong communication, supervision, and management skills
• Excellent written and verbal English skills required, particularly for public presentations, as well as native in Bangla
• Ability to travel within Bangladesh, as necessary
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience supervising staff and leading teams
• Excellent facilitation skills required. The candidate must have demonstrated expertise in creative and engaging facilitation and training in large and formal settings and strong interpersonal skills for coaching and mentoring in informal settings
• Experience aggregating complex data and leading the development of quality, evidence based learning products
• Demonstrated experience leading capacity strengthening, adaptive management, professional and/or organizational development activities using participatory approaches. It is preferred if this experience is with USAID and its implementing partners
• Strong understanding and familiarity of the Bangladesh context regarding, but not limited to, NGOs, CSOs, the private sector, education institutions, and the Government of Bangladesh. Ability to develop strong relationships with mentioned stakeholders
• Familiarity with the USAID program Cycle and related regulations, approaches, and operations strongly preferred. The candidate should also bring understanding of USAID’s Local Capacity Strengthening Policy, localization commitments, and Collaborating, Learning and Adapting practices

Preferred

• Understanding of knowledge management as it relates to USAID programs
• Working knowledge of and experience with USG-funded program management, policies, regulations, and procedures
• Experience in management of capacity strengthening and learning activities for USAID and its partners
• Experience in international development, and management of capacity strengthening and learning activities for USAID and its partners
• Significant experience mentoring and coaching international and national long-term staff or short-term consultants
• Demonstrated ability to manage power dynamics, difficult collaborations, and problem solving
• Experience conducting learning and capacity needs assessments

How to apply

Please submit CV and cover letter, and complete the application

EnCompass LLC is a progressive Equal Opportunity Employer. We promote, celebrate, and support a diverse and inclusive organizational culture and workforce. We are committed to providing all of our employees with an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where all are treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate, and explicitly prohibit, discrimination or harassment of any kind, at any time, in all aspects of employment. This includes recruitment, hiring, promotions, disciplinary measures, terminations, compensation, benefits, social and recreational programs, and training. EnCompass also does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or harassment. Our continuing commitment to the principle of Equal Opportunity Employment for all means all employment decisions are based only on the job requirements, the candidate’s qualifications, and the needs of EnCompass as a business—not on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, belief, sex (including pregnancy and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, genetic information, HIV status, family/marital/parental status, or any other status protected by the laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where we work.