Summary
Date Posted: Friday, June 16, 2023 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
OVERVIEW
VSO Netherlands and Wemos/the Make Way coordination unit is/are seeking the services of an independent, external international consultant to conduct an implementation research project on the intersectional Community Score Card for the Make Way programme.

The Make Way Consortium consists of Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (The Circle), Forum for African Women Educationalists, Liliane Foundation, VSO Netherlands, and Wemos. Together, we work in partnership with The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Wemos is the budget holder and coordinating organization of the consortium.

The Make Way consortium has developed a toolkit to support its partners and other interested stakeholders to undertake lobby and advocacy activities to improve the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) of marginalized youth by applying an intersectional lens. One of the tools in the toolkit is the Intersectional Community Score Card, adapted in a participatory manner by VSO for the Make Way programme. While the program is implemented in five African countries and in the regional and global context, this research will focus on one or two countries of implementation.

Details about the programme, the assignment, and the application and selection process can be found in these Terms of Reference (ToR). Key deadlines and elements are as follows:

Proposed study design: implementation research into the intersectional community score card
Proposed countries: TBD depending on study design and budget but ideally in 3 countries of implementation (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and/or Zambia)
Proposed study period: approx. mid July 2023 – mid July 2024
Deadline for applications: 30 Jun 2023 .
Budget: TBD depending on study design (maximum available is EUR 80,000; if more is needed to do the project properly and deliver a quality result additional funds would need to be raised).

PROGRAM BACKGROUND
The Make Way program is a five-year program that falls under the ‘SDG5 fund’; one of the two grant funds within the Strengthening Civil Society policy framework of the Dutch MFA. Specifically, Make Way is funded through the SRHR Partnership Fund, which is one of the four grant instruments of the ‘SDG5 fund’.1 The ‘SDG5 fund’ underscores the Dutch government’s commitment to women’s rights and gender equality; sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 concerns gender equality. Make Way aims to break down barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) by promoting a new way of addressing SRHR issues: through an intersectional lens.

Intersectionality is a way of understanding and explaining the complexities of inequity in the world, by focusing on how power and oppression intermingle with people’s circumstances and affect them socially, economically, and politically, among other dimensions of societal existence. Our vision is sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. For everyone to realize their SRHR fully, change is needed at various levels. Youth facing compounded vulnerabilities need to claim their rights, duty-bearers need to ensure access for all youth to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and societal attitudes need to shift towards respecting the SRHR of all.

To drive the necessary changes, our five-year program actively promotes innovation in SRHR lobby and advocacy by applying an intersectional approach. By using adapted tools, we reveal and analyze the complexity of SRHR inequities and identify solutions. Next, we support mutual capacity strengthening with a wide range of organizations and their (youth) representatives to push for change. We also seek to widen civic space for youth facing compounded vulnerabilities.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Purpose
The purpose of this research is three-fold:
Establish if the iCSC is having the intended effect or not; ie, establishing what has worked well and what needs to be improved/discarded;
Identify the iCSC’s contribution to advocacy, eg, the quality of the data it has produced and whether it is good enough for influencing policy and programming around SRH services for marginalized youth; and
Answer some of the learning questions of the Make Way consortium (the learning agenda is documented and would be shared with the researcher)
Scope
The research should be implemented in at least two out of the five countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia) and ideally in three. The selection is to be determined in which with the selected researcher.

The research will build on existing work (iCSC guide, data collected so far during pilots/roll-outs, learning reports) as well as on primary data collection (observation, interviews, possibly focus group discussions). The primary data collection will include internal respondents (those who designed and are implementing the process) and external respondents (primary actors expected to benefit from the iCSC).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES & GUIDING QUESTIONS
The research should be guided by the following objectives:
• To perform an analysis of the iCSC process:
• How inclusive is the process with communities/youth groups and to what extent are marginalized youth voices at the center of the iCSC process? Which groups are included
• and who is left out? How to best mobilize diverse groups?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the iCSC process?
• How to ensure safe and meaningful participation of LGBTQI+ youth in the iCSC process?
• What types of volunteers and/or staff are required to advance iCSC objectives?

To perform an analysis of the iCSC effect(s):
• What are the significant differences in effect or impact between iCSC and conventional CSCs that do not claim to use an intersectional lens? Is the iCSC truly intersectional and
• does it go beyond single issue/essential analysis?
• To what extent can the iCSC bring out the specific issues of marginalized youth regarding availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality (AAAQ) of SRH services? Does the iCSC approach provide an effective platform for marginalized youth to voice their SRHR needs?
• What has been the impact/effect of the iCSC so far in addressing the issues of marginalized youth, eg, in relation to the recommendations and actions that result from
• the iCSC process?
• How is accountability enhanced intra-group, inter-group and with duty bearers?
• Can the process and data from the iCSC be used effectively for advocacy, especially for strengthening SRHR related service delivery?

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS, DELIVERABLES, TIMELINES
• Consultancy team composition and approach
• We envision this consultancy assignment as being implemented by an independent researcher working with a research team that consists of, for example, a) a lead investigator with experience in implementation research in SRHR and/or social accountability, b) an expert on intersectionality in the Eastern/Southern African context, with support of c) research assistants for, amongst others, data collection, analysis and write up. We welcome innovative ideas regarding the set-up of the team.

• We expect this assignment to be led by the lead consultant, and that they should be responsible for training, collaborating with and managing the team in the selected country/countries. The application for this assignment should be submitted by the lead consultant but should include detailed information about their team they will work with and, in which country/countries the assignment can be performed (see submission requirements below).

• The first line of contact will be the Make Way PMEL Coordinator (staff at Wemos) who works with other staff in Make Way to strategize and make decisions around research.

Indicative payment schedule and modalities
• The consultant is expected to execute tasks and deliver as per the schedule. It should be noted that payments are deliverable-based and that the phases and list of deliverables mentioned in the table might be subject to review and revision in discussion with the lead consultant, in the event of unexpected changes to the context/working environment in program locations during the research period.

• All envisaged costs must be included in the financial proposal. Costs beyond and exceeding those negotiated and agreed in the financial proposal will not be covered unless approved ahead of time. Payments will be made upon acceptance and approval of the planned deliverables, based on the payment schedule indicated in the contract.

Suggested timeline: suggested activities & deliverables
• June-July 2023 Recruitment or research (team)
• 30 Jun 2023 Deadline for application
• July-August 2023 Inception including study design, methodology, work plan, proposed tools
• September-December 2023 Ethical approval procedure
• January-March 2024 Data collection
• March-April 2024 Data analysis and first draft updated iCSC
• April-May 2024 Adaptation and finalization of the new version of the iCSC (iCSC 2.0)
• May-June 2024 Validation and final approval
• 15 July 2024 Submission of final report

REQUESTED COMPETENCIES AND HOW TO APPLY
Make Way wants to contract a (lead) consultant (researcher, organization or institute) to conduct the assignment. The consultants involved in this assignment should have the following competencies, see below. Note, three competencies essential for this assignment are:
• (applied) research expertise and skills,
• understanding of intersectionality theory (and if possible practice),
• experience and knowledge of the implementation contexts.

We acknowledge that these competencies may not be present in one person, hence the distinction between the lead consultant and the team members.

Required from the lead consultant:
• PhD or Master’s degree in a relevant discipline, eg, social sciences, global health, human rights.
• A minimum of five years of experience and a proven track record in implementation research in assessing international cooperation programs in (one or more of) the Make Way
• implementation contexts.
• Advanced skills in applying qualitative research and data analysis methodologies.
• Experience with social accountability processes (like the community score card).
• Knowledge of programming for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
• Excellent oral and written proficiency in English.

Assets lead consultant:
• Knowledge of/experience with working with intersectionality (theory).
• Experience related to lobby and advocacy programs.
• Experience with participatory and/or youth-led evaluation methods.
• Understanding and affinity with one or more of the following topics: inclusion; working with minorized (youth) groups; meaningful youth participation; disability.
• Excellent facilitation and coordination skills.
• Experience in organizing virtual meetings/workshops (by making use of eg, Zoom, Teams, Mural, Miro, or an equivalent) and using remote data collection methods.

Required from other team members:
• Specialist knowledge of/experience with working with intersectionality theory and practice.
• Context-specific knowledge of the SRHR situation in (one or more of) the Make Way implementation contexts.
• Knowledge of/experience with qualitative research.
• Understanding and affinity with one or more of the following topics: programming for sexual and reproductive health and rights; working with marginalized youth; meaningful youth
• participation; and disability.


Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months:

Level of Education:

Job application procedure

Interested parties should submit a proposal including the following components, in one PDF file, of no more than 10 pages in length:
• Cover letter that addresses the motivation for taking on the project and states the track record and competencies of the consultancy team based on the above requirements and assets.
• Technical proposal which includes the following:
• A suggested approach for addressing the research questions, including a suggested methodology for the collection and analysis of data, and if needed, an adapted timeline to the suggested approach. This should include which countries are preferred for the research and why, plus any foreseen country visits, in-person meetings with program staff in-country, etc.
• A suggested approach for integrating elements of participatory research methods into the research process.
• An overview of the proposed research team, including local consultants, and how these will be appointed—explaining each team member’s proposed added value and role and the total time investment for each person for the duration of the project.


In addition to the proposal, please submit:
• The CVs of the lead consultant and the proposed team members.
• A budget proposal that provides an itemized breakdown of costs, including the number of days that will be spent on the assignment per team member and the daily fees of each team member.
• An example of your work on a previous similar assignment (eg, an evaluation or research report).We especially welcome applications from consultants from our program countries or from the wider Eastern and Southern African regions to apply to this assignment.



Please submit complete applications by using this email address to jobs@wemos.nl  , no later than 30 June 2023 . Please indicate in the subject line “Research iCSC” .
For any inquiries ahead of submission, please contact Jennifer Bushee, Make Way program Coordinator at jennifer.bushee@wemos.nl.  We expect a first round of interviews to be held in the week of 17 July 2023 .


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