Evaluations Component Leader

Panagora Group is a U.S.based company that provides technical and advisory services related to monitoring, evaluation, and learning from USAID/Colombia's strategy and activities. The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Short-Term Activity (MELSA) provides services to support the monitoring, design and implementation of performance and impact evaluations, as well as research, supporting their use and dissemination, and developing collaboration, learning and adaptation initiatives. In addition, MELSA provides USAID/Colombia with geographic information services (GIS); and Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) activities in Colombia.

The services MELSA provides to USAID/Colombia will facilitate informed program management decision-making, determine long-term strategic program direction, and decision-making. Additionally, they will enable USAID/Colombia to comply with USAID's Evaluation Policy and Automated Systems Directives (ADS) 201 in Colombia.

Panagora Group is looking for a full-time Evaluation Component Leader to create and oversee MELSA's utilization-focused, high-quality, and rigorous evaluations, using evaluation designs that generate evidence-based evidence, results, and evidence-based decisions and reinforce programming, activity design, and strategy.

The Evaluation Leader will be responsible for directing the evaluations assigned by USAID/Colombia to MELSA in accordance with the provisions of the Activity Work Plan. The above includes, but is not limited to, the supervision, direction and comprehensive technical coordination of activities that comprise a baseline, performance or impact evaluation, such as the design of the evaluation, work plan, execution of the activities, including fieldwork operations for information collection, early and final reports, and evaluation, evaluation, and learning services required by USAID/Colombia for MELSA.

Under the direction and leadership of the MELSA Chief of Party, the Evaluation Leader will work with the USAID/Colombia Contracts Officer Representative - TOCOR for MELSA, members of the USAID/Colombia technical offices, and representatives and team members of implementing partners of the activities assigned to MELSA from USAID/Colombia, if required. Similarly, to the extent required, the Evaluation Leader must work together with the team of the Panagora Headquarters.

The Evaluation Leader is ultimately responsible for the component and the information and reports it generates. Therefore, it must provide technical direction, advice, assistance and support to the teams of personnel, consultants and subcontractors that are hired by Panagora for the execution of the assigned evaluations. The Assessment Leader will be responsible for the technical supervision of the human resources and subcontractors made available to him/her.

**Technical responsibilities**:
As the person integrally responsible for the evaluation component, its deliverables and other services provided within the framework of the execution of the evaluations assigned to MELSA by USAID/Colombia, the Evaluation Leader must:

- Proactively coordinate with MELSA Chief of Party - COP, TOCOR, members of USAID/Colombia technical offices, and implementing partners, the implementation plans of the evaluations assigned to MELSA, from the scope of work (SOW) and the phases of design, methodologies, data collection, analysis, reporting, and the use and dissemination of results.
- To address the guidelines and recommendations issued by the TOCOR of USAID/Colombia, the Panagora Headquarters team, the Chief of Party - COP and Deputy Chief of Party - DCOP of MELSA in the different aspects related to the implementation of the evaluations assigned to MELSA by USAID/Colombia.
- Request prior authorization from the Chief of Party - COP and the Deputy Chief of Party - DCOP of MELSA to make decisions related to the allocation of resources, scope and execution deadlines of the assigned evaluations, before being shared with USAID/Colombia, the Implementing Partner and other stakeholders, including the assigned work team and subcontractors.
- Provide leadership, support, and guidance to the evaluation component of MELSA during the life cycle (beginning to end) of each of the evaluations assigned by USAID/Colombia.
- Actively participate in each of the stages that comprise the evaluation life cycle (from the definition of the Scope (SoW) to the definition and implementation of the Strategy for the Use and Dissemination of the results).
- In accordance with the characteristics and factors of each of the evaluations assigned to MELSA, define the resources required for execution, guaranteeing the required conditions of quality and promptness. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Determine the personnel required and their profiles for the execution of the evaluation.
- Determine the level of effort required, as well as the total duration of each of the members of the work team.
- Develop the Terms of Reference