Team Members, POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS

Social Impact (SI) is a Washington, DC-area international development management consulting firm. SI’s mission is to improve the effectiveness of international development programs in improving people’s lives. We provide a full range of management consulting, technical assistance, and training services to strengthen international development programs, organizations, and policies. We provide services globally in the areas of monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, project and program design, organizational capacity building, and gender and social analysis. SI services cross-cut all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. SI’s clients include US government agencies such as USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the US Department of State, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and non-profits.[HH1] 

Project Introduction

Through PMSPL II, Social Impact supplements the monitoring and program management efforts of USAID/Lebanon staff and verifies, monitors, and supports USAID program performance in Lebanon. The period of performance of the PMSPL II project is September 2015 – September 2020.

USAID/Lebanon requests an assessment and analysis of Lebanon’s Political Economy. Over the course of the last decade, there has been a shift from broad national level studies towards sector level analysis and problem-driven analysis. This change provides detail available at more focused levels of analysis seen by many as having greater potential to provide operationally relevant findings. Nonetheless, sector level analysis and problem-driven analysis alone, may not be sufficient when relevant action implications may arise from political and economic processes taking place at a macro level.

This Political Economy Analysis (PEA) is to cover the macro level, and those sectors where USAID expends significant resources: private sector competitiveness, access to finance, civil society, governance (municipalities), rule of law, education, agriculture, natural resources (reforestation), water and wastewater. Within each sector PEA it is anticipated that specific problems may be identified that would benefit from a specific problem-oriented PEA.

Period of Performance

The PEA is anticipated to occur from June 2018 to August 2018. The Team Member is expected to have ~35 days of LOE. The expert will be hired for the duration of the Assessment. The local expert is expected to report to the Assessment Team Leader

Qualifications

PMSPL is seeking Lebanese senior social scientists (e.g economics or political science), or individuals with a similar profile with an advanced degree in a relevant discipline to participate as team members in a political economy analysis for Lebanon, PhD is a plus. A team member must possess 7 years of working experience relevant to political economic studies, including analysis, assessments and evaluations and have experience in working with and delivering high quality analytical products. Experience in at least one of the main USAID strategic areas is highly desirable.

This position is open to more than one candidate.

Team members must have a good understanding of the main concepts related constitutional, legislative and economic regulatory framework in Lebanon; coupled with the ability to network/liaise with economic actors and other government elected officials. They should have good understanding of the current challenges facing the political economy in Lebanon. Team members must have exceptional organizational and communications skills.

 The Team Members responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

During the pre-field work period, the experts will work with the assessment team to develop a methodology matrix that will answer the questions raised by the assessment objectives.

During the Kick-off period, the experts will work with the assessment team leader to finalize the interview guides and finalize the logistics for any field work that may be required according to the methodology matrix.

At the field work level, the experts will work with the assessment team leader to interview key stakeholders and/or carry out focus group discussions that may be agreed as part of the methodology matrix and to prepare summaries of such interviews and meetings to be included in the assessment report.

At the post-field work level, the experts are expected to work with the assessment team leader to analyze the data, write up sections of the report and assist in presenting main findings for USAID.

The experts are expected to support the assessment team in responding to USAID comments on the draft report and support the team in submitting a final report to USAID mission.

Other responsibilities, as assigned by the PMSPL II Chief of Party.

**Please note: This is a local position. Only candidates with Lebanese citizenship will be considered**

Come join our energetic and innovative team!  We offer you the opportunity to play a leading role in the growth of our company, work as part of a creative and committed team, and make a difference in the well-being of our world.

To learn more about Social Impact, please visit our website: http://www.socialimpact.com

Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please, no phone calls.