Background
Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy) is a regional, non-profit organization founded in 2003 that seeks to support artistic creativity in the Arab region and to encourage cultural exchange within the region and beyond. It aims to support artists, cultural actors and cultural institutions through grants, capacity building, publications and networking, to promote independent creative works outside the commercial mainstream on a regional and international level, and to improve the environment for cultural work through policy research and action.
Mudawanat is a project implemented by Culture Resource in cooperation with the British Council to support the creation and distribution over the internet of Arabic-language audio content on Arts and Culture in the Arab region.
Launched in 2019 through open calls, Mudawanat conducted 2 rounds:
- Mudawanat I whereby 12 participants were selected by an independent jury to attend training workshops and to receive content creation follow up and reviews and were supported to create podcast episodes.
- Mudawanat II whereby 10 participants (individuals or groups) were selected by an independent jury to join Track 1 and 5 participants (individuals or groups) to join Track 2. Participants in both tracks benefited from training workshops and a mentorship program for the creation of podcasts. Track 1 participants were supported to create 2 episodes each and Track 2 participants were supported to create 1 series of 10 episodes each.
At the publishing and promotion phase of Mudawant II, Culture Resource is seeking to hire an external evaluation for Mudawanat I and II.
Consultancy Deliverables
The external evaluator will need to provide:
- An inception report including the evaluation approach, action plan and timeline. The inception report should explain the tools and methods that will be used, the lists of resources and an outline plan
- A data collection plan including interviews with project participants, mentors, team and partners. The data collection plan should explain the methodology and approach that will be used
- A final narrative report that includes reflections on the Impact and Process Evaluation Questions stated below
- A brief resume from the final narrative report that might include infographics and/or other summaries to be shared with the public
Professional Competencies
Analytical skills:
- Ability to use and analyze multiple methods and tools for the collection of quantitative and qualitative data
Communication skills:
- Fluency in spoken Arabic and a good understanding of different Arabic accents. Ability to understand French is a plus
- Fluency in written Arabic and English
- Ability to lead one-on-one and group interviews and discussion sessions
Work experience:
- Previous experience in programs’ evaluation or related tasks that require analytical skills and reports writing
- Deep understanding of the arts and culture sector across the Arab region
- Good knowledge in podcasts or digital content development is a plus
Personal Assets in coherence with Culture Resource values and policies:
- Integrity that ensures performing in an impartial and honest manner at all times
- Professionalism that ensures that work is carried out with dedication, conscientiously and efficiently
- Respect others, empathy, and tolerance
- Strong time-management and organizational skills, and the capability to set priorities that ensure timely and efficient implementation of the project;
- Ability to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds
- Technical awareness that is in line with the modern requirements of Podcast production and publishing;
- Ability to ensure a positive communication with all involved parties;
- Flexibility in adapting to unexpected circumstances, and capability to find solutions for challenges.
Intervention Sectors
Culture
Location
- Lebanon
- Beirut
Application Deadline
Organisation
Salary Range
> 3000 (USD)
Contract Type
Consultancy
Application Submission Guidelines
Applications including a CV and a motivation letter in English or Arabic should be sent to jobs@mawred.org with the following title in the “subject” field of the email: Mudawanat External Evaluator Job Application. The motivation letter should include the methodology of the applicant to answer the questions below. The job requires a maximum of 20 working days with no travel. The report should be submitted in English with an executive summary in Arabic.
Impact Evaluation Questions
The impact evaluation should provide an analytical reflection that contributes to a deeper understanding of the effects and the long term significant changes caused by the two-rounds led by the Mudawanat project in the following areas:
1- The participants:
- Technical skills development: what new skills and knowledge have they gained through the project?
- Content creation and knowledge: did they develop a new or a deeper knowledge on the culture of the Arab region and its context? Did they learn more on topics relevant to the region’s context and to podcast content?
- Network opportunities: have they developed meaningful networks within the sector in the region and beyond it?
2- The audience:
- Reach and visibility: How much has the project been picked up in media and/or podcasting channels? How did the project reach audiences through the 1st and 2nd open calls?
- Listenership: how many people have listened to the podcast episodes? When were the listernership’s highs and lows and what do these figures imply on the podcast content and variety?
- Feedback: what is the audience feedback on the project and the podcast?
- Content impact: was the podcast relevant to Arts and Culture topics and actual discussions? How did the podcast contribute to the region’s interests and concerns?
3- The Relevance and the development through the rounds:
- Relevance to the Arts and Culture sector: how was the project relevant to the setor across the region? How did the created content reflect a relevance to the sector?
- Relevance to the podcast production: how was the project contribution to the podcast production in the region or across? Has the project had any impact on the diaspora? Did it give a specific voice to the Arab region?
- Evolvement: how did the project impact differ between the 1st and 2 rounds? What was the long term impact?
Process Evaluation Questions
The process evaluation should provide an elaborated assessment that contributes to a deeper understanding of the technical strengths and weaknesses of the model and design of the two-rounds led by the Mudawanat project in the following areas:
1- The Project Design:
A- The Open Call and the Selection Process: how many applicants for each round? How was the grading system developed throughout the process? How was the selection process developed? What was the feedback of the jurors of the two rounds? Were the 1st round lessons learned built upon during the development of the 2nd round?
B- The Training Workshop:
The trainers: what is the feedback on the trainers’ selection, their skills and abilities to conduct group and individual training sessions? What is the trainers’ feedback on the project and its outcomes?
The training content: did the training content offer sufficient technical and content information to the participants? Was the training coherent with the participants' profiles? What are the pros and cons of the online and offline training sessions? How was the training content relevant to the Arts and Culture sector? How did the training content reflect the diversity and the experimentation approach?
C- The Mentorship Program and the Follow Up: what is the feedback on the mentorship program that was implemented in Mudawanat II? How was the efficiency of the follow-up of the trainers on the participants' development and the team with the trainers?
D- The Team: how was the team performance throughout the two rounds? How did the team learn and improve its work during the process?
2- The Partnerships: How did the partnership between Culture Resource, the BBC, the British Council, SOWT, and other partners work? How could it be improved?
3- The Implementing Organization: How did Culture Resource invest its expertise and knowledge in the implementation of the project? What did it learn? How did the project contribute to its evolution and how it reflected the organization’s objectives?
The Impact and Process evaluation report should conclude with recommendations projecting possibilities and opportunities that can be the continuity of the project.
Requires a Cover Letter?
Yes
Experience Requirements
5 to 10 years
Education Degree
Masters Degree
Arabic
Fluent
English
Fluent
French
Basic
Hide guidelines for wrong answers
No