Youth Business International. Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Consultancy

Transcription

1 Youth Business International Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Consultancy Youth Business International (YBI) is recruiting an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Consultant to work on two separate projects with YBI member organisations: Project One with YBI s member in Poland; Project Two with a YBI member in the UK. The purpose of this consultancy is to work with each of the member organisations to develop an organisation-wide monitoring, evaluation and learning system. This system will need to be realistic for small or busy teams to implement in order to generate meaningful learning for the organisations, allowing downward accountability to clients and accurate reporting to donors. While the preference is to recruit one consultant to implement both projects in tandem, YBI will also accept separate proposals from consultants interested in implementing one of the two projects. 1. Background and rationale The challenge of global youth unemployment continues to grow and manifest itself in alarming ways. It is impossible to know exactly how many young people are unemployed or underemployed in the world today. Officially, the number is 75 million but the real number is likely to be much higher than that. Youth Business International (YBI) believes that supporting young entrepreneurs can help address two critical challenges in today s world: Firstly, a growing youth population which lacks meaningful opportunities for employment; And secondly, a slowing global economy that needs new sources of growth. Helping young people to start their own business can make a direct impact on unemployment because not only does the young person get a job, but they are often able to create jobs for others, too. In fact, the majority of net new job creation comes from firms under five years old. However, it is not easy for a young person to start their own business, and there is a strong need to build up the evidence base regarding what works to assist young, underserved youth in this area. YBI believes that building the capacity of our member organisations to monitor, evaluate and learn from their activities is crucial in helping to strengthen local methodologies, as well as to build up the global evidence base on youth entrepreneurship. In this aim, YBI is currently working to provide meaningful capacity building for network members in the area of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning. We are looking for an experienced MEL consultant to work on two separate projects with our member in Poland and one of our UK members, to develop a MEL system that meets their organisational learning needs.

2 About Youth Business International YBI is a global network of independent not-for-profit initiatives that each supports under-served young entrepreneurs to start and grow sustainable businesses. Youth is typically defined by members as aged 18-35, and under-served means: unable to access the financial, knowledge or human capital needed to start and grow a business. Members provide services relevant to the needs and gaps in their local market, from expanding awareness of entrepreneurship to helping sustainable businesses grow, based on a shared network belief that supporting underserved young entrepreneurs through integrated financial and nonfinancial support is central to driving economic and social development. All YBI members subscribe to core network principles, and we are growing our network to reach increasing numbers of potential young entrepreneurs across the world. Our network approach is critical to how we achieve impact. Working collaboratively through locally-based and locally owned in-country initiatives enhances the legitimacy, relevance and effectiveness of our work. Facilitated by a London-based team, the network helps drive the scale and quality of support provided to under-served young entrepreneurs. Project Overview Each of the two projects will be different depending on the specific context, needs and focus of the member organisation, however the below outlines the basic key steps expected to be undertaken for each member: I. In alignment with YBI s methodology, assist the member organisations to articulate their II. III. IV. organisational Theory of Change. This will provide the foundation for MEL system development and is likely to require an in-person workshop spanning 3-4 days Assist the member organisation in defining and prioritising key performance indicators, taking into account learning needs and different donor requirements Understand organisational processes and capacity to collect and use data and assist in defining and documenting clear MEL roles and responsibilities within the organisation Create an organisational MEL Plan for each member, including clear indicator definitions, roles and responsibilities, data collection planning and data use and analysis protocols V. Work alongside the member organisation to create the necessary data collection tools VI. VII. Work with YBI s Technology Specialist(s) to ensure that the MEL database system meets the member s requirements (YBI and some of YBI s member organisations use Salesforce to store and analyse MEL data) Provide 0.5 days per month of ongoing support and advice to each member as they embed the MEL system over a period of 6 months post project completion 2

3 Project Stakeholders Principal project stakeholders are YBI member staff and young entrepreneurs, however the consultant will also be expected to work closely with YBI s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Adviser. YBI wishes to ensure that while meeting local organisational needs, the MEL system developed also aligns as much as possible to YBI s MEL methodologies, as well as meeting YBI s global standards. Deliverables The main deliverables for each project will consist of: (a) Development of a detailed work plan: this should include; Detailed time line and proposed activities (including detailed plan of any in-country visits and workshops) in order to meet the requirements above Outline of any proposed changes / improvements to the scope of the project (b) Theory of Change document: One high-level Theory of Change summary visual and one detailed Theory of Change with accompanying narrative, based on existing evidence where possible written in English (and Polish if possible 1 ) (c) Full MEL Plan document: Written in English (and in Polish if possible) including the following (as a minimum): Organisational learning questions Key performance Indicators List of definitions Data Collection Plan Roles and responsibilities Data use and analysis plan Summary of data collection tools to be used Note YBI will provide a template MEL Plan structure, but welcomes improvements (d) Data Collection Tools: English (and Polish where possible) versions of the main data collection tools to be implemented (e) Short, regular update reports detailing any ongoing support services provided to YBP within the allocated 0.5 days per month post project completion (over 6 months) An indicative timeline for the project(s) is provided below. Please note, this intended to be indicative only. If the two projects are carried out in tandem by the same consultant, the work plan will need to be staggered to accommodate this. 1 Fluency in Polish is preferable but not mandatory. The YBI member organisation in Poland speaks English and has capacity to translate materials into Polish if needed. 3

4 Key Tasks Time Period Location Inception meeting to finalise w/c January 25 th, London / Remote project details and requirements 2016 Submission of detailed work plan January 29 th Remote YBI and member feedback on work plan February, 3 rd Remote - with possibility of inperson / online meeting to discuss feedback from YBI and YBP In-country Theory of Change and w/c February 8 th / Warsaw, Poland and London, UK MEL planning workshop Submission of Theory of Change documentation and full MEL Plan, data collection tools and other required deliverables to YBI and member YBI and member review of deliverables Consultation with YBI Technology Specialist and YBI member to outline requirements for data management system February 15 th w/c February 29 th w/c March 7 th w/c March 14 th Remote (may require ongoing remote working between Consultant and YBI member until final versions of data collection tools are developed) Remote- with possibility of inperson / online meeting to discuss feedback from YBI and member London / Remote may require additional remote review from Consultant once database system is developed Provision of ongoing support (0.5 days / month) March August, 2016 Remote Contract and reporting details Type of contract. The consultant will be offered a fixed-price contract to include all the activities and deliverables listed above. Reporting. The consultant will report to the YBI Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor, and will work closely with the YBI member and YBI s Technology Specialist(s). Person Specification Post-graduate level qualification in a relevant field (such as social sciences, international development, development economics etc.), preferably including coursework or a special focus in MEL Significant (at least 3 year s) experience working in MEL in the non-profit sector, including in-country experience, ideally in a range of contexts Knowledge of the Theory of Change (ToC) approach, logical frameworks, MEL plan development and other key MEL approaches/methodologies, including both quantitative and qualitative, and ideally including participatory methodologies alongside surveys etc. Comfortable and experienced using technology to support data management and basic analysis experience with Salesforce would be an asset Experience of providing capacity building, both in-person (e.g. designing and delivering workshops) and remotely (preferably in the area of monitoring, evaluation and learning) Experience in writing high quality guidelines and toolkits in a clear and succinct manner ability to present complex, technical information in a way that is appropriate for nontechnical audiences and audiences for whom English is a second language 4

5 Knowledge of youth development, livelihoods and entrepreneurship desirable Fluency in English, proficiency in Polish would be a considerable advantage Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills Budget and Timeframe Project timeframe: The projects are expected to commence as soon as possible (preferably before the end of January, 2016) and must be completed by August/ September, Each project is expected to require a total of working days, including days allocated for regular ongoing support over a period of six months post project completion (0.5 days/month). Budget: The anticipated budget available per project is 10,500. This includes all fees, taxes and expenses note, tax is applicable if you are VAT registered. Application Process Applications for this consultancy should be ed to annie.barber@youthbusiness.org by 9am (GMT) on Monday, January 11 th, with MEL System Development in the subject line. Please make very clear in your application if you are applying for one or both of these projects. If you are applying for only one, please specify Poland or UK. Proposals should include: An up-to-date CV detailing only relevant work Maximum 2 pages Short overview of why the candidate is interested and how they meet the qualifications, experience and skills requirements Maximum 2 pages Details of at least one reference Details of availability to conduct the work Detailed budget per project (if applying for both) in GBP including any applicable taxes Interviews are expected to take place w/c 18 th and 25 th January,