12.Program Officer Research, Learning and Impact Assessment 1. BASIC DETAILS Language Required / preferred Duration of Contract Tamil & English 12 months (Renewable subject to performance) 2. OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE Under the supervision of the Project Director, the incumbent will be responsible for Research, Learning and Impact Assessment in order to ensurethe development objectives of the RIGHTS project. He/she will in particular be responsible for the Research, Learning and Impact Assessment components of projects. The incumbent will: i) Be assisting the system of the Research, Learning and Impact Assessment program at State level. The Consultant would assist in strategic Research, Learning and Impact Assessment processes including the on-going refinement of the system by coordinating team activities and synthesizing information. He/She supports senior team members to identify gaps and Project needs, and assists the development and dissemination of new tools and methodologies for use by the Project staff and department. ii) Assists in reviews, analyzes, aggregates monitoring data and information, and helps to incorporate this evidence and information into evaluation and reporting processes led by the DWDA iii) Assist in several processes to support evaluation planning and toimprove the quality of evaluation. He/She manages a quality assessment process for evaluation reports and track components of RIGHTS Project evaluation system. This requires working with staff across the Project/Department to align information systems, and processes. Coordinate various social, environmental and gender inclusion relatedstudies and assessments as part of preparation and design of the proposed intervention. Develop a work-plan/ log frame to guide its implementation, establish effective monitoring systems to track progress at any stage of the project/s and contribute to formulation of review and evaluation strategies for the program. iv) v) vi) Coordinate participation and consultation in the use of consultative and participatory approaches to give key stakeholders, including groups the opportunity to influence design and tools for consultations to prepare the Stakeholder Plan (SEP) Contribute in Social Safeguards related assessments and preparationof project vii) documents Specialists. / reports, and liaise with World Bank Social Safeguards viii) Support the design, planning and development of criteria for maximizingthe outreach focusing to identify and include the most vulnerable amongthe target group. ix) x) Support, manage and oversee the development of Programme Implementation Plan and operation manuals for community services and inclusion. Assist in the development of a participatory monitoring, evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) system for the Project. xi) Keeps up-to-date with, and contributes to, research and current developments in methods and approaches for planning, monitoring, and evaluating the research areas supported by RIGHTS; xii) Scans the outside world to bring in new ideas, concepts, researchers, or consultants and keeps abreast of monitoring and evaluation activitiesof other agencies. xiii) xiv) Supports on-going reflection on the evaluation function within theRIGHTS and on the performance of DWDA-RIGHTS . Organizes, coordinates and assists with the facilitation of learningevents in the form of workshops, seminars, and trainings for Centre management, Program staff, external researchers, a xv) Supports senior staff to conduct research in order to develop new and adapt existing methods for planning, monitoring, and evaluating research for development projects, programs and organizations; xvi) xvii) Under the guidance of senior team members, prepares drafts, and editsspecial papers, state-of-the-art reviews, journal articles, manuscripts and other documents for publication; Train and support the government staff and related consultants on approaches and tools to work effectively in accordance with the Project requirements. xviii) Provide technical advice and support in the design and delivery of monitoring and evaluation initiatives to ensure rigorous methodologiesare applied to achieve the program objectives xix) Process and impact evaluations through experimental or high-quality quasi-experimental research design in accordance with the Project implementation . xx) Identify the areas that require remedial measures and course correctionas a result of impact/process evaluations, and support execution/informabout the related necessary change/s in the Project design. xxi) xxii) Conduct rapid district-level assessments and/or surveys to evaluate the satisfaction level of Project beneficiaries, their family and community with the programming implemented on a periodic basis. Analyse, document and make presentations on the progress, impact,challenges and actions taken during the Project implementation. 3. 4. REPORTING AND REVIEW The consultant will report to the Project Director, RIGHTS Project or other officialas assigned by PD and work under his/her direct supervision on a day-to-day basis. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE This consultant requires dynamic, experienced and analytical professionals with demonstrated experience of managing work with programmatic interventionsrelated to persons with disabilities. i) Full time postgraduate in social research/economics/ rural management/ development studies/ public policy/ public administration/statistics/ or any other relevant discipline from a reputed university. ii) 3-5 years of working in Research & Learning, preferably with National/State Govt. and/or development/donor/similar organizations. Experience of working on programs for empowerment of persons with disabilities. Experience of developing/implementing M&E and MIS related to projects for persons with disabilities in Tamilnadu would be desirable. iii) iii) Preference will be given to a candidate with above 10 years of experience in the government sector in the capacity not less than of a Tehsildar or equivalent associated with implementation of government projects at the field level. Understanding of monitoring and evaluation methodologies, survey execution, tools designing, data analysis, MIS design, IT based tools and techniques for application design, reporting, proposal writing etc. iv) Strong computer skills and the ability to interpret data and construct models. Knowledge of advanced statistical packages like SPSS/ MS-Access etc would be desirable. v) Demonstrated ability to engage methodologies. in research and evaluation vi) Preference will be given to incumbents who have cleared the UPSC prelims/ mains. 5. 6. Skills Required i) Capability to use internet for any secondary research ii) Good computer skills in MS-Office: Word, Excel and PPT.Preference will be given to candidates with experience in PowerBI/ Tableau. Fluency in spoken and written English is a must. Fluency in spoken and written Tamil is preferred iii) iv) Ability to work in teams and liaise well with others. Remuneration i) The remuneration for the Consultant would of Rs.75,000 per month. Only travel expenses will be paid as per actuals. The consultant will be located at the Directorate for Welfare of the Differently abled, No.5, Kamarajar Salai, Lady Willingdon College Campus, Chennai-600 005 during the course of the contracted period. This consultant may require travel as per Project requirements. However, the salary shall be finalized by the interview panel based on the experience of the individual and the fit in the project. In case of exceptional candidates, the salary of the candidate may be enhanced. ii) The consultant will have to attend office, DWDA on all working days unless he/she is on official tour as approved by PD or allowed to work from home by PD. The Consultant may also be required to attend officeon holidays as and when so desired by PD for disposal of urgent matters. However, no extra remuneration will be paid for attending office on holidays If you interested share cvs on hr.banking1@tnmhr.com