E T Consultant : Impact Data and Evidence Aggregation Library and Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund
Sector:
Research & Quantitative Analysis
Term Duration:
1 year 0 months
Recruitment Type:
Local Recruitment
Location:
Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s):
English
Closing Date:
5/31/2024 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org
I. Background:
The Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF) is a multi-donor trust fund launched in March 2012 with support from the British government’s Department for International Development and will run from 2012 to 2020. The objective of the Trust Fund is: “to strengthen the design, implementation and use of results-focused monitoring and evaluation in order to improve the effectiveness of development policies in programs affecting human development outcomes.”
As part of this effort, the fund is supporting the development of the Impact Data and Evidence Aggregation Library (IDEAL) in collaboration with the Development Research Group (DECRG) - an effort to (i) publish and document RCT (Randomized Control Trial) data based on a set schema and ii) consistently document effect sizes of different RCT-tested policies so that they can be used in evidence aggregation exercises.
The Development Research Group is seeking to hire an extended term consultant (ETC) to advance this work program on evidence aggregation, to conduct research on the measurement of costs in the context of impact evaluations, and to assist in internal and external outreach & dissemination of impact evaluation evidence.
II. Responsibilities
The IDEAL library [60%].
Tasks for this workstream include:
Supervision during pilot. Activities would include checking the accuracy of data extracted by human coders (and potentially machine learning tools), providing real-time support to coders to clarify any uncertainty about fields in the schema or about matching information in a published RCT to the fields in the schema, and reporting on accuracy and inter-rater reliability to IDEAL principal investigators.
Documentation and revision of extraction and aggregation protocols. Activities would include documenting extraction and aggregation protocols for the IDEAL library in clear, transparent, and accessible way, similar to what has been done by the World Works Clearinghouse for studies related to education in the United States.
Recruitment of coders. After the pilot, the ETC would be expected to help with screening of additional coders and outreach to organizations who can contribute to the IDEAL library.
Research using library data. The ETC would also be expected to contribute to research papers that will present the library to the research community and that will use pilot data from the library.
Costing [30%].
Data collection: The consultant would work with operational teams and researchers to collect and analyze cost data of interventions that are being evaluated in the SIEF portfolio and for a select set of RCTs featured in the IDEAL library. For some costing exercises, the consultant may need to go into the field and take the lead on data collection. For others, particularly when the operational team has been very involved in monitoring and evaluation activities, the consultant may need only work with the operational team to put the data together from various sources.
Coordination with other organizations working on costing. There are a few organizations and researchers working on costing methods (for example, the International Rescue Committee, USAID, DfID, and Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab). The consultant would be expected to coordinate with them so that the work program builds upon and does not duplicate others’ efforts.
Compilation of a database on cost data. The ETC would also take the lead in building a database of cost data for SIEF-funded evaluations that would be (i) fully mergeable with data in the IDEAL library and (ii) serve as an example of how to incorporate cost data into the IDEAL library. Cost data would include a detailed listing of all resources and activities (that is, ingredients) required for program implementation and the prices and quantities associated with these ingredients, in addition to the calculation of total and unit costs.
Dissemination and outreach [10%].
The ETC would also be responsible for supporting the SIEF team with the dissemination and knowledge sharing of evaluation results and approaches, including updates on the IDEAL library. Specifically, the ETC would be responsible for the following activities:
Newsletter design and distribution – monthly preparation of newsletter template for distribution, using content supplied by the SIEF Program Manager.
Evidence to Policy (E2P) Note design and distribution -preparation E2P template and email template for E2P distribution, using content supplied by the SIEF
Program Manager.
Management of SIEF’s online media accounts (Flickr for photo storage, Vimeo for video storage, and adobe campaign for email distribution).
Web updates – Updates of SIEF’s website (edits to existing webpages, insertion of links, and creation of new pages for additions to the portfolio).
BBL invitations – creation and distribution of SIEF’s BBL invitations.
Preparation of inputs for SIEF’s annual report (newsletter and E2P open rates, etc.)
To accomplish these dissemination and outreach tasks, the ETC would be expected to attend World Bank training on the use of the following software:
Adobe InDesign
Mail Chimp
Adobe Campaign (World Bank IT accreditation required)
Adobe Experience Manager (World Bank IT accreditation required)
III. Reporting and duration
The ETC will report to Alaka Holla and Anja Sautmann.The ETC’s initial contract will be for 1 calendar year with a renewal of up to two additional years based on performance.
Selection Criteria
- A PhD degree in Economics, Public Policy, Education, Statistics, Social Psychology, or other discipline related to the World Bank’s human development sectors (Education; Health, Nutrition, and Population; and Social Protection and Labor).
- At least 5 years and ideally 10 years of research or teaching-related work experience with a focus on impact evaluations/RCTs, systematic review, and meta-analysis.
- Previous experience in cost analysis methodology, applications, and the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis literature in low and middle income countries.
- Familiarity with the organization of programs implemented by governments and non-governmental organizations in middle and low-income countries
- Ability to understand peer-reviewed journal articles in Economics and related disciplines.
- Fieldwork experience related to data collection in a low- or middle-income country
- Project management experience
- High levels of demonstrated proficiency in data management
- A genuine love for creating and working with spreadsheets
- Excellent writing and communication skills in English, cultural sensitivity, flexibility, and an ability to improvise.
Interested applicants should send the following:
CV and a cover letter of 1 page max (additional pages will not be read) that includes a description of the applicant’s experience with evidence aggregation and cost analysis.
List of references with their contact details
A writing sample
The applicant’s favorite spreadsheet (or database) that he/she created or maintained and that showcases his/her ability to manage information from a project or activity listed on his/her CV
World Bank Group Core Competencies
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Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.
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