Position No: 1

Location: Kathmandu Office

Division: International Development Division

About the Position:

USAID’s Sajhedari – Support to Federalism (STF) aims to support the effective implementation of federalism in Nepal. It has 3 major objectives focusing on policy, process, and participation to support the federalism process in Nepal. It works with 10 municipalities in Province Five and Sudur Paschim and coordinates with the provincial and federal governments. To achieve these objectives, STF has developed a short- term work plan to respond to COVID-19 crisis in the interim period. In this connection, Abt Associates is looking for a “Qualitative Researcher” to coordinate/lead a rapid assessment on the immediate effects of COVID-19 and sectoral priorities at the local level. 

About USAID’s Sajhedari – Support to Federalism (STF):

The goal of the USAID funded Sajedhari - Support to Federalism (STF) project, implemented by Abt Associates is to provide technical assistance to the Government of Nepal (GoN) in transitioning from a unitary state to a federation of provinces with more effective, accountable, responsive and inclusive local governance. The key objectives of the STF Project are : (a)  The GoN creates and implements sound policies and legislation that are informed by evidence, and empower, finance, and regulate provincial and municipal governments; (b) The targeted province and select municipal governments therein are more responsive, inclusive, accountable, transparent, and effective in decision making and delivering priority services to fulfilling core legal responsibilities; and (c) Citizens and civil society organizations in targeted geographic areas, including the historically marginalized, actively participate local decision-making and oversight. 

Objectives of the Assignment:

One of the project objectives, i.e., Objective Two, focuses on increasing responsiveness, inclusiveness, accountability, transparency, and effectiveness in the local level decision making so that governments are able to deliver priority services. As the GON’s fiscal priorities and revenue targets are badly compromised due to the pandemic, it is important that governments at all three levels review and adapt their priorities in line with local reality highly influenced by COVID-19 and associated risks.

Given that movement and operation of public offices are strictly limited, local levels are overburdened with the evolving needs and challenges of responding to COVID-19 with minimal technical and financial resources and preparedness. It is, therefore, crucial that municipalities are provided with technical assistance to better understand the immediate effect the pandemic at the settlement, ward, and municipality level. The researcher/consultant will lead/coordinate a rapid assessment intending to serve as the qualitative baseline for the discussion on the budget and plan formulation for FY 2020/21 at Sajhedari working municipalities. 

Key Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Objective Two Lead and in close collaboration with the project team, the qualitative researcher will use qualitative data analysis tool/s and draw conclusions from the data gathered through the qualitative interviews in all 10 municipalities. The interview guide and raw qualitative data will be provided to the consultant by the project team in Nepali language. In particular, the researcher/ consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Develop and produce an adequate codebook for analyzing the data, which will be initially reviewed and validated in collaboration with the project team
• Based on the codebook and the qualitative data collected in each municipality, produce municipal analysis as well, in collaboration with the project staff
• Produce cross-municipality analysis as well as conclusions to be drawn from the qualitative data collected in all 10 municipalities
• A draft report including the analysis at both the ward and municipality levels, which will contribute to the final assessment report

Deliverables:

A Rapid Assessment Report, in Nepali and English languages, should at least include:

• Background (on COVID-19) of the Sajhedari municipalities and provinces
• Scope and methodology, including plan and protocol of the assessment
• An analytical framework of the assessment report including the arrangement of contents in line with sectoral priorities of the government; and
• Key findings and recommendations divided into two parts- common and specific to each municipality

Level of Effort and Timeline:

This is tentatively a 3-week assignment: 10 working days during June 1- 20, 2020. We expect full-time engagement of the Researcher/ Consultant as s/he has to coordinate with project and field staff on regular basis to ensure quality in the delivery and adherence to the timeline. 

Reporting and Coordination:

The consultant will report to the Objective Two Lead and work in close coordination with Municipal Training Specialist and Sr. Municipal Coordinator. 

Required Qualification and Skills:

• At least a Master’s degree in a discipline such as sociology, political science, social sciences, public policy or any other relevant discipline with a strong focus on qualitative analysis
• Relevant understanding and experience with local governance, policy, and development issues, in particular at subnational levels. Working experience in Province Five and Sudur Paschim is preferred
• Robust analytical skills and qualitative focus and strong knowledge and understanding of qualitative  research/data
• Fluency (written and spoken) in Nepali and English
• Very good analytical and drafting skills, and the ability to work quickly and produce concise, top-quality reports in Nepali and English
• Cultural and political awareness and sensitivity, particularly in relation to the subject matter of the interviews; and
• Be able to commence the work immediately and ensure the quality and timeliness of deliveries while working remotely