Job Description

Posted on April 27, 2022

The five-year (2020-2025) USAID Local Impact Governance Project (Local Impact) is helping Zambia build up a sub-national system of governance for devolved service delivery more responsive to citizen needs. The program is engaging national and sub-national authorities to expand the capabilities of partner provinces and districts to deliver sustainable development outcomes, increase effective citizen and private-sector involvement in development planning and monitoring, and improve public financial management and domestic revenue generation.
The activity is specifically working toward three objectives:

Objective 1: Citizens improve their collective skills to effectively assess service-delivery needs and performance and constructively engage with government.
Objective 2: The sub-national governance system becomes more responsive to citizen needs, generates, and accountably expends revenue, and improves service-delivery outcomes.
Objective 3: The program generates learning and facilitates problem solving that supports the development of an effective, financially viable sub-national governance system for devolved services, capable of being scaled up throughout Zambia.

Local Impact is initially working in eighteen districts in Central and Muchinga Provinces to expand the capacity of district authorities to perform core functions, including strengthening the delivery of essential services, deepening citizen and private sector involvement in development planning and monitoring, improving public administration and public financial management, and increasing locally generated revenues.  The Project is recruiting for the Consultant who will carry out the following.
1. Position Summary
Position: Service Delivery Specialist
Period of Performance: On/About (From – To) May 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022
Maximum Level of Effort: On/About 60 days
Base of Operations: Remote and in Lusaka, Zambia
Position Reports To: Chief of Party
2. Role’s Purpose
Under Objective 2, Local Impact is strengthening the sub-national governance system, so it becomes more responsive to citizen needs, generates, and accountably expends revenues, and improves service delivery outcomes. Local Impact is also improving development outcomes through joint problem-solving by local authorities and line ministries responsible for health, education, natural resource management, and agriculture. The Service Delivery Specialist will guide the Local Impact Objective 2 team to improve the capacity of local authorities to delivery and coordinate service delivery, identifying services delivered by line ministries and develop a life of project implementation plan and targeted activity Concept Notes (CNs) to guide Local Impact work on these services.
3. Tasks

Conduct desk review of the consolidated local government performance assessments, Inception Phase analyses, and Local Impact workplan and Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan.
Develop a life of project implementation plan for service delivery, focusing on building the capacity of local authority staff (and key line ministry staff as required).
Develop new activity Concept Notes (CNs), based on the implementation plan.
Work with the Objective 1 team to identify synergies with Objective 2 and activities to engage civil society actors in service delivery oversight using social accountability tool.
Identify and revise existing, or develop new, tools for activities described in the Concept Notes (CNs).
Establish realistic timelines for each activity.
Review and provide comments on activity deliverables once complete, supporting the full life cycle of activity implementation.
Mentor and coach Objective 2 team to develop and implement all service delivery activities.

4. Deliverables

Integrated life of project implementation plan summarizing key activities focusing on building the capacity of local authorities and line ministries, as required.
Full drafts of budgeted activity Concept Notes (CNs), focusing on service delivery outcomes.
Clear, concise, and user-friendly presentations and tools required to implement activities described in the CNs.
Detailed comments on activity deliverables developed by Local Impact and local authorities.

5. Minimum Education Qualifications, Experience and Competencies

A minimum of a post-graduate University degree in Law, Economics, Public Administration, Public Finance or equivalent.
10 years of experience supporting participatory planning, budgeting, management, and monitoring efforts and strengthening service delivery functions of local governments in contexts similar to Zambia.
Record of successfully applying local government performance assessment findings to identify, design, and facilitate activities that lead to improved local government performance.
Experience supporting local government capacity to deliver better services in the health, education, natural resource management, and other sectors.
Experience successfully collaborating with national, provincial, and local governments and civil society to support devolution of functions and processes in contexts similar to Zambia.
Strong written and oral English skills.

Mode of Application:
To apply send your CV and Cover Letter to LIre[email protected] by 17:00hrs on Monday April 18, 2022. No telephone inquiries. Please note that applications not meeting the above application guidelines will not be considered. Finalists will be contacted.
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