MSI East Africa Regional Experts

MSI is a Washington, D.C.-based international development firm providing specialized short- and long-term technical assistance. Since its 1981 founding, MSI has grown in size and technical scope, now implementing and managing more than 70 projects worldwide. More than 30 are long-term, many in conflict-prone or fragile states that include Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today, our range of technical expertise includes analytical and field projects in democracy and governance, economic growth, strategic planning, organizational capacity building, health and the justice sector. MSI focuses on helping our local partners foster progress, manage change and improve the effectiveness of development assistance. We expanded our global footprint in 2008 by becoming part of Coffey International Development, a leading development firm that is part of Coffey International Limited, a publicly traded company on the Australia Stock Exchange. Alongside Coffey, MSI has corporate offices in 17 countries. Together, MSI and Coffey International Development employ more than 1,400 professionals worldwide. For more information on MSI, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Project/Proposal Summary:
Under a contract with USAID, MSI produced an annual, comparative report on the strength of civil society in 25 countries across sub-Saharan Africa known as the Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI). The CSOSI rates countries based on seven categories, or “dimensions”, that are critical aspects of a vibrant non-governmental organization (NGO) sector: Legal Environment, Organizational Capacity, Financial Viability, Advocacy, Service Provision, Infrastructure, and Public Image. MSI contracts with a local CSO in each of the 25 African countries covered by the report. Each implementer is responsible for producing a country report examining the state of the above-listed seven indicators. Once the draft report is submitted, it is reviewed by the Editorial Committee (EC). This process is explained more in depth below.

Position Summary: As a final step in the CSO Sustainability Index process, all country reports are reviewed and discussed by an Editorial Committee (EC) composed of regional and sector experts in Washington, DC, Africa, and abroad. This committee is chaired by a USAID Civil Society Advisor and includes rotating members from USAID (past members have included experts from the USAID Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance’s Office for Democracy and Governance (DCHA/DG), USAID/Office of Development Partners and Private and Voluntary Cooperation (ODP/PVC), and from USAID Democracy and Governance foreign service officers). The committee also includes civil society experts representing MSI and ICNL.

MSI contracts with three independent, sub regional Experts to participate in the Editorial Committee meetings for East, West, and Southern Africa. The East Africa Regional Expert is responsible for reviewing reports from nine East African countries, providing written comments, and participating in the Editorial Committee meeting. The Regional Expert will work from primarily from his/her home. S/He will coordinate with project leadership via email, telephone, or Skype as necessary leading up to, during and after the EC meeting. The consultancy on this task is estimated to be four days and is expected to begin in February/March 2013.

Please note: Candidate must be currently working or currently based in Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania or Uganda to be considered for this position

Responsibilities: • Read and review each of the East African country reports, including: Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. • Write up a set of report notes to share with other EC members prior to the EC meeting, commenting on the accuracy and thoroughness of each report for publication, taking into account the context of the other countries in the sub-region. • The report notes should be sent four work days after the EC meeting and will be circulated to the other members of the EC. • Participate in EC meeting remotely (e.g. by telephone or Skype) to aid in reviewing the content of the notes from the EC Experts, as well as other EC members’ reviews of the reports.

Qualifications: • Advanced degree preferred. • Demonstrated research, writing and analytical background assessing the strength of civil society organizations. • Strong understanding of civil society in the East Africa region. • Experience working in CSOs in the East Africa region, preferably in a leadership position. • Broad regional experience in more than one of the nine countries listed above.

Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

How to apply:

To apply, please visit our website: www.msiworldwide.com.