Team Member, Southern Punjab Violence Assessment - MSI - Pakistan

Position: Team Member, Southern Punjab Violence Assessment Pakistan

Location: Pakistan

Project/Proposal Summary: 
In June 2011, MSI was awarded the Independent Monitoring and Evaluation Contract (IMEC).  On IMEC, MSI will provide verification, monitoring and evaluation, reporting throughout Pakistan, and across all projects that USAID is supporting.  The goal is to assess whether USAID resources are well-spent and achieving desired results and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the administration of programs, regardless of the implementation mechanism.

Position Summary:
USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives has commissioned MSI-IMEC to conduct an assessment of the drivers of violence and violent extremism in southern Punjab, Pakistan. In southern Punjab, the assessment will look specifically at the districts of Multan, Bahawalpur, Lodhran, and Muzaffargarh. The assessment will look at factors that contribute to participation in or support of violent extremism groups and insurgency by different factions in the region.

MSI is seeking three team members to participate in the assessment. The assessment team will comprise of multi-disciplinary professionals with a range of expertise on issues such as youth, anthropology, urban socio-political dynamics in Karachi, civil society and general social science research. The study will employ a mixed methods approach, involving substantial review of the existing literature, its review and fieldwork.  Major tasks for the assessment include:
• A desktop review of existing literature on the nature of violence and violence extremism in Southern Punjab
• Identification and use of existing secondary source of socio, economic, political and cultural data for analysis
• Primary data collection involving key informant interviews, group interviews and focus groups of a range of representatives from academia, religious institutions, government, the NGO community, community leaders, and youth, for example
• Additional data collection may entail focus group discussions and household surveys
• Analysis and report writing
With a level-of-effort of seven to eight weeks, the assignment is expected to begin November 15, 2012, and continue through February 15, 2013.

** Please note that this is a local position based in Islamabad.
Only local citizens are eligible to apply **

Responsibilities:
• Participate in a team planning meeting
• Participate in the design of the assessment framework
• Help create the assessment work plan and primary data collection instruments
• Lead portions of qualitative and quantitative fieldwork in southern Punjab
• Participate in data analysis
• Draft and revise assigned sections of draft reports
• Participate in a mid-term and out-briefing for USAID highlighting findings and conclusions in a
      PowerPoint presentation

Qualifications:
• At least 7 years of experience in development and/or academia
• Minimum of 2 years of social science research conducted in Southern Punjab or Sindh
• Master’s Degree or Ph.D. in relevant field
• Experience in either one or more of the following specialties: youth, urban planning, conflict and    violence, socio-political studies, or subject matter directly related to the assessment
• Understanding of different facets of violence in Southern Punjab
• Demonstrated experience in the collection and analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data
• Excellent Urdu and at least one regional language skill (e.g., Punjabi and Saraiki) required
• Solid spoken and written English

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

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