USAID GAP-RISC project is looking for a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Country expert (Moldova)

Global Accountability Program (GAP) 

Resilient Institutions against Strategic Corruption (RISC) 

Scope of Work 

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Country Expert 

(Moldova) 

Millennium Partners is seeking the services of a Mid-level Gender and Social Inclusion Expert to undertake a GESI analysis alongside a GESI International Expert who Millennium Partners will recruit separately. 

Project Background    

In September 2023, USAID awarded the $28.9 million, five-year Global Accountability Program (GAP) to Millennium Partners to enhance partner country systems and capacity to prevent, detect, investigate, and disrupt transnational corruption, grand corruption, and kleptocracy — including as it manifests across regions and high-risk sectors — and to build resilience to corruption. The Resilient Institutions against Strategic Corruption (RISC) Activity, under GAP, aims to first understand how strategic corruption undermines democratic governance (Phase 1) and then build on these insights to address strategic corruption, illicit political finance, and disinformation through sustainable, locally owned, and adaptive approaches (Phase 2) focusing on strengthening institutional capacity, supporting government actors to advance anti-corruption agendas, and fostering knowledge sharing via co-created, locally driven, and sustainable activities. 

Objective of the Assignment 

The primary objective of the assignment is to develop and operationalize a RISC GESI Strategy and Action Plan that addresses the contextual, operational, and institutional needs of Moldova’s anti-corruption agenda. The GESI Strategy and Action Plan will ensure that gender and social inclusion considerations are integrated into RISC’s Work Plan’s design, activities, and monitoring processes. The consultant will identify barriers to GESI, propose targeted interventions, and develop GESI-sensitive recommendations for RISC's Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP). 

Responsibilities and Deliverables  

Working closely with the RISC Regional and Moldova Activity Team Lead, RISC Senior Technical Advisor and relevant RISC country teams/partners, and GAP’s Global Gender Advisor, the consultant will:  

• Literature review: Assist GESI International Expert in reviewing and synthesizing relevant grey literature, including USAID and third-party gender and social inclusion related analyses, development partner reports, policy documents, evaluations, and quantitative data sets, with a specific focus on RISC’s thematic areas:  

• Strategic corruption. 

• Illicit political finance. 

• Disinformation and information manipulation. 

• Stakeholder engagement: Contribute to the preparation of stakeholder engagement materials (e.g., interviewee lists and interview invitation letters) and maintain the interview scheduling process. Conduct or assist in the facilitation of up to 10 key informant interviews (and Focus Group Discussions if relevant), prioritizing the inclusion of marginalized groups (women, youth, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, rural communities), and socio-economically disadvantaged populations to capture and represent their perspectives adequately. Provide detailed notes from these interviews. 

• Progress Reporting: Provide regular weekly updates to the RISC country team on progress, barriers, and challenges.  

• Drafting and Finalizing GESI Strategy and Action Plan: Assist in drafting an evidence-based project-level GESI Strategy tailored to the project's objectives with an accompanying Action Plan that defines clear GESI goals, objectives, and outcomes.  

In undertaking the tasks, the Subcontractor will follow applicable USAID guidelines on Gender Integration and Analysis, found at https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACP506.pdf. and USAID's Inclusive Development Guidelines, available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/USAID-ID-Hub_ADS-201-AH-Document_Oct-2023_1.pdf.   

The RISC GESI Strategy is expected to provide analysis that is contextually relevant and pragmatic to help the program address the context, opportunities, and risks related to gender equality and social inclusion relevant to each objective. The final RISC GESI Strategy, which should be no longer than 20 pages, shall contain:  

1. Executive Summary (no more than two pages): Summary of key findings, recommendations, and objectives of the GESI Strategy. 

2. Analysis of the intersectionality of GESI with Corruption Dynamics in Moldova. A clear analysis of the intersection of gender, social status, and marginalization with corruption dynamics in Moldova particularly with regard to Strategic Corruption (defined as corruption weaponized by foreign governments to advance foreign policy objectives)  This analysis should consider the role of women, and other vulnerable minorities in strategic corruption both negative (for example vote-buying, paid protesters) and positive (greater immunity to strategic corruption) and the impact of that corruption on those groups. The analysis should also exploit how gendered disinformation and biased media narratives used as tools for strategic corruption particularly target women and different vulnerable groups within strategic corruption. Importantly, the analysis needs to make clear which marginalized groups the consultant has considered (e.g. gender, age, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status, rural/urban dwelling etc.) and why. 

3. GESI Action Plan: Concrete, actionable interventions for mainstreaming GESI principles into RISC activities. This includes capacity-building efforts, policy recommendations, and cross-cutting support for marginalized groups. 

4. GESI Recommendations for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (MELP): Proposals for GESI-sensitive indicators, data collection methods, and gender-disaggregated data collection and reporting. 

5. Annexes (will not count towards the 20-page limit): KII and FGD protocols, questionnaires, a list of stakeholders consulted, and other relevant information.  

Deliverable Schedule   

Supervision. The subcontractor shall report to the GAP Chief of Party, Victoria Ayer.   

Level of effort:  

Expected overall level of effort is 20 days from contract signing until May 30, 2025.  

Location of Assignment.   

The consultancy shall be carried out in Moldova. The subcontractor may operate remotely but must ensure a consistent in-country presence through field visits, virtual consultations, and close collaboration with local stakeholders to achieve the objectives of the assignment. 

Required Qualifications  

• Advanced degree in law, political sciences, international development, communication, gender studies, gender and development, public administration, development studies or a related field.   

• Proven ability to analyze the content of development programs as they relate to gender and social inclusive results.   

• Proven experience in analyzing, integrating and monitoring and/or reporting gender and social inclusion in democracy, governance and/or anti-corruption projects.   

• Only open to Moldovan nationals.  

• Strongly preferred: Previous experience conducting or contributing to GESIs for USAID-funded contracts.  

• English language ability including writing reports  

How to apply:  
   
Interested consultants must submit:  

1. A previous GESI substantially drafted by the Applicant (a link will suffice as long as authorship is clear).  

2. A technical proposal of no more than two pages clearly stating the methodology the Applicant will use to conduct the field work.  

3. A proposed budget clearly stating consultancy fees.  

4. CV of no more than four pages.  

5. Contact details of three references from similar past work.  

All 5 documents/links should be submitted in a single communication to gap@millenniumpartners.org by 5:00 pm EST on January 30, 2025   

Failure to submit all 5 required documents above will result in removal from consideration.   

Please do not include any certificates.  

Applicants are encouraged to apply as the position may be filled before the deadline.   

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you have not heard from our team within three weeks of submission, please consider your application unsuccessful.