Principal Researcher, DOS/INL International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) Evaluation

Management Systems International (MSI), a Tetra Tech Company, is a Washington, D.C. metro area management consultancy with a 40-year history of delivering results for our clients. Our expertise is in the fields of monitoring and evaluation; democracy and governance; peace and stability; rule of law and accountability; education; gender and inclusion; strategic communications; and leadership and organizational development. MSI has implemented projects in 90 countries around the world such as Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria and Ukraine, and works domestically. We support clients ranging from the U.S. Government (e.g., the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Departments of State and Labor, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation) to large bilateral and multilateral donors (e.g., the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program). We also work with national and local governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks, foundations and universities. For more information, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.

Proposal Summary:

In 1995, the Department of State (DOS) established a network of International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) throughout the world to combat international drug trafficking, criminality, and terrorism through strengthened international cooperation. The ILEA program has grown to become a global network of academies providing skills, knowledge, and leadership training to foreign law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners from the United States to partners around the world. Since its inception in 1995, the program has not been evaluated on its effectiveness and impact. The DOS/INL is soliciting three (3) separate but complementary evaluation components under this funding opportunity.

·         Evaluation 1: A mixed-methods performance evaluation to describe the results of the ILEA program over the past 10 years, assess the extent to which the program met its objectives, identify opportunities for improvement, and provide evidence-based recommendations for how the program can better achieve its intended results.

·         Evaluation 2: A randomized control trial impact evaluation that quantifies the program’s effect on the following outcomes: attitudes towards the United States and U.S. law enforcement; ability to identify and contact U.S. counterparts; knowledge and skills needed to combat transnational organized crime; participants’ cooperation and collaboration with U.S. and regional counterparts; and foreign law enforcement agencies’ perception of the United States as the partner of choice.

·         Evaluation 3: A targeted assessment of past participants’ experiences in the ILEA program and the program’s substantive contribution to those participants’ careers.

Position Summary:

The Principal Researcher will be responsible for designing and implementing the three evaluations of the ILEA program. The role will include providing overall guidance and oversight on the methodology and design of the evaluations as well as interpretation of evaluation findings. They will lead the evaluation team to collect and analyze data, consolidate findings, and write reports and other dissemination materials based on results. The evaluations are scheduled to be implemented over a 4-5 year time frame with most of the work occurring in the first two years. This is a part time position. This position is contingent upon award.

Responsibilities:

·            Develop a comprehensive workplan for the three evaluations including details on the methodology and analysis

·            Design and finalize data collection tools in collaboration with the Subject Matter Expert and provide guidance on training enumerators for data collection

·            Travel to project sites in Hungary, Thailand, Botswana, Ghana and/or El Salvador and conduct interviews as needed. 

·            Lead the evaluation team and collaborate with team members to successfully conduct the evaluations as per the determined timelines

·            Provide oversight on the data analysis and interpretation of findings

·            Prepare reports and dissemination materials based on research and evaluation findings that communicate program impact/overall results and lessons learned.

·            Liaise with clients and stakeholders to present the findings, conclusions and recommendations from the research to maintain regular communication and foster collaboration.