Team Leader for Usaid/vietnam Consultations On The

**TEAM LEADER**
**USAID/Vietnam Consultations on the Innovation and Start-up Ecosystem**
USAID Learns Contract
Hanoi, Vietnam

**About Social Impact**

Social Impact (SI) is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity-building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.

**Project Objective**

SI is implementing the USAID/Vietnam Learns Contract. The scope of the five-year project is to support USAID/Vietnam staff and partners to implement more efficient, effective, and transparent programs by improving: (1) USAID and Implementing Partner (IP) capacity to achieve expected results; (2) USAID’s understanding and tracking of project performance; and (3) collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA).

**Background and Purpose**

USAID Vietnam is currently implementing the Workforce for an Innovation and Startup Ecosystem (WISE) activity, supporting Vietnam’s National Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Strategy to advance continued economic transformation. The goal of WISE is to support interventions to expand the specialized skills segment of Vietnam’s labor market to improve the upward mobility and competitiveness of Vietnam’s workforce.

USAID Vietnam aims to launch a series of consultations to understand employer demands for digitally skilled employees in Vietnam. In particular, the Mission aims to understand the key urban-rural and gender gaps shaping the development of a digitally skilled workforce, as well as important constraints such as financing solutions and public-private sector linkages. The consultations will also explore potential incentives and other possible initiatives to promote digital education and continuous learning in Vietnam.

**Position Description**

USAID Learns seeks the support of a local consultant to manage these consultations and to report on the findings. This rapid consultation effort will support the Mission exploring the issues raised in the previous section. The consultant will be expected to engage with Vietnamese stakeholders to explore these issues, as well as relevant regional or global dynamics. Building on analyses conducted by USAID Vietnam in 2020 and the lessons learned from WISE, the consultations will aim to answer the following questions:

- What are the key lessons learned from WISE implementation?
- What new issues or dynamics are shaping employee digital skills in Vietnam, and how are employers responding?
- What models from other countries have the most influence on Vietnam's digital workforce development in terms of platforms, business models, and development strategies (for example, China, Korea, Singapore, the USA, etc.). What lessons could be learned from these experiences?
- How do urban-rural, gender and other inclusion gaps shape these issues?
- What could USAID Vietnam do to address these issues in the coming few years? What could USAID do to further develop the environment for innovation in Vietnam?

The consultant should be based in Hanoi, Vietnam. The anticipated level of effort for the assignment is up to 35 days of work, with travel to Ho Chi Minh City expected. The consultant will be supported by the team at USAID Learns. The consultant will also be expected to engage with a USAID consultant visiting Vietnam in late October and early November in delivering this assignment; USAID will facilitate engagements with other relevant assessment teams as needed.

**Methodology**

To deliver the assignment, the consultant will conduct a desk review and hold individual discussions with key stakeholders. The consultant will also be required to facilitate consultation workshops - one in Hanoi, and another in Ho Chi Minh City (to include Mekong Delta stakeholders) - to solicit feedback and identify next steps.

**_ Rapid desk review_**
- WISE project documentation
- GVN policies, directives, decrees, public statements, etc.
- Reports developed by donors, global funds, etc., related to workforce development in Vietnam in the last three years.
- Programming of other donors and non-state actors.

**_Local consultations_**
- WISE staff and partners
- USAID Mission and Embassy staff concerned with workforce development
- GVN representatives, including NIC, relevant ministries, provincial government representatives, and others.
- Private sector stakeholders and professional organizations
- Universities and academic institutions
- Other local stakeholders as relevant

**Deliverables**
- Summary findings building on the 2020 context analysis report for WISE. This is expected to be a high-level deliverable of around five pages. This will review conclusions from the desk review and consul