Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
 | The Independent Evaluation Department (IED) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is undertaking a country assistance program evaluation (CAPE) for Cambodia covering ADB’s country strategies, operations, and knowledge support during 2014–2025. The CAPE assesses the relevance, coherence, and contribution of ADB’ s support to Cambodia’s economic transformation and will inform the next country partnership strategy (CPS). It is anchored in a country-level theory of change (TOC) and tests two impact pathways in depth: Human Capital Development and Water Security. The Rural Development and Water Security Consultant will support the evaluation team in assessing ADB’s contribution to water security and resilience in Cambodia under evaluation question (EQ) 3(c). Working in selected case-study areas, the specialist will examine how irrigation and rural water services functioned in practice, how benefits were distributed, and whether they contributed to more productive, inclusive, and climate-resilient rural development. |
Scope of Work
| The assignment covers ADB-supported irrigation, water resources management, and rural water supply, sanitation, and hygiene operations in case-study areas selected during inception. The specialist will give particular attention to the local institutions and service arrangements that determine whether systems remain operational and benefits endure, including farmer water user communities, rural water service providers, commune and provincial administrations, irrigation service fee collection, and operation and maintenance (O&M) financing, as well as the distribution of benefits by gender, location, and poverty status. The assignment is intermittent, for 30 working days over about 6 months from Q4 2026 to Q2 2027. The specialist will report to the CAPE team leader, work under the technical guidance of the international Rural Water Security Specialist, and coordinate with the Country Specialist, the GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist, and the research assistant. |
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
| Case-study preparation. Compile available provincial and local data and project records for candidate case-study areas, support site selection, and adapt interview and focus group discussion guides to local conditions and Khmer. Fieldwork. Conduct key informant interviews and focus group discussions with provincial departments, commune authorities, farmer water user communities, rural water service providers, farmers, and households, and observe the condition and functioning of ADB-supported assets. Institutional and O&M assessment. Document local institutional arrangements, O&M practices and financing, fee collection, and the distribution of benefits, and record evidence relevant to the links and assumptions in the Water Security pathway TOC. Evidence note. Prepare a structured evidence note for each case-study area and contribute to the water security and resilience technical paper. Review and validation. Contribute to team sense-making sessions and revise outputs in response to comments from the evaluation team. |
Minimum Qualification Requirements
| Master’s degree in irrigation or agricultural engineering, water resources management, agricultural economics, rural development, or a related field; a bachelor’s degree with additional relevant experience may be considered. At least 10 years of professional experience in irrigation, rural water supply, or rural development in Cambodia. Demonstrated knowledge of Cambodia’s water sector institutions, including the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, the Ministry of Rural Development, farmer water user communities, and subnational administrations. Experience in field research, including interviews and focus group discussions with rural communities; evaluation experience is preferred. Fluency in Khmer and English, with good written English. |
