MERL Director, Ethiopia ECBH 107 views

At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow. A nonprofit international development organization founded in 1971, Pact works on the ground in nearly 40 countries to improve the lives of those who are challenged by poverty and marginalization. We serve these communities because we envision a world where everyone owns their future. To do this, we build systemic solutions in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and governments that create sustainable and resilient communities where those we serve are heard, capable, and vibrant. Pact is a recognized global leader in international development. Our staff have a range of expertise in areas including public health, capacity development, governance and civil society, natural resource management, poverty, fragile states, monitoring and evaluation, small-scale and artisanal mining, microfinance and more. This expertise is combined in Pact’s unique integrated approach, which focuses on systemic changes needed to improve people’s lives.

Department

Programs – Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

Position Overview

Pact seeks an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Research (MERL) Director for the anticipated USAID/Ethiopia Empowered Communities for Better Health (ECBH) Activity. Under this anticipated Activity, USAID/Ethiopia seeks to strategically use its convening power and limited resources to support Ethiopian stakeholders to empower communities to take ownership and action over their health and nutrition and drive a cycle of accountable and responsive health service delivery. ECBH is anticipated to be a five-year activity. This position is contingent upon award.

Key Responsibilities

The MERL Director provides strategic guidance, vision, and management for successful monitoring, evaluation and learning of the program. This individual also supervises MERL staff and ensures the strategic and functional integration of all MERL activities as well as active collaboration with sub-awardees and USAID. The MERL Director oversees all MEL activities, provides technical direction and support, ensures the accurate and compelling reporting of results for program activities, and ensures the program aligns with Pact’s quality standards for MERL in close coordination with Pact’s US-based Results and Measurement (R&M) Team. The specific duties to be carried out by the successful candidate are listed below:

• Lead the design and implementation of the project’s MERL system in collaboration with Pact’s R&M Team to develop key performance indicators, targets, tools, and appropriate MERL responsibilities across the project.
• Develop and disseminate relevant M&E tools, formats and lead the provision of M&E specific technical training
• Oversee data collection, collation, storage, analysis, and reporting, ensuring that data is of high quality and audit worthy
• Train, supervise, and mentor a team of M&E staff and oversee consortium partners’ compliance with MEL system.
• Ensure appropriate training and supportive supervision of all partners in monitoring and evaluation procedures, data collection tools, and data management practices in alignment with the MELP
• Work closely with partners to establish their internal MERL systems, M&E plans, and data quality management
• Strengthen staff and partners’ capacity in qualitative and quantitative monitoring and evaluation techniques through comprehensive staff training, mentoring, and/or coaching.
• Conduct and manage Routine Data Quality Assessments (RDQA); ensuring implementation of corrective actions to improve data quality and accountability of staff and partners
• Oversee the development and maintenance of a comprehensive project database and ensure accurate and timely storage of electronic files.
• Responsible for calculation and reporting of Pact’s Global Indicators through imPact, Pact’s instance of DHIS2, and calculation and reporting of project data into imPact
• Responsible for the data analysis, writing, and review of the results and learning sections of program reports in collaboration with program staff, before submission to donor and ensure consortium partners’ compliance with internal data quality requirements and timely submissions for reporting.
• Design and manage baseline assessments and support the implementation of research studies with Pact’s R&M Team.
• Coordinate any external evaluation processes, including drafting evaluation ToR and selection of firm, in alignment with award.
• Commitment to applied learning and adaptation based on data: Lead the program team on routine reviews and interpretation of data for learning and adaptation; package and disseminate timely findings in a meaningful way, and make suggestions for adaption, using USAID collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approaches, tools and strategies.
• Create a learning agenda and implement a system designed to identify lessons learned and disseminate timely information
• Produce learning products and thought leadership pieces relevant to the project intervention; present in local conferences or on webinars regarding project’s MERL successes
• Liaise with USAID MERL staff and with counterparts at international, government, non-government agencies involved in related activities and collaborate in promoting high quality results and complementary efforts.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree in any of the following or related fields: social science, international development, public health, monitoring and evaluation, statistics, or economics.
• At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in designing, managing, and implementing results-based MERL activities, with preference given for health programming.
• At least five (5) years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated relevant technical skills in analyzing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data, and packaging the findings
• Ability to work well on a team and with various government officials, civil society leaders, community leaders, and program beneficiaries.
• Progressively responsible experience in monitoring and evaluation of health programs such as maternal, newborn, and child health; family planning; nutrition; and/or WASH
• Experience in utilizing gender and social inclusion sensitive indicators and measures
• Extensive knowledge of reporting procedures, preferably for USAID, best practices, guidelines, and tools for monitoring, evaluation and learning, including impact evaluation.
• Demonstrated experience in synthesizing and analyzing various data sources for learning and recommendations for programming adaptations.
• Experience training other organizations in MEL topics and methods.
• Strong writing, data visualization and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, i.e., Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc., and the ability to use various commercially available statistical software programs.
• Excellent organizational as well as English oral and written communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency in Amharic (oral, writing, and reading)
• Ethiopian nationals are encouraged to apply.
• Experience with USAID-funded health projects.
• Experience with DHIS2 platform and mobile data collection software.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with complexity-aware measurement approaches, such as Outcome Harvesting, Outcome Mapping and Most Significant Change