Senior, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager – Improve Primary Health Care Service Delivery (IPHCSD) Project 52 views

About Us:

Amref Health Africa was founded in 1957 and has since grown to become the largest African-based international health development organization, currently implementing more than 150 programs which directly reach more than 20 million people across 35 countries in Africa. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Amref has fully-fledged offices in Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, South Sudan, and Zambia; eleven advocacy and fundraising offices in Europe and North America; and a staff complement of over 1,500.

The Ethiopia Country office is registered in 2002 and operational for more than two decades. Currently, we are operational in all regions of Ethiopia with more than 300 staffs and wide portfolio of PHC, RMNCAYH-N, Youth Development, WASH and DPC including NTDs.

Our vision is to bring about ‘Lasting health change in Africa’, by supporting Ethiopia’s vision of healthy, productive and prosperous society.  We believe that the power to transform Africa’s health lies within its communities, and therefore strive to ensure that health systems are not only functional but that communities are empowered to hold these systems accountable for the delivery of quality and affordable health care.

About Improve Primary Health Care Service Delivery Project:

Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia has been implementing the Improve Primary Health Care Service Delivery (IPHCSD) in five regions of Ethiopia from 2022-2027 to expand high-quality health services through the strengthening of evidence-based, primary health care (PHC). This project will strengthen the health system’s capacity to implement the HEP roadmap, pressure-testing PHC service delivery approaches and modalities, and provide the evidence base to inform improved national PHC policies, leverage larger financing mechanisms, and transform PHC service delivery for improved health outcomes. The goal is to improve the efficacy of and linkage between PHC delivery platforms to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health, and nutrition (RMNCAH-N) outcomes across Ethiopia. Implemented in five regions of Ethiopia, the investment is focused on approaches that contribute to ensuring equitable access to quality essential health services and strengthening technical oversight and accountability at the PHC level.

Job Purpose:

Amref is seeking a competent Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Director, will oversee the MEL system for reporting progress, maintain procedures, ensuring availability and use of quality data for adaptive management. The MEL Director will be responsible to develop a strong monitoring, evaluation and learning system and coordinate the collection of data, field visits for data validation, contribute to development of adaptive performance management plan, including performance-monitoring criteria and ensuring continuous monitoring of activity progress. S/he will  be responsible for building the capacity of Government of Ethiopia, Ministry of Health (MOH), Regional Health Bureaus, project filed staff and other stakeholders in the harmonization of plans, utilization of and dissemination of data. S/he is expected to co-design MEL framework with sub national entities including technical assistance packages for data quality and usage locally.

S/he will assist the PHC Director by serving as the primary strategic information source and providing high-quality technical support to IPHCSD project teams and his/her engagement with national and regional public health and other sector leaders. S/he will be working closely with the M&E team of BMGF funded Integrated Health System Strengthening Project implemented by Amref, M&E team of JSI/ IPHCSD project, IPHCSD learning partner (MERQ) and other Amref projects to inform Amref’s leadership with triangulated and coordinated data synthesis. S/he is expected to represent the Project and Amref in national Health Information (HIS) working Groups and other partnership platforms serving as HIS expert and disseminate results of integrated HSS project.

The role requires frequent travel to regions and woredas to actively engage the PHC and other sector leaders, Technical working groups, frontline HCWs and communities to ensure the project’s support on Data quality, triangulation and use in a manner that are suitable to local leaders and Performance Monitoring Teams. The successful candidate will be part of the Amref Country Office MEL Team to join hands in its efforts to be evidence driven organization.

 Responsibilities

• Design and implement the IPHCSD project’s MEL system, including the development of indicators, setting targets, monitoring project progress, ensuring timely data collection, writing quarterly and annual reports, and liaising with the project financial team to track the budget in relation to all project results and outcomes

• Provide technical input to the technical team in the development of program goals, objectives and overall MEL framework, tools and strategies.  Provide monitoring data to inform decisions on project performance management and guide adaptive management.

• Lead project annual implementation plans  and MEL plan development for the Project’s. Develop  MEL systems that include appropriate indicators, baseline data, targets, and a plan to evaluate performance, in collaboration with project staff

• Oversee the development, maintenance and use of project technical information management system and ensure its interoperability with the national health information management system. Support project monitoring, evaluation, learning, and reporting, including the management of appropriate systems to track progress against targets, document lessons learned, and produce timely, accurate, and complete reports in compliance with the donor requirements.

• Provide technical leadership and support to the Project and partner staff in fostering a culture of learning across the Project, engaging relevant actors in learning and adaptation

• Ensure timely and accurate submission of the Project reports to donor and relevant Government counterparts, including progress against targets set in the grant agreement, annual work plan, quarterly, and annual reports

• Regularly review and update the project’s MEL plan and monitor it to systematically document Project performance for IPHCSD technical Team

• Work closely with government counterparts to strengthen capacity in data collection, reporting and use of data for decision making.

• Ensure Gender, Social and Disability Inclusion (GESDI) dimensions are appropriately addressed within the project’s projects M&E framework.

• Liaise with Amref other projects, BMGF, government partners, policy makers, and other key stakeholders to coordinate dissemination and application of results.

• Work with MEL team members to: manage production of data to meet all reporting requirements including quarterly and annual reports, research, technical reports, presentations, etc.; assist project technical staff with preparation of reports as appropriate.

• Build MEL capacity of project staff, on the use of data for decision making and performance improvement.

• Work closely with the learning partner, MERQ consultancy, to ensure projects learnings are well documented and shared with relevant stakeholders

• Provide technical support to strengthen MEL systems esp. at sub-national level.

• Provide oversight on the implementation researches conducted under IPHCSD project

• Coordinate data collection at the Project sites to monitor program development and ensure timely compilation and reporting of data

• Communicate information obtained through Monitoring and Evaluation interventions to the Project staff, consortium members, donor, Government Counterparts and various external stakeholders,

• Conduct field visits to monitor the quality and completeness of data

• Regularly review data collection processes, perform data quality assessments, and make adjustment as needed.

• Carry out other duties as assigned by PHC Director and Senior Health System Strengthening Director.

Summary of Required Qualification:

The successful candidate will have a strong background in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning mainly in the health sector; as well as demonstrable experience in the delivery of technical assistance on Health system investments by engaging government counterparts at regional, zonal and woreda level with linkage to the national entities. S/he should also be highly motivated, a creative problem solver, have strong analytical, communication, process facilitation, and collaboration skills.

Academic Qualification

• An advanced degree in Statistics, Public Health, Social Sciences, International Development, or other relevant discipline.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of 10 years’ relevant experience in leading and designing and implementing MEL system for donor-funded large-scale health complex programs of a similar size from the Project initiation to closeout;
• Demonstrated experience working in partnership with host governments, international donors, and implementing partners.
• Experience using health data management software, such as DHIS2
• Experience using statistical software packages, such as SPSS, STATA, EpiInfo, etc.
• Build visualizations and dashboards using software like Tableau, Looker Studio and Power BI.
• Strong interpersonal and supervisory skills.
• Ability to work independently and with team members and partners at all levels.
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills and the ability to think and plan strategically.
•  Experience in relevant technical areas, such as survey and research tool design, data collection, statistical analysis, qualitative research, and dissemination of results;
• Knowledge of the major evaluation methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, mixed method, and impact) and data collection and analysis methodologies;
• Demonstrated commitment to creating a learning environment in projects including experience managing and providing ongoing training to M&E field officers;
• Familiarity with policies, rules, regulations and reporting requirements of varies donors including BMGF;
• Experience working in complex environments and with adaptive management.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including for reports, conference presentations and peer-reviewed journal articles.
• Demonstrated experience working Ethiopia.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Demonstrated MEL expertise
• Critical thinking, effective communication, stakeholder management, problem solving
• Technically sound in strategic information
• Ability to build and work with networks

• Well organized, results focused, creative, innovative and flexible