The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Senior Advisor will provide technical guidance on all MEL aspects of a global health project. The MEL Senior Advisor leads the establishment of the project MEL plan and oversees the day-to-day MEL activities, developing and implementing policies and procedures, and ensuring quality delivery of service on MEL. They oversee technical staff members and work with sub-partners to ensure that the MEL plan and activities are in alignment with work plans and provide technical expertise to inform project implementation. They prepare project and donor reports and draft publications and external communications and lead the development and revision of best practice documents. They may be required to coordinate and work with a diverse group of organizations, such as Ministries of Health, international and national development partner organizations, and the donor to complete work.

Note: eastern time zone working hours are required for this position.

Accountabilities:

Project Design Implementation:

• Leads design, development, planning and implementation of the project MEL strategy, including MEL framework and MEL plan.
• Develops, operationalizes, implements and manages MEL and SI systems, tools, and procedures to collect, collate, analyze, interpret, and use data that demonstrate impact and program accountability and progress.
• Tracks progress made against indicators and targets and towards results, outcomes, and impacts to ensure they are being consistently and systematically tracked and reported; support quarterly performance and semi-annual or annual reports.
• Develops high quality quantitative and qualitative methods and participatory methodologies to monitor project quality for performance and results.
• Builds project and staff MEL and SI capacity, including strengthening, managing and operationalizing MEL systems, data quality assurance, data demand and use, facilitating learning and knowledge exchange, documenting best practices, and reporting.
• Works closely with project sub-partners to ensure that activities align with project MEL systems and requirements; review sub-partner reporting to ensure data quality and integrity.
• Leads project learning activities and data use initiatives; foster culture of learning and knowledge sharing.
• Collaborates with teams to design and support learning activities, share MEL data, analysis and data use products, promote evidence-based feedback, adaptation and decision making
• Collaborates and supports knowledge management and communication efforts, including development, dissemination and use of data and knowledge products, abstracts, articles, blogs, reports, tools and materials.
• Oversees the publication and dissemination of information on successful and promising
  approaches, lessons learned, and other project results to ministry counterparts, program partners, and other key stakeholders.
• Leads the creation of the technical portion of the project work plan and MEL plan, including data collection tools, within the given resource and financial constraints.
• Coordinates with technical and programmatic staff members to ensure that activities are performed as per award requirements and consistent with FHI 360 policy.
• Contributes to planning and making recommendations for project concept, operations, and / or implementation.
• Influences design and scope of MEL initiatives and programs.
• Develops strategies and tools for the design and implementation of specific technical components.
• Ensures technical implementation is consistent with best practices in the industry and meet donor contractual obligations for moderately complex technical units of a functional domain, directing other professional staff members.
• Collaborates with technical and programmatic staff members to ensure that activities are performed as per award requirements and consistent with policy.
• Coordinates with employees and consultants, on-site and in the field for situations that are less routine and more unusual.

Staff Leadership and Training:

• Builds project and staff capacity to develop, manage, operationalize, and strengthen M&E systems, including data quality assurance, best practices documentation and reporting, learning facilitation, and data demand and use
• May supervise team members, monitor performance, and lead professional development efforts.
• Develops and implements training and competency systems.
• Identifies strategies to address training gaps.

Project/Program Reporting:

• Reviews and prepares inputs for technical reports.
• Reviews sub-partner reports and provides technical feedback.
• Prepares and delivers presentations to sponsors on progress.
• Contributes to the development of project work plans and coordinates with project leadership and partners on activities.

Quality Assurance:

• Ensures technical deliverables and implementation are consistent with best practices in the industry and meet donor contractual obligations for moderately complex technical units of a functional domain, directing other professional staff members.
• Proactively identifies risks or challenges to technical deliverables and creates mitigation plan.
• Reviews, analyzes, and evaluates the effectiveness of projects and makes recommendations for enhancements.
• Ensures the quality of implemented technical activities and systems at all levels.

Technical Requirements:

• Works on problems of complex scope that require evaluation of variable factors.
• Demonstrates good judgment in selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining solutions, with little supervision.
• Networks with key internal and external personnel.
• Decisions may cause delays or failure to achieve results that impact departmental goals.
• Provides input to senior technical leadership on national guidelines and normative policies for MEL.
• May interpret findings and make recommendations for improvements.

Problem Solving & Impact:

• Is sought out to provide advice or solutions around technical area.
• Is informed about current developments around technical area.
• Works under broad direction with considerable latitude for independent action.
• Specific actions are guided primarily by professional standards and expected outcomes of the project.
• Decisions and actions have an impact on the smooth operation and timeframes of the unit programs/projects; impact on the broader organization is generally indirect.
• Problems encountered are complex and may involve unprecedented circumstances; resolution requires investigation, analysis, and review of professional/organizational standards.
• Faulty decisions or recommendations will normally result in critical delays and modifications to projects or operations, cause substantial expenditure of additional time, resources, and funds; and jeopardize future business activity.

Supervision Given/Received:

• May supervise junior level staff members.
• Work is reviewed in terms of meeting the project’s objectives and schedules.
• Plays a coaching and mentoring role for others; manages a technical area staff and function area within the organization.
• Reports to a Director.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or its international equivalent.
• Project Management (PM) Certification preferred.
• 12+ years of relevant experience in designing and evaluating MEL systems on USAID- and other donor-funded projects.
• Demonstrated ability to be the technical specialist as well as the lead subject matter expert in the development and rollout of MEL and SI systems and processes.
• Ability to collaborate and work effectively across various teams within projects and organization, and build and sustain positive working relationships with NGOs, private sector, government, and other stakeholders. Experience with development of manuals, tools, or guidance documents.
• Development of publications, presentations, and reports including ability to articulate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated expertise and skills in quantitative and qualitative methods for routine monitoring, assessment, evaluation, or learning.
• Proficiency with relevant statistical analysis and data visualization software (e.g., Stata, SAS, SPSS, Epi Info, Tableau, PowerBI).
• Proficient experience in current program developments in global health SI and MEL systems.
• Prior work experience in a non-governmental organization (NGO), government donor agency, and/or foundations working on global health projects.
• General understanding of the external environment and how it affects the industry in general and the organization, including political, legal, environmental, financial, and social influences.
• Professional proficiency in English is required.
• Strong diagnostic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to reach mutual points of agreement and benefit among peers and colleagues.

Typical Physical Demands:

• Typical office environment.
• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift or move up to 5 lbs.

Technology to be Used:

• Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.

Travel Requirements:

• 10% – 25%

The expected US-based hiring salary range for this role is listed below. Candidate FHI 360 pay ranges represent national averages that vary by geographic location. When determining an offer amount, FHI 360 factors in multiple considerations, including but not limited to: relevant years of experience and education possessed by the applicant, internal equity, business sector, and budget.

Base salary is only one component of our offer. FHI 360 contributes 12% of monthly base pay to a money purchase pension plan account. Additionally, all US based staff working full-time, which is calculated at 40 hours/week, receive 18 days of paid vacation per year, 12 sick days per year, and 11 holidays per year. Paid time off is reduced pro rata for employees working less than a full-time schedule.

US Based Hiring Salary Range: $124,000 – $160,000

International hiring ranges will differ based on location.

This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

FHI 360 is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

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