MERL ADVISOR -

Position description

Overview of MIHR and the Position:

Moving Integrated, Quality Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services to Scale (MOMENTUM) Integrated Health Resilience (IHR), hereafter referred to as MIHR, is a global USAID cooperative agreement designed to strengthen quality voluntary family planning and reproductive health, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (FP/RH/MNCAH) care and services in fragile settings. It is a multi-country consortium project, led by IMA World Health in collaboration with JSI Research & Training, Pathfinder International, GOAL and ACHAP. The project also seeks to advance global knowledge on strengthening FP/RH/MNCAH service delivery and building resilience in fragile settings. It is part of USAID’s MOMENTUM suite of awards, designed to help ensure that investments at the humanitarian-development nexus are tailored to country contexts and foster sustainability. MIHR supports countries to mitigate the impacts of fragility on their population’s health and contributes to helping them move along the development continuum toward reduced maternal and child mortality and sustainable development. In the DRCongo, the current phase of the project targets North Kivu province.

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MEL) Advisor for DRC MIHR will work in close collaboration with the Chief of Party (COP), the deputy CoP (DCOP) and advisors of the project’s technical program areas, to ensure that monitoring and evaluation (M&E), project collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA), and research strategies are sound and support the results and goals of the MIHR project in DRC. In collaboration with MERL MIHR core/HQ team and technical staff, s/he will monitor program results and be responsible for the quality and accuracy of technical results and reporting. The position will be based in Goma, North Kivu, DRC and will report to the COP.

Keys and responsibilities:

Key responsibilities of the MERL Advisor include:

Lead the design and implementation of the following MERL activities of the project 1) the development and updates of the project’s Activity MEL Plan; 2) development and monitoring of project indicators; 3) implementation of baseline and ongoing project monitoring studies; 4) oversight of data collection and analysis; 5) synthesis of data and study outcome reports; and 6) quality assurance and auditing of data,
Lead the design and implementation of the project’s assessment and evaluation activities, which may include performance evaluations, surveys, formative research, qualitative studies, and rapid/special studies,
Support MIHR DRC’s Knowledge Management and Communication (KMC) Advisor and Technical Advisors to document and share successful and promising approaches, lessons learned, and other project results to local, national, and regional-level intergovernmental bodies, donors, partners, country teams in other MIHR countries and other stakeholders,
Supervise and coordinate the work of other MIHR MERL staff in DRC,
Strengthen the capacity of MERL teams of the MOH, partner NGOs and other stakeholders MIHR works with, in data collection and management, and research and learning methods,
Lead the organization of and facilitate monthly and quarterly data review meetings, to inform adaptive programming,
Promote collaboration, learning, and adaptation within MIHR DRC,
Ensure that data from the project is collected, analyzed and used among stakeholders for learning and policy development and on-going course correcting,
Coordinate all research with MIHR core/HQ and ensure research implementation adheres protocols and human subject protection,
Support MERL aspects of work plan, quarterly and annual reports, technical and program briefs, and other reports development, and of other communication tools that showcase the project’s results and evidence,
Support the development of abstracts, posters and other presentations for presentation at professional meetings and conferences,
Implement other related tasks as required.

Supervision:

Reports to the CoP and manages a team of MERL Officers

Education:

In addition to the qualifications and experience detailed below, must have at least a master’s degree in one of the following fields: public health, demography, epidemiology, biostatistics, or Monitoring and Evaluation.

Qualifications and Experience:

Required/Mandatory:

Prior experience in a similar role (MERL Advisor/Manager or higher)

At least five years’ senior-level experience (Advisor/Manager or higher) in M&E and research related to large scale MNCH/FP/RH programs
Experience working in one or more of the following areas: FP/RH, MNCH
Proven experience in the use of qualitative and quantitative research methods
Strong experience in developing, implementing, and disseminating a learning agenda
Mastery of USG reporting requirements and demonstrated experience in target setting and reporting against US government/USG (USAID, BHA…) health initiatives
Demonstrated experience and familiarity with qualitative and quantitative monitoring and research methods
A good mastery of Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint
Proven experience using quantitative and qualitative data analysis software (Epi-Info, STATA, n-vivo….) as well those to present data in a user-friendly manner like PowerBI
Experience conducting sampling methods and quantitative/statistical and qualitative data analysis
Experience developing and implementing project monitoring systems in the DRC

Experience monitoring projects, including setting indicators and tracking indicators against set targets
Experience in assuring data quality and/or conducting data quality assurance (DQA) reviews
Experience with supporting project teams implement USAID’s CLA approach
A good master of the DHIS2 system
A good mastery of spoken and written English.

Desired:

The following will be a plus:

Experience working in North Kivu
Experience working in MIHR or other MOMENTUM projects
Experience with research including as co-author of original research articles

Knowledge/skills:

Excellent knowledge of data collection protocols for quality data collection and verification
Exceptional ability to analyze multiple sources of data to identify data trends and provide recommendations to strengthen project implementation

Knowledge of USG health initiatives and related reporting requirements and funding parameters
Proven ability to work as an effective team member
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
Ability to work and travel within DRCongo