Department
Position Overview
Pact seeks an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Director for the anticipated upcoming USAID/Zambia Integrated Health Activity (ZIHA). USAID/Zambia intends to award a contract to support the USAID and PEPFAR objectives of 95/95/95, and to provide service delivery and technical assistance to improve MNCH and FP/RH services. ZIHA will improve, sustain, and further integrate HIV/AIDS, MNCH and FP/RH services at the health facility and community levels and ensure that client-centered, high-impact, high-quality services are available to Zambians. This is anticipated to be a five-year activity. This position is contingent upon award.
Key Responsibilities
- The MEL Director will lead the development and implementation of the MEL Plan taking into consideration the contract deliverables and conditions, including capacity building and robust monitoring of all activities.
- S/he will train, supervise, and mentor a team of MEL staff.
- S/he will develop and lead the roll out of activity-specific MEL tools in collaboration with relevant MEL staff, partners, and other activity staff.
- S/he will support any Pact partners in developing data collection plans, activity results frameworks (input, output, outcome and impact), and relevant indicators and targets for result areas.
- S/he will integrate and implement adaptive management and collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approaches, tools and strategies throughout the activity.
- S/he will work closely with Pact headquarters to design and integrate developmental evaluation activities within the project, and to develop a Developmental Evaluation Plan that will include intervention areas to be monitored and evaluated for real time program improvement throughout the life of the project.
- S/he will lead the development and institutionalize the utilization of centralized project data management and case management systems.
- S/he will design and conduct MEL training for Pact partners on topics that may include MEL practices, adaptive management data quality, data analysis, and managing evaluations.
- S/he will develop high quality quantitative and qualitative methods and participatory methodologies to monitor program quality for performance and results.
- S/he will lead routine analysis of data for learning and adaptation; visualize and summarize data and communicate with senior staff.
- S/he will integrate the use of innovative technologies, data platforms, and GIS mapping for data collection, management, and reporting.
- S/he will collaborate with other staff and Pact partners to develop, review, and finalize monthly, quarterly and annual MEL workplans and budgets.
- S/he will oversee the development of donor reports, ensuring that Pact meets all donor reporting requirements for MEL.
- S/he will liaise with counterparts at international, government, non-government agencies involved in related activities and collaborate in promoting high quality results and complementary efforts.
- S/he will serve as liaison to USAID MEL staff and other USAID implementing partner MEL staff.
- If needed, s/he will coordinate with an external evaluation team contracted by USAID to conduct a performance evaluation.
Basic Requirements
- Master’s degree in a relevant field, such as: social science (international development, political science), statistics, or economics.
- At least seven years of experience in designing, managing, and implementing results-based MEL activities for large, complex international development programs.
- At least five years of progressive management responsibility
- Experience in Africa, preferably Zambia.
- Experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods.
- Experience in data analysis and data visualization with Excel, SPSS or other related software.
- Demonstrated experience with data management and case management systems
- Experience with strategic information systems
- Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with USAID MEL requirements and CLA tools and approaches.
- Experience developing results frameworks, logical frameworks, or similar tools for project design.
- Demonstrated experience in designing and managing operational research and evaluations.
- 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.
- Effective writing and data visualization and presentation skills.
- Strong oral presentation skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Zambian nationals are encouraged to apply.
- Experience with DHIS2 platform and mobile data collection software.
- Understanding of USAID and PEPFAR standard indicators.