Save the Children is seeking a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) , Research and Learning Advisor for an anticipated 5-year USAID-funded integrated health project in Mali. The project will support the Ministry of Health in scaling up high impact maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition services in an effort to improve health and nutrition outcomes for women of reproductive age and children under 5. The responsibilities of the M&E Advisor will be categorized into two areas of focus: (1) monitoring of project data and (2) leading project learning. The M&E Advisor will support the development of project monitoring tools and efficient systems to ensure high quality implementation. This position will incorporate best practices to ensure project information collected is of high quality and ensure its use for timely and accurate decision-making and course corrections when evidence suggest the need for change. The M&E Advisor will also support a rigorous approach to learning and adaptation driven by data that, in consultation with USAID, lead to refinements and adjustments to the activity’s technical approaches and annual work plans.
Routine Monitoring
- Provide leadership, training and mentoring to develop M&E Plans, M&E tools, survey design, methodology, and data analysis to assess program impact.
- Develop system for capturing and documenting data and relevant information on project activities, beneficiaries, outputs, outcomes, and impact. The system should use USAID’s Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles to integrate real time monitoring and learning back into the project strategy and program implementation and ensure knowledge sharing.
- Ensure programming is aligned to targets and indicators contained in project proposal, and use the information from the M&E systems and tools to improve the program effectiveness.
- Effectively rollout M&E collection and reporting systems to all staff and partners through training, site visits, manuals, and other technical support as needed.
- Provide ongoing support to maintain M&E systems; identify skill gaps and build capacity among project team.
- Capture appropriate cost and financial information to track money indicators, including benchmarking information to analyze program effectiveness and cost effective inputs.
- Prepare high quality, accurate and timely reports for Save the Children, project partners and donors as required.
Research
- Design methodology and coordinate research activities for project operations and assessments.
- Develop a preliminary learning agenda that identifies a limited number of questions related to the activity theory of change.
- Support all project reviews and evaluation activities, including coordinating mid-term and final evaluations, and supporting donor and external reviews;
- Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills, including database management.
- Minimum seven years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation related to health delivery systems.
- Strong analytical skills and an understanding of monitoring, evaluation and assessment tools to promote evidence-based learning.
- Ability to analyze complex data and summarize it for a range of audiences.
- Familiarity with USAID’s Collaboration, Learning & Adapting principles (ADS 201.3.5.19).
- Ability to gain support from staff across teams and to build the capacity of others.
- Sound strategic thinking and planning skills, including ability to think creatively and innovate and to set priorities, manageable work plans and evaluate progress.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French.
- Familiarity with the political, social, and cultural context of Mali is preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous experience working on USAID health programs.
- Experience using DHIS-2 platform at a national level