FHI 360 is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research (MER) for a possible USAID-funded opportunity: Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Health Communication in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The activity will support Government of DRC efforts to expand access to sustainable health services and products, and increase understanding, acceptance, and demand for health services and resources. As USAID/DRC’s primary health communication project, the activity will build national capacity to design, implement, and evaluate coordinated, evidence- and theory -based, and innovative communications interventions related to reproductive health and family planning (FP/RH); malaria; maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH); nutrition; and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and other health issues.
The Director, MER will be responsible for the design, implementation, and technical quality of all monitoring, evaluation, and research activities on the project. The position will be based in Kinshasa and will report to the Chief of Party.
- Lead the design and implementation of the project’s monitoring and evaluation activities, including the development of the project’s Performance Monitoring and Learning Plan; development and monitoring of project SBCC indicators; implementation of baseline, midterm, and endline studies; oversight of data collection and analysis; synthesis of data and study outcome reports; and quality assurance and auditing of data
- Lead the design and implementation of the project’s research activities, including SBCC operations research, performance evaluations, SBCC impact evaluations, and rapid/special studies
- Lead efforts to identify key research questions and develop studies that test innovative strategies for addressing behavior change, ability to act, social norms, and other barriers to uptake of health services Lead a robust “collaboration, learning, and adaptation” agenda for the program, designing and implementing mechanisms for continuous learning, collaboration, and adaptation for project staff, partners, donors, host country government counterparts, and other stakeholders
- Oversee the dissemination of information on successful and promising SBCC approaches, lessons learned, and other program results to local, national, and regional-level intergovernmental bodies, donors, partners, and other stakeholders; promote forums which facilitate collaboration, learning, and action as a result of this information among these actors
- Ensure that data from the project is fed into national health management information systems and promote its use among stakeholders for learning and policy development and programming
- Build capacity of staff, implementing partners, government counterparts, and other stakeholders in program monitoring and evaluation, data collection and management, and research and learning methods for SBCC
- Ensure all research and evaluation conducted under the project include a gender focus that promotes gender equitable programming
- Ensure research implementation adheres to FHI 360 and international policies and standards and remains technically and ethically sound
- Usher research protocols through FHI 360 Internal Review Board and national external review processes
- Monitor and maintain relevant protocols, instruments, data sets, manuals, training materials, and reports
- Oversee a team of monitoring, evaluation, and research staff for the project and ensure clear roles and responsibilities and lines of communication are maintained amongst the team members
- Contribute to work plans, quarterly and annual reports, financial reports, and other reports and papers summarizing project results and evidence
- Deliver presentations at professional meetings and conferences
- Eight or more years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, and research efforts, preferably with respect to public health and the SBBC field
- Strong quantitative or mixed-method analytical skills and ability to articulate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Strong skills using MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access, and at least one data management software program (SAS, SPSS); experience training others in its use is highly desirable
- Experience with a USG cooperative agreement preferred
- Demonstrated ability to create and maintain effective working relations with host country government personnel, stakeholders, NGO partners, and international donor agencies
- Excellent report writing, analytical, and communication skills, including oral presentation skills
- Ability to work independently and manage a high volume work flow
- Language requirements: French, English, and one or more local languages
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