The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) | West, supports disease-endemic countries to control and/or eliminate NTDs with proven, cost-effective public health interventions. Building on the successes that have been achieved through previous USAID investments to expand national, integrated NTD programs, Act to End NTDs | West will continue to support countries in their advancement towards the attainment of global elimination goals, and to support them to effectively access and leverage the drug donations needed to control NTDs that cannot be eliminated with current strategies.
Over the next four years (2019–2023), the Act to End NTDs - West program will work towards the achievement of the following end results:
- Result 1: Elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF), trachoma, and where feasible, onchocerciasis in Africa.
- Result 2: Sustainable national NTD programs (NTDPs).
- Result 3: Robust country capacity to implement and maintain ongoing MDA and disease surveillance for soil transmitted helminths (STH), schistosomiasis (SCH), and in some cases, onchocerciasis.
The FHI 360-led consortium will use its NTD expertise and implementation experience in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo to help these countries eliminate and/or control NTDs using proven, cost-effective interventions.
FHI 360 is seeking a qualified NTD Data Analyst and M&E Data Manager to join the MEL (Monitoring Evaluation and Learning) team which supports the NTD program, Act to End NTDs | West, implemented by the FHI 360 consortium. This position will report to the Director of MEL and the incumbent will have to maintain a good working relationship and proper channel of communication with program staff, with other advisors in the regional ACT | West team, with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with subgrantees and with national NTD Programs of the ACT | West implementing countries.
The position will be based in Washington, DC.
- Supports countries to maintain Excel-based program and disease NTD workbooks that gather the necessary available NTD data to be uploaded to the USAID NTD database for monitoring program activities and progress towards the elimination and control of selected NTDs.
- Liaises with countries to obtain most up-to-date figures for NTD program and disease workbooks and cleans submitted workbooks to ensure consistent and coherent data
- Adapts existing SAS code to facilitate data preparation steps, which includes pulling data from USAID NTD Database, running cleaning protocols, and creating a single, master dataset for all countries and all indicators.
- Coordinates data management, documentation and dissemination within the Act | West program. Coordinates the review of program data through a continuous process that involves USAID, sub grantees, and national NTDPs.
- Monitors program performance including NTD program coverage and NTD program progress in stopping mass drug administrations (MDAs).
- Trains and advises sub-grantees and national NTDPs on the use of M&E tools and implementation of M&E processes, including indicators, data collection techniques and methodologies, data collection and analysis, and reporting protocols
- Updates and runs existing SAS-based software planning tools and trackers for each country to track upcoming mass drug administrations (MDAs) and disease specific assessments (DSAs) in order to facilitate program implementation planning
- Responds and/or manages responses to last minute and urgent ad hoc data requests from donor (e.g., in support of disease data review days) and program colleagues (e.g., in support of presentations at meetings and/or conferences), which includes working with technical staff to define their data needs and to fulfil them, as well as interpreting data verbally and in writing
- Serves as M&E country backstop for one or more country in the Act | West portfolio of countries.
- Develops and directly contributes to the development and implementation of M&E tools and systems to improve ability to collect, interpret and aggregate data that demonstrate impact and program accountability and progress.
- Collaborates with other program staff (particularly the Epidemiologist and Learning Lead) in undertaking simple and complex data analyses using SAS, SPSS or Stata in support of research questions that further the learning agenda.
- Conducts searches of published literature on evolving issues in assigned technical area.
- Conducts analysis and visualization of data from routine systems and special studies to identify areas for improvement and target technical interventions.
- Prepares reports, papers, and other graphics summarizing program results. Writes and edits technical reports and documents on global and country-specific performance.
- Assists with developing publications, web pages, and presentations. Assists in documenting program successes, best practices and lessons learned in peer-reviewed journals.
- Participates in and represents the ACT | West program in international M&E meetings organized by key players within the international NTD community.
- Facilitates routine reporting of implementation results, which includes manipulating various datasets using SAS code to produce: tables for Semi-Annual Reports (SARs), annual reports, and workplans, as well as data needed as input by the in-house GIS cartographers for map generation.
- Performs other duties relating to M&E as may be directed by the MEL Director.
- At least five (5) years of experience on M&E in health sector data systems. Experience in data management and data analysis activities for infectious diseases program in Africa is necessary. Experience in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) is a plus.
- Fluency in English required; fluency in French is an asset.
- Very strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., abilities with pivot tables, conditional formatting, etc.) and experience developing Excel templates required
- Proficiency in the remaining MS Office Suite (Word, Power point and Access) required
- Extensive knowledge and experience with a statistical analysis package such as SAS, SPSS, or STATA essential
- Experience in writing advanced SAS code (e.g., abilities in SAS macros, arrays and do-loops), and experience in interpreting advanced SAS code with minimal documentation or context an asset
- Experience in processing large datasets from multiple sources
- Ability to program in SQL and to manage data in relational database management system is required
- Knowledge of other software such as ARCGIS is an advantage.
- Excellent written and verbal presentation skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong ability to plan, organize, prioritize work, and multi-task to meet tight deadlines.
- Ability to work in multi-cultural setting