Deadline of this Job: 10 January 2023
JOB DETAILS:Statement of Duties to be Performed
Program/Project/Activity Performance Management and Reporting 40%
• Provides senior/high level technical guidance to Health Office, Mission staff, IPs, and other USG agencies on MEL concepts, processes, design, training, and best practices.
• Provides expert direction and technical guidance in the implementation of the Health Office portions of the Mission Performance Management Plan (PMP), and Health Office responsibilities from Mission PMP; and SI and MEL services and support to IPs in the development and implementation of program/project/activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plans.
• Provides guidance to IPs in understanding of the Performance Monitoring Plan systems, and their role in the process, and advises on specific measurement techniques appropriate for their programs/projects/activities.
• Provides technical strategic information (SI) and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) expertise to the Program Office, USAID/Washington, and other USG agencies to in order to plan and manage Health Office responsibilities related to the PMP, including collection, assessment of validity, and improving data quality.
• Develops innovative and cross-cutting monitoring tools, including Data Quality Assessment and Improvement (DQA/I) tools in coordination with the Program Office and SI/MEL contractors; tracks and maintains multiple sets of key indicators, common indicators related to standard components in all USAID programs/projects/activities, indicators at the strategic objective level, and detailed indicators at the activity level; and, ensures proper collection of data, and that indicators serve is an appropriate measure of their corresponding result.
• Provides technical leadership to CORs/AORs and IPs to ensure activity work plans and monitoring plans include relevant and effective performance measures, which together provide greater results and more accurate measurements.
• Leads, designs, and performs assessments/studies/research requiring independent analysis and interpretation, on a regular and recurring basis; studies and research are cross-cutting and include substantive and often sensitive Mission and Health Office topics. Briefs Health Office and Mission leaders on findings and makes recommendations to impact strategic, operational, and programmatic direction.
• Provides expert guidance to Health Office technical staff on defining measurable indicators and targets for desired results addressed by their program/project/activity, and edits quarterly, semi-annual, and annual performance Reports.
• Leads USAID’s support to the host government for the development and management of a national information system, and a central repository (data warehouse) for Health data; and serves as USAID point of contact for Health data and information systems.
Evaluation and Organizational Learning 30%
• Provides technical guidance and leadership to ensure evaluations are properly planned and carried out in a high-quality and professional manner, by aiding Health Office CORs/AORs to draft appropriate Scopes of Work (SOWs) for evaluation Teams, by actual participation in and/or leading evaluation Teams, and by ensuring that Team comments on draft evaluation reports are reflected in final reports.
• Leads a team in the development and execution of an evaluation plan that ensures compliance with USAID Evaluation Policy. Advises thematic teams/working groups and technical specialists on planning, designing, and implementing appropriate Evaluation Plans.
• Provides technical guidance and leadership to other USG agencies in the development, preparation, and dissemination of results of Public Health evaluations, Demographic Health Surveys, etc.
• Leads cross-cutting evaluations, and supports prioritization and implementation of recommendations, as required.
• Manages the Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) component of Health Office activities.
• Organizes and leads roundtables and consultations with Health Office staff, IPs, and other stakeholders to develop a Learning Agenda for Health interventions; identifies mechanisms for implementing research; and manages implementation of research and evaluation activities and dissemination of results.
• Provides technical leadership and oversight to the Ministry of Health and other host-country government staff to ensure that national-level data is available and reliable and works with inter-agency Heads of Departments and senior technical staff to ensure that USG data contributes to an accurate picture of the situation on the ground, that double-counting is avoided, and that results are attributable to USAID (and USG) interventions.
Project Management 10%
• Serves as a C/AOR and/or Activity Manager for SI/MEL programs/projects/activities awarded through the Health Office, providing financial and programmatic oversight to ensure contracts and grants achieve anticipated results, and are linked to and enhance attainment of the Health Office, Mission, and USG objectives.
• Conducts site visits as required in order to monitor progress, and to provide technical and programmatic recommendations to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and judicious use of USG funding.
Representation 20%
• Represents the Health Office, Mission, and USG at national and/or international technical and programmatic meetings, and in consultations with other social sector donors, government officials, and IPs.
• Provides technical and strategic leadership in the preparation of key annual and mid-term planning reporting documents including the Country Operational Plan, Operational Plan, Congressional Budget Justifications, Technical Notifications, Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual Progress Reports.
• Drafts talking points and/or speeches for the Office Chief, Mission Director, Ambassador and others, as required, and prepares briefing papers, presentations, and coordinates site preparations for VIP site visits.
Supervisory Relationship
The Project Management Specialist (Strategic Information / Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning [SI/MEL]) works under the very general supervision of the Health Analytics Team Leader, and the closer but general supervision of the Center of Excellence Director for Family Health Programs. The supervisor makes assignments in terms of overall objectives and resources available. Completed work is reviewed in terms of achievement of program/project/activity goals, effectiveness in meeting host-country and USAID objectives, and integration with other initiatives in the Office and Mission portfolio. Some technical direction may come from other professionals in the Office; in general, however, the Senior Specialist will be expected to exercise considerable autonomy and best judgment in discharging the duties of the assignment.
Supervisory Controls
Continuing supervision of other Division and Office staff is not anticipated. The Senior Specialist may be assigned as a group/Team Leader but will not serve as a full supervisor. The Senior Specialist is expected to serve as mentor to C/AORs, Assistant-level staff, and others in SI and MEL systems and processes, and to provide other work guidance as assigned.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
• Any application that does not meet the minimum requirements stated below will not be evaluated.
• Education: Completion of a US-style University Master’s Degree in a field related to social science, statistics, mathematics, mathematics, economics, computer science, epidemiology, health informatics, public health, infectious disease, zoonotic disease, biology or other quantitative discipline, or the local equivalent, is required.
• Prior Work Experience: Five years of progressively responsible job-related professional-level experience in monitoring,evaluation, and learning (MEL) and other surveillance systems, evaluation of program/project/activity implementation, in direct program/project/activity management, or in a closely related activity is required. At least two years of this experience in a development-oriented workplace, or a related field, for USAID, other donor agencies, host-country organizations, or private-sector i11nstitutions, and which included project design, performance monitoring, and/or the analysis and interpretation of large amounts of data, is required.
• Language Proficiency: Level IV (Fluent) English and Kiswahili is required.
EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS
The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.
Job Knowledge (55 points)
The Senior Specialist must have in depth, professional-level knowledge of development approaches and methods for performance analysis, data visualization, and program design, monitoring and evaluation. The Senior Specialist must have excellent knowledge of MEL systems, public health programming, and international donor operations in the sector. The Senior Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics of the host country; development problems in the health sector in the host country and the region; an understanding of the resources, resource constraints, and overall development prospects and priorities of the host country and the region. The Senior Specialist must have working knowledge of USG legislation, policy, and practice relating to monitoring, evaluation, and learning, and of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and of the objectives, methodology, and status of assigned activities.
Skills and abilities (45 points)
The Senior Specialist must have the ability to plan, organize and execute complex SI/MEL activities, including the ability to provide technical leadership and apply this ability to programming in the host country and the region. The Senior Specialist must have the ability to issue precise and accurate factual reports using rigorous analytical and interpretive skills. Excellent communication skills both writing and speaking, especially in being able to communicate technical subjects to individuals with nontechnical background. This role requires the ability to respond professionally and adjust in fluid situations in order to meet deadlines in the face of competing priorities and time pressures. Excellent computer and software skills including ability in excel, SPSS, STATA, R and/or other analytical databases.
Deadline of this Job: 08 January 2023
JOB DETAILS:DCA is seeking to recruit an experienced and energetic Kenyan National for the following position: Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Officer to be based at the DCA Field Office, Nakuru County - with travels to DCA Kenya Counties of Operations. The MEAL Officer will report to the Area Programme Manager, with technical support and supervision from the Nairobi-based Programme Officer – Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and Partnerships (DMEP).
The main responsibilities of the MEAL Officer are:
• Drive project output and outcome monitoring and ensure that information reporting and sharing systems fulfil needs of DCA, communities, government, relevant agencies, donors, and other stakeholders and are in line with MEAL standards.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and learning activities, and monitoring behaviour change and adaptation across project partners and stakeholders.
• Support the project teams to enhance the learning process by creating assessment materials to measure the effectiveness of the courses learnt by partner teams as well as communities.
• Lead in researching and implementing new and emerging technologies in learning experience design, data analysis, information access and knowledge management.
• Facilitate collaborative planning sessions to finalize learning activities that address learning questions of relevance to key stakeholders.
• Drive research and practice on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) approaches including relationships with private sector, academic and research institutions.
• Initiate mechanisms for accountability to our stakeholders through information sharing and development of a complaints or feedback mechanism which can help to guide programme implementation.
• Support the Project Coordinators in working with the local government technical officers and partners to catalyse project implementation.
• Work with lead project staff, partners, and target communities/beneficiaries in participatory project design approaches.
• Participate in project reviews – coordinate implementation of baselines and evaluations according to DCA DME framework.
• Build capacity of project staff and partners on project design, development of programming approaches, Monitoring and Evaluation as well as encouraging cross agency learning
• Carryout out routine data quality assessment on program/project monitoring data collected including that collected by partners before it is used for reporting.
• Undertake collection of primary and secondary data, and analysis to inform assessment for potential interventions in the target communities; special studies/operation research studies required to improve the project.
• Compile project data reports, including reports from CommCare, to inform evidence-based decision making at project levels; and for use in preparation of project quarterly reports, semi/annual project reports; and for dissemination to project team members, donors, and other partners, as necessary.
Required Education and Experience
Education:
• A holder of a degree in Statistics, Social Sciences, ICT, Development Studies, Project Management or other relevant field required. A master’s degree would be an added advantage.
Experience:
• A minimum of three years of professional experience in monitoring and evaluation, preferably with INGOs.
• Experience in the usage of Digital Data Collection software such as Kobo, ODK, Magpi, and Commcare.
• Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis and visualisation using at least three softwares: MS-Excel, STATA, SPSS, Power Bi, NVIVO and other data management software.
The desired candidate should have;
• Ability to work independently to troubleshoot, perform root cause analysis, identify and isolate technical issues.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivation, creativity, and should perform without close supervision.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English is required.