MEL Advisor, MNCH Zimbabwe

Summary Of Role

IntraHealth seeks a qualified candidate for the position of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Advisor for an anticipated five-year Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) Activity in Zimbabwe. The goal of the project will be to improve demand for and the availability of MNCH services to improve health outcomes in the country, by increasing the use of MNCH services, targeting hard-to-reach populations; strengthening community systems and linkages for integrated MNCH services; and improving Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC) capacity for MNCH policy implementation.

The MEL Advisor will monitor the project’s progress, track performance indicators, and provide advice on activity adjustments needed for the project to be more responsive to evolving local conditions. The MEL Advisor will also play a leading role in galvanizing other staff responsible for the delivery of key activity results, and in the preparation and on time delivery of scheduled reports and data submission. The MEL Advisor will ensure a robust M&E data system to enhance the collection, management, and analysis of program data and to track and report progress towards achieving results.

This position will be based in Harare and is contingent upon funding availability and USAID approval. Zimbabwean nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Essential Functions

• Provide direct support and technical assistance for the development and implementation of the project’s monitoring and evaluation system.
• Ensure timely submission of all reports, ad hoc requests and targets to USAID/Zimbabwe.
• Lead the development and implementation of program evaluations, assessments, and research related activities.
• Support the project team to develop and use harmonized data capture tools and data analysis plans for reportable indicators at all levels, ensuring timeliness, quality, and completeness of data.
• Mentor and support the project team in the regular use of data at all levels to target and/or adapt programming.
• Support HMIS strengthening and use of strategic information for decision making by MOHCC, regional, district, and local health committees.
• Ensure data quality by conducting and participating in data quality assessments (DQAs) on all project indicators.
• Supervise the MEL team and provide technical support, training and mentoring to MEL officers and technical staff as needed.
• Compile and visualize project data to facilitate regular data review meetings.
• Lead project evaluation and learning activities to facilitate adaptive management.
• Collect and disseminate best practices and lessons learned from the project and prepare technical reports based on results to assist project in knowledge sharing.
• Work with the DCOP in monitoring the implementation of quality improvement (QI) activities and development and use of QI tools
• Research, compile, write, and submit information, including results and their analysis, for project reports, including the quarterly and annual reports, and respond to requests for data from USAID and other stakeholders.
• Ensure the continuous monitoring of program progress in close collaboration with MOHCC, USAID, and other implementing partners.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in demography, statistics, economics, public health, epidemiology or another similar field.
• Seven years of work experience in the area of monitoring, evaluation and learning in Zimbabwe, or a neighboring country.
• Proven expertise in quantitative and qualitative research and analytic methodologies and operations research.
• A firm command of the MEL issues with respect to MNCH and FP/RH; experience with U.S. government MNCH indicators.
• Good knowledge of DHIS2.
• Demonstrated experience in managing a team of professionals and collaborating with government officials at all levels.
• Demonstrated skills in data management and quantitative and qualitative analysis skills; and use of relevant analysis software (SPSS, STATA, Epi Info, Atlas.ti, ArcGIS).
• Experience in data presentation, visualization, and use.
• Demonstrated relevant professional excellence with a similar activity in Zimbabwe or Southern Africa.
• Excellent interpersonal, writing and English language oral presentation skills.
• Zimbabwean nationals strongly encouraged to apply.