ADRA Yemen – MONITORING, EVALUATION, LEARNING DIRECTOR- Yemen Mission Round MOMENTUM APS At Adventist Development and Relief Agency International

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Working under the supervision of the Chief of Party (COP), the MEL Director will provide technical leadership, oversight, and strategic direction for monitoring, evaluation and Learning (MEL) activities for an upcoming USAID-funded project in Yemen. S/he will oversee the monitoring, evaluation and learning components of this award. S/he will develop monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (MER) systems that include appropriate the design of routine monitoring and performance system, the design of baseline and endline surveys, developing indicators table including targets, and a plan to evaluate performance and produce timely, accurate, and complete reporting. The project is expected to improve health maternal, newborn and child health outcomes in over 20 districts in Yemen. This will be accomplished through focusing USG assistance on improved access, utilization, and quality of high impact Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) services in selected governorates. The ideal candidate will have experience implementing systems for adaptive management and learning. The MEL Director will supervise and manage the MEL team to design and implement project MEL activities, ensuring that lessons learned are integrated into project implementation to continuously improve quality of interventions and outcomes. The MEL Director is responsible for designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation systems, information analysis, capacity strengthening, and development of program management plans and project monitoring. The MEL Director is responsible for documenting and disseminating project successes and challenges to USAID. The MEL Director will liaise with consortium partners and the Ministry of Public Health and Population to implement M&E activities.

The MEL Director will be based in Aden. Actual hiring is contingent upon successful agreement award and USAID approval. The position is open to international candidates who have MEL experience in health and nutrition projects. Yemeni nationals and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lead the team to develop and implement the project Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) in coordination with the Chief of Party, the local MEL team, local stakeholders, to capture project performance and results, including routine service delivery data reporting, baseline and end-line surveys and all monitoring for process and outcome evaluations.
Develop and oversee data flow pattern for the project that will ensure timely data collection and reporting.
Ensure high-quality MEL implementation activities, which are consistent with the Yemeni national M&E guidelines, protocols, information, and reporting systems.
Support the integration of community-level data into the larger health information system.
Use evidence from multiple sources to contribute towards strategic decision-making and project planning.
Support strategic collaboration activities with key stakeholders to learn from evidence generated by the project and adapt interventions as appropriate.
Lead development of innovative ways of improving data collection and data entry at all levels (e.g. application of mobile phone technology).
Supervise routine data collection, including collaborating with the Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population to strengthen the HMIS system and use of data at the facility and district levels.
Design and implement mechanisms for continuous collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) for project staff, partners, donors, host country government counterparts, and other stakeholders
Develop, implement, and maintain a quality database(s) of project indicators and activities for RMNCH and other health areas to be specified by USAID.
Ensure the quality of data through data verification procedures including routine data quality audits.
Ensure data quality audits are routinely carried out during the project life cycle, and in close collaboration with the MOPHP.
Conduct annual internal Data Quality Assessment ensuring good quality MEL data and reporting
Improve the capacity of the MOPHP to analyze and use HMIS and other data for improved decision making.
Oversee and/or conduct targeted evaluations and operations research, including design, data collection, management and analysis in-line with international standards and ADRA’s Standard Operating Procedures.
Promote and support the dissemination of lessons learned and success stories among the project team, the Yemeni development community, and international stakeholders.
Supervise and develop capacity of a team of MEL professionals.
Develop strategy, prepare workplans and budgets, and provide relevant data to enable production of all quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports.

REQUIREMENTS:

An advanced degree in research methods, statistics, biostatistics, quantitative/qualitative data analysis, public health, social/behavioral sciences, or other relevant medical or health discipline
Minimum of 8 years working on monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning in the field of public health, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, family planning, and/or other infectious disease programs, as well as knowledge of monitoring of results-based financing programs preferably with USAID funded projects
Minimum of 5 years of experience in collecting, analyzing, and managing donor-funded project data for health projects
At least 3 years of experience with USAID’s CLA approach, including developing and integrating the CLA approach within project frameworks and leading CLA approaches across partners and technical focus areas to yield successful collaboration and integration
Demonstrated ability to use HMIS (DHIS2 or DATIM) for reporting or analysis
Demonstrated experience managing M&E systems consistent with USAID protocols for data collection and reporting
Proven expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, operations research, health management information systems, reporting, data quality assessments, quantitative and qualitative data analysis and presentation.
Strong technical skills, including ability to process and analyze data using one or more statistical software packages, including at least one of the following: SPSS, Stata or SAS.
Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with USAID, host-country counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector.
Demonstrated outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, and organizational, team-building, and representational skills.
Experience hiring and supervising personnel and ensuring they acquire the necessary training and skills to meet evolving project needs.
Demonstrated experience with PMP and MEL plans development and implementation
Excellent analytical and reporting skills coupled with proven ability in using visuals like graphs, charges, maps and GIS
Experience in using SPSS, STATA and other data analysis software’s is preferred.
Familiarity with USG administrative, management, and reporting procedures and systems
Strong oral and written communication and presentations skills in English and Arabic.
Experience living or working in Yemen is preferred

ESSENTIAL SOFT SKILLS:

Ability to coach, mentor and develop technical capacity of technical staff.
Excellent skills in facilitation, team building, and coordination
Excellent communication and writing skills, as well as negotiation and management skills.
Proven ability to multi-task, works independently, flexible and adaptable.

PREFERRED SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND FUNCTIONS: