M&E Advisor - MNCH

Pact, Inc.•, DC

About The Position

The M&E Advisor - MNCH provides hands-on monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) support to Pact’s maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) portfolio and broader health programming. Under the technical direction of senior Learning, Evidence and Impact (LEAP) staff and senior project staff, the advisor supports MERL system start-up, implementation and close-out, and performs core M&E tasks such as indicator and instrument development, data cleaning, quantitative analysis, data visualization and reporting. The advisor also provides capacity strengthening, technical backstopping and quality oversight to in-country project M&E leads so health projects produce high-quality data that meets donor requirements and is used for learning and adaptive management. The position is matrixed. For project work, the advisor works directly with and takes day-to-day direction from assigned Project Lead(s) or their designee. For new business and institutional work, the advisor works with and is directed by LEAP. The role contributes to new business by developing monitoring, evaluation and learning sections of MNCH and other health proposals, including theories of change, results frameworks, indicators and MEL plans. It requires practical knowledge of MNCH programs and their M&E requirements; HIV programming experience is an asset.

Requirements

Master’s degree and 8+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, health economics, biostatistics, demography or a related field.
At least 8 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation of international development programs, including at least four years supporting MNCH or broader RMNCAH+N programs.
Working knowledge of MNCH program approaches, standard MNCH indicators and data sources such as HMIS/DHIS2, DHS and MICS, and M&E requirements of major health donors.
Hands-on M&E experience, including developing MEL plans and indicators, designing data collection instruments, and cleaning and managing data.
Ability to conduct quantitative analysis and proficiency in at least one statistical software package such as Stata, R or SPSS, plus advanced Excel skills.
Experience providing technical assistance, training or mentoring to M&E staff, including reviewing others’ work for quality.
Experience contributing to the MEL sections of competitive proposals.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including ability to present data clearly to non-technical audiences, and strong attention to detail.
Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities and collaborate effectively across time zones with field-based teams.
Ability to work effectively in a matrixed structure, balancing direction and deadlines from multiple project and technical leads.

Nice To Haves

Econometrics or advanced applied statistics experience, particularly in health.
Experience with HIV programming and associated M&E requirements, such as PEPFAR MER indicators.
Proficiency in Power BI or a similar data visualization tool, including building dashboards.
Experience with DHIS2 and mobile data collection platforms such as KoboToolbox, ODK, SurveyCTO or CommCare.
Experience with qualitative methods and analysis software such as NVivo or Dedoose.
Professional working proficiency in French.
Experience overseeing and coordinating with international field offices.
Experience living or working in low- and middle-income countries.

Responsibilities

Lead MERL start-up for new MNCH and health projects, including developing MEL plans, results frameworks, indicator reference sheets and data flows; setting up data management systems such as Excel and DHIS2; and preparing for baseline and endline assessments.
Carry out project M&E tasks, including designing quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments, sampling, building digital data collection forms, cleaning and managing data, conducting quantitative analysis, and preparing tables, dashboards and visualizations such as Power BI products.
Lead and contribute to baseline, midline and endline assessments, special studies and evaluations under a principal investigator’s direction, including drafting terms of reference, protocols, tools, analysis plans and report sections.
Track project performance against targets and support preparation and review of quarterly and annual performance reports for accuracy, completeness and alignment with donor requirements.
Ensure project indicators and data systems align with national health management information systems (HMIS/DHIS2), global standard MNCH and health indicators, and donor M&E requirements.
Provide technical backstopping and quality oversight to project M&E leads by reviewing MEL plans, tools, datasets, analyses and reports, and following up on recommended improvements.
Plan and support routine data quality assessments and help projects resolve data quality issues.
Design and deliver remote and in-person training, coaching and mentoring for project and partner M&E staff on indicator measurement, data management, data quality, analysis, visualization and data use for decision-making.
Promote data use for learning and adaptive management, including supporting pause-and-reflect sessions and learning reviews with project teams.
Champion or provide technical leadership for health-related research and evaluation proposals.
Develop MEL sections of MNCH and other health proposals, including theories of change, results and logical frameworks, indicators and targets, MEL approaches and draft MEL plans, under senior LEAP staff guidance.
Review proposal MEL content for technical quality, feasibility, alignment with donor requirements and consistency with program design.
Contribute MERL staffing, budget and level-of-effort inputs, and compile project results and past performance information for proposals and capability statements.
Support Pact’s Global Indicators process for health projects, including mapping project data to global indicators, data cleaning and reporting.
Support use of imPact on health projects, including configuration requests, dashboards and user support.
Participate in the LEAP Community of Practice and contribute to LEAP tools, templates, guidance and learning products, particularly on MNCH and health measurement.
Coordinate with Pact health technical staff to share findings and support health learning agendas.
Comply with company policies and procedures, including completing required compliance training by its deadline and acknowledging completion.
Perform other duties as assigned.