Monitoring, Evaluation, Researching, and Learning Advisor

Position Title: Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Advisor

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Reports to: Chief of Party

Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) is recruiting for an anticipated USAID-funded bilateral community health award that aims to deliver quality health services at the community level through community health cadres and their supporting systems.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Advisor will oversee all MERL, and continuous quality improvement activities of the project. They will lead the project’s collaboration, learning, and adaptation (CLA) agenda. They will lead the development and implementation of the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) and corresponding monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems and promote the use of information to guide performance management through well analyzed rapid and timely feedback. The MERL Advisor will work to include appropriate activities, frameworks, indicators, baseline data results, and a plan for monitoring and evaluating performance and for producing timely, accurate, and complete reporting. They will work closely with the project team to ensure that lessons learned are integrated into program implementation to continuously improve quality of interventions and outcomes. They will provide effective, accurate, and timely monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all project activities to the project management team, USAID, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other relevant Government of Liberia (GOL) line ministries. They will be responsible for ensuring effective bi-directional communication and learning between the project and service delivery implementing partners. The MERL Advisor will require specialized and advanced knowledge, education, and training in statistical analyses and/or qualitative research methods, and experience implementing these methods. This is a Key Personnel role approved by USAID.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Lead and supervise the development and updating of the AMELP plan and tools, ensuring ethical procedures and adherence throughout the project.
• Lead the collection and analysis of process data to monitor project activities.
• Design research protocols using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches for planning, monitoring, and evaluating community health programs.
• Develop and submit Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol and liaise with the local ethics review board.
• Develop a coordinated approach to data collection from project partners, followed by the collation and sharing of results, both internally with the team and externally with stakeholders.
• With the Chief of Party (COP), coordinate with partners and stakeholders including all levels of USAID and the MOH.
• Assure that CCP and the project team meet commitments to USAID for all project data, outputs, and other related activities by ensuring they are high-quality and evidence-based, submitting them in a timely manner, and engaging and leading training and capacity-strengthening efforts.
• Work with the program team to ensure proper documentation.
• Maintain efficient communication with Baltimore-based program and research teams.

M&E Systems and Tools

• Oversee the development and implementation of the AMELP and corresponding M&E systems, and provide strategic oversight, including the design of the monitoring framework and ongoing configuration of digital platforms (including visualization dashboards) to track outputs and intermediate outcomes as identified in the project’s AMELP.
• Utilize cutting edge or new technologies into digital platforms for data collection and monitoring.
• Develop standard operating procedures (manuals, trainings) for data collection, entry, and analysis, and management of devices related to data collection or use.
• Make adaptations to the project AMELP each year based on new or shifting program objectives and ensure adherence to the plan.
• Develop and co-facilitate training workshops, including development of agenda, curriculum, manuals, and materials necessary to appropriately train individuals involved in monitoring activities and data use.
• Conduct targeted evaluations and operations research, including design, data collection, management and analysis and develop protocols to be approved by the JHU and appropriate local institutional research boards
• Ensure compliance with USAID M&E policies within the project. Develop, as needed, the guidance, tools and mechanisms to operationalize USAID M&E policy requirements

Data Collection, Storage, Analysis, and Reporting, and Quality Assurance (QA)

• Supervise implementation of data collection activities, including all mobile data collection and GIS data, where relevant.
• Develop and implement QA procedures for data collection to ensure data accuracy and the validity and reliability of monitoring data and study results.
• Conduct site visits to ensure quality, reliability, and consistency of data and seamless flow from the selected site to the central office and onto the US-based team.
• Supervise the collection of data related to performance indicators required by the project, and report data on a regular basis into CCP’s global dashboard.
• Create, maintain, and safeguard electronic databases and any other data collection files in compliance with JHU data security requirements.
• Manage access permissions for data entry and dashboards to view monitoring output.
• Help prepare data for archiving as required by USAID’s Digital Data Archive policies. Track project performance and plan and track the utilization of related data in decision making on project strategies and priorities, and possible adjustments to design of project intervention.
• Track, analyze and produce comprehensive and succinct reports and documentation on indicators and measures.
• Oversee data cleaning and analysis monthly and produce graphs and reports for quarterly
• Develop a coordinated approach to data collection from project partners, followed by the collation and sharing of results, both internally with the team and externally with stakeholders.
• With the COP, coordinate with partners and stakeholders, including all levels of USAID and the MOH.

People Management

• Design and manage effective team structure to meet program goals.
• Supervise, coach, and mentor staff independently. May include:
  • Orient and train new staff members.
  • Conduct regular (at least quarterly) check-ins and annual performance reviews with all supervisees.
  • Identify and recommend appropriate professional development opportunities for supervisees.
  • Provide coaching and mentoring to promote continued growth and improvement among supervisees and other staff.
• Develop processes, tools, and routines that ensure the quality of work.
• Oversee and ensure the quality of work produced by staff or team. Provide information to others about their quality of work. This includes raising concerns about errors, omission, and poor-quality products to the staff member responsible for that work and requesting revision of work that is not high quality.
• Operate in compliance with all JHU policies and local employment laws.

Professional and Organizational Growth

• Contribute to global technical knowledge.
• Represent the project, CCP, and JHU at relevant external meetings and events. This may include delivering technical presentations, networking, relationship building, and initiating and following through with opportunities for collaboration.
• Stay abreast of technical updates.
• Engage and collaborate with other programs and staff across CCP.
• Recognize and address factors that might strategically impact a program or CCP, and lead implementation of solutions.
• Proactively seek opportunities to expand leadership and management skills.
• Request or initiate quarterly check-in meetings with supervisor to assess performance, strengths. and areas for improvement in your current position and establish professional goals.
• Identify opportunities for bringing new skills into CCP, including attending JHU courses and seminars, conferences. and external trainings.

Minimum Qualifications (required)

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics research methods, or behavioral science, monitoring and evaluation or bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with a minimum of fifteen (15) years’ experience above.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience working in M&E for large health programs, and at least five (5) years of experience managing and supervising teams.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Senior research experience in at least one of these technical areas: One Health, malaria, HIV/AIDS, maternal, newborn, and child health, with sufficient understanding in all the areas to provide guidance and guide collaboration and coordination efforts.
• Experience in working in Liberia, including excellent knowledge of the various counties and regions, and national issues impacting community health services and community cadres.
• Proven record of building teams and fostering collaboration to achieve program goals, meet program milestones, and produce quality program results.
• Skills in qualitative and quantitative analytic statistical software (e.g., STATA, SPSS) and qualitative software (e.g., Atlas.ti, NVivo), and proven ability in data visualization using graphs, charts, maps, and GIS.
• Experience in web-based data management system (preferably DHIS2 and/or Open Data Kit), and/or mHealth and mobile data collection.
• Demonstrated experience and familiarity with surveys, research methodologies, qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis, sampling methods, and establishment of MEL systems in developing country contexts.
• Ability to work independently in a high profile, fast-paced and multi tasked environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of USAID priorities.
• Exceptional communication skills in written and spoken English.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, or community health, with relevance to research.
• Liberian citizenship.
• Prior experience as MERL Advisor.
• Experience in West Africa.

Other Requirements

• May require up to 25% travel in Liberia, and internationally, as needed.
• Collaborate with US-based team on a routine basis.
• Excellent past performance references.
• Other duties may be assigned.

How to Apply

All candidates are encouraged to submit e-mail applications with copies of their current CV, cover letter and three professional referees. Please indicate which position you are applying for in the subject line of the email.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and must be received no later than 11:59 PM Liberia local time on September 20, 2024, at ccpliberia-hr@jh.edu

Please note: This position is contingent upon securing award and USAID approval of key personnel (if applicable).