Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Job Description

Opportunity

Abt Associates seeks a qualified, French-speaking Senior Analyst / Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist to support the PMI VectorLink project with the International Development Division in Rockville, Maryland.

Abt Associates, a major American business and government research, technical assistance, and consulting company, manages the USAID-funded Vector Control Task Order 1. Task Order 1 will support the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and USAID to plan and implement an integrated vector control approach with the overall goal of reducing the burden of malaria. Abt has implemented indoor residual spraying (IRS) for PMI since 2011, delivering high-quality IRS programs and gathering the most comprehensive vector control entomological data in the world. Under this contract, Abt will expand entomological monitoring to guide programs focused on insecticide-treated mosquito nets and IRS and continue to assist PMI in reducing the burden of malaria through IRS and capacity building in 23 African countries and one country in Asia where malaria is endemic. Abt also will continue to support PMI in IRS monitoring and evaluation, as well as environmental compliance.

Under the supervision of the Operations Director, the M&E Specialist will work with country M&E Managers to develop and implement robust M&E systems and procedures, monitor country activity implementation, collect and report data on specified indicators, and create external M&E reports for submission to the client. The M&E Specialist will support the expanding francophone country portfolio under the PMI VectorLink project.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Establish and support routine M&E systems and procedures to enable country M&E Managers to track program activities, progress, and performance.
• Improve programmatic decision-making through data collection and reporting on vector control activities, which include community environmental management, IRS, and behavior change initiatives.
• Review and design M&E tools for data collection and reporting.
• Train country-level M&E Managers in the use of M&E systems and tools.
• Manage the mHealth activities for their country programs, including an SMS-based data aggregation system, smartphone-based supervisory form management, and large scale SMS campaigns to seasonal workers.
• Review M&E reports prior to their submission to the client and ensure timely dissemination of vector control data to relevant national stakeholders.
• Facilitate the sharing of lessons learned from design and implementation across multiple countries to build local capacity, improve established systems, and maximize communication across country projects.
• Provide short-term technical assistance to country teams during start up and implementation to help troubleshoot problems and ensure activities are conducted with high quality.

Preferred Skills / Prerequisites

• Master’s Degree in Public Health or other relevant field.
• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in program monitoring and evaluation; significant experience in malaria programs is desirable.
• Significant field experience in developing country context, especially in quantitative data collection and management.
• Experience in database management, DHIS2, MS Access, and Stata or SAS preferred.
• Familiarity with programs for data collection/ analysis a plus (e.g. ODK or SurveyCTO, Atlast.ti, ArcGIS, etc.)
• Experience and familiarity with USAID program monitoring and evaluation, and performance monitoring.
• Strong analytic and quantitative database management, budgeting, work planning, and report writing skills.
• Fluency or professional proficiency in French required.

Minimum Qualifications

• BA with 6 - 8 years of experience OR MA/MBA (3) years of experience OR PhD (Entry Level) OR the equivalent combination of education and experience.

About the Organization

Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1965, Abt Associates was built on the concept that sound information and empirical analysis are the best foundations for effective decision making. The firm blends the subject matter expertise of our staff with technical capabilities in applied research, program implementation, and data collection to shape policy, strengthen systems, measure performance, and deliver other solutions to our public and private sector clients. Examples of Abt Associates’ work include nationally recognized research, evaluation, and technical assistance to improve the efficiency of healthcare systems, the effectiveness of government housing programs, the production of food, and the measurement of public opinion. Abt’s staff of more than 2000 includes national and international experts who are known for their understanding of communities and governments worldwide, innovative research techniques, and insightful—and often groundbreaking—analyses and recommendations. Approximately 51 percent of our staff has graduate degrees; one in six has a doctorate. Our staff’s educational and professional disciplines include economics, engineering, environmental analysis, epidemiology, food security, health, housing, international development, psychology, social science, statistics, and survey methodology. Abt’s research staff is experienced with prominent statistical software packages, including SPSS, SAS, and STATA, along with qualitative software such as NVIVO and Atlas. In 2011, Abt Associates was ranked among the top 20 global research firms and one of the top 40 development innovators. Abt has offices in Atlanta, Ga.; Bethesda, Md.; Cambridge, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Durham, N.C.; and New York City and program offices in nearly 40 countries in Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. www.abtassociates.com