Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MERL) Director, USAID/Bangladesh Strengthening Local Level Health Systems Activity (SLLHS)

Job Description

Summary

Save the Children (SC) is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Director for the anticipated 5-year USAID-funded Strengthening Local Level Health Systems (SLLHS) program in Bangladesh. The program focuses on improving health outcomes for all Bangladeshis. This will be done through support to local health authorities to strengthen systems to deliver quality, equitable, and integrated public health services. The project will be designed to align closely with the current objectives of the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) so that activities are complementary and create sustainability.. The MERL Director will lead a team of MERL staff, design and oversee the implementation of the project’s MERL tools, systems, strategies, assess implementation progress, capture project learning, and support the other members of the project leadership team to apply data to enhance the impact and reach of activities.

Hiring is contingent upon successful award of the project and USAID approval of the proposed candidate.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Lead the development and implementation of monitoring, evaluation research, the learning (MERL) plan, indicator, performance indicator reference sheet (PIRS), performance data table (PDT), performance indicator tracking table (PITT), methodologies, learning agenda, , and tools that will enable the project to capture, assess, and use data on activities, participants, outputs, outcomes, and impact to inform program implementation.
• Ensure data quality assessment is aligned with USAID guidelines, capture, and share the project learning by applying the collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approach.
• Drive the project’s overall learning agenda to derive lessons learned and best practices from project activities and contribute to quarterly program evaluations.
• Ensure standard and custom indicators are aligned to program activities and strategies and reasonable targets are set for the project to achieve.
• Effectively rollout MERL systems and tools to all staff and partners by providing training and ongoing mentoring to ensure appropriate use.
• Provide on-going support to maintain MERL systems, identify skill gaps, and build capacity among the project team.
• Prepare high-quality, accurate, and timely reports for USAID, the GOB, and Save the Children.
• In consultation with the GIS Specialist at USAID/Bangladesh, provide program/activity location data as derived from the geographic positioning system (GPS) units or through a digital map interface.
• Design the methodology and coordinate research activities for project operations and assessments.
• Support Save the Children International (SCI) to oversee implementation of a baseline study, annual surveys, mid-term reviews, and/or final evaluations on the indicators, including the review of tools, survey methodology, and review of data quality.
• Design and maintain integrity of the project’s MERL database by ensuring all staff have passwords relevant to their job responsibility to ensure security of the database, in coordination with SCI.
• Contribute to the development of project learning and apply Save the Children’s vision and values in day-to-day work, and fully adhere to SC’s Code of Conduct.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public health/Statistics/Mathematics/ Economics/International development/Social science or other relevant discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in MERL, learning, accountability, and adaptive management of donor-funded family planning (TB), nutrition, tuberculosis, nutrition, maternal and newborn child health (MNCH), or other health programs.
• Experience in managing complex databases (e.g. directorate general of family planning (DGFP) management information system (MIS), electronic MIS, and Logistic MIS) integrating geographic information system (GIS) modules into databases and designing mobile data collection tools to facilitate population of databases.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing facility, system strengthening, community-based monitoring systems, and conducting research and evaluations, especially for health programs.
• Experience in social and behavior change, and/or health systems strengthening, and/or District Health Information System (DHIS, version 2).
• Advanced training in quantitative methodologies, including database management.
• Experience in qualitative research techniques, including analysis software.
• Explicit understanding about USAID reporting, frequency, project performance report (PPR), development information solution (DIS), implementing mechanism (IM) narrative, key issue (KI) narrative, Feed the Future Monitoring System (FTFMS), development data library (DDL), deviation narrative, and data requirements.
• Creative problem solving skills with the ability to work effectively in resource-constrained environments.
• Familiarity with emerging trends in MERL in the context of Bangladesh, in particular within the health, FP, and nutrition sector.
• Demonstrated leadership working with other technical experts in MERL and research in the international community and at the host country level. Experience with USAID programming highly preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Strong analytical skills and an understanding of monitoring, evaluation, and assessment tools to promote evidence-based learning.
• Skills in quantitative analytical methods, data collection and analysis, and establishing MERL systems.
• Demonstrated team leader and player with effective cross-cultural interpersonal skills and able to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse partners and lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills with the ability to analyze complex data and summarize it for a range of audiences.
• Creative problem-solving skills with the ability to work effectively in resource-constrained environments.

About the Organization

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU!

About Save the Children

No matter your role when you join Save the Children, each and every day you will challenge yourself to devote your skills, talent and expertise to changing the world for kids. It’s an ambitious goal, and a meaningful one no matter how you see yourself professionally: an accountant, a writer, a data analyst, a teacher, a driver, a designer, or any one of the hundreds of dozens of roles we’re looking to fill every day.

You see, Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.