Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Director

Job Description

The Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research (MER) is a full-time position based Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and will report directly to the Project Director. Local national and international candidates are welcome to apply for this position.

The Last Ten Kilometers 2020 (L10K 2020) is a JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. L10K 2020, working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health of the Government of Ethiopia (FMOH), Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs), national and regional institutes, and other implementing partner organizations, works to strengthen the capacity of regional and zonal health systems to implement the transformation agendas of Ethiopia’s Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) 2015 – 2020. The four transformation agendas are - woreda transformation, quality and equity of health services, compassionate and respectful care, and the information revolution. The goal of L10K 2020 Project is to ensure optimum coverage of high impact reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) interventions and contribute towards reaching Ethiopia’s post-Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for reducing maternal, newborn and child mortalities.

The MER Director will be the focal point for L10K 2020 project monitoring and evaluation (M&E), research, and learning to strengthen health systems and ultimately improve health outcomes. S/he will help forging strong working relationships among policymakers and technical and research professionals to advance L10K’s efforts to contribute towards the achievement of Ethiopia’s HSTP targets.

Additionally, s/he will work with project staff, local partners and stakeholders, and BMGF to ensure the proper design and implementation of all monitoring, evaluation, and research activities. This includes indicator development and tracking; development of metrics to assess improvements in program outcomes; project targets/benchmarks; data quality assurance approaches; capacity building; knowledge management and ensuring data informs future programming and continuous program quality improvement. S/he will report to the L10K Project Director and will work closely with project technical and management staff to ensure the integration of strategic information across programmatic activities.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage development and implementation of project evaluation and performance measurement, including the project’s evaluation and performance measurement plan, routine monitoring and evaluation, information systems, and the design and implementation of activities;
• Develop and apply standards and mechanisms to ensure overall technical quality of evidence-related activities including: strategic planning, project planning, performance monitoring plans, performance monitoring, assessments, research, and evaluation;
• Ensure project has well-defined results and reporting protocols;
• Coordinate standardization and streamlining of data collection and reporting; including insuring that all data collection is high quality and adheres to ethical standards.
• Ensure project related data is captured, documented and reported to BMGF as required;
• Support the development of technical briefs to build evidence based policy and practice and to improve MNCH care practices;
• Oversee the project’s strategic learning component, ensuring research findings are used for future programming and planning, drive strategic discussions, and foster continuous improvement.
• Lead preparation of project research and publications for peer review, and lead the team in identifying and preparing for representation of L10K 2020 activities in global health fora.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 15 years of international public health experience with a focus on high-quality design and implementation of M&E systems and use of data to improve program performance and policies;
• Master’s Degree in public health, statistics, information systems, epidemiology, biostatistics, business, or a related field is required;
• Demonstrated ability to supervise staff, including mentoring and capacity building, and strong communications and interpersonal skills;
• Experience working on health-related programming in Ethiopia preferred;
• Experience designing, implementing, and managing MER-related activities for international donor programming required and MNCH and health systems strengthening experience preferred;
• Ability to analyze multiple sources of data to identify data trends and provide recommendations on project implementation;
• Experience working with stakeholders to successfully design, manage, and implement information systems and monitoring and evaluation plans;
• Ability to build consensus on complex areas around generation and management of strategic information.
• Open mindset and a history of using innovative approaches, with excellent critical thinking, problem solving and leadership skills.
• Deep understanding of advanced principles, theories, techniques, and methods of research and M&E, including qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

About the Organization

John Snow, Inc., and our nonprofit JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., are public health management consulting and research organizations dedicated to improving the health of individuals and communities throughout the world. Our mission is to improve the health of underserved people and communities and to provide a place where people of passion and commitment can pursue this cause.

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