Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Director – USAID Care and Treatment Activity

Job Description

About Corus: Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class organizations working to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to end extreme poverty once and for all. We are a global leader in international development, with 150 years of combined experience across our brands. Our nonprofit and for-profit subsidiaries include IMA World Health and its fundraising brand Corus World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Brands. Our more than 500 employees around the globe are experts in their fields and dedicated to helping the world’s most vulnerable people break the cycle of poverty and lead healthy lives. Further details about the organization can be found at: https://corusinternational.org

Today, IMA offers extensive expertise in managing and implementing highly successful and complex donor-funded programs in nutrition, maternal and child health, health systems strengthening (HSS), malaria, HIV/AIDS, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). IMA has managed an average of $100 million annually over the last four fiscal years, through grants and contracts from FCDO, USAID, BHA, CDC, World Bank, the Global Fund, UNDP, MCC, and private donors.

About the Job: IMA World Health is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Director to lead an anticipated 5 year $25-$49.99 million USAID-South Sudan Care and Treatment activity. The project will work to provide Care and treatment services to newly HIV infected people and optimize outcomes for those living with HIV including key populations. The care and treatment activity aims to: i) Improve equitable access to and use of quality comprehensive HIV prevention, testing, care, and treatment services for all South Sudanese. ii) Provide quality comprehensive services for key populations at the current locations and expand as needed. iii) Develop local partner capacity and prepare local partners to manage direct awards.

The MERL Director will provide leadership to the technical and programmatic implementation of the program, including the design and implementation of the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) and corresponding information system to track delivery against targets. The MERL Director is responsible for designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation systems, information analysis, capacity strengthening, and development of program management plans and project monitoring. S/he will develop monitoring, evaluation, reporting and learning (MERL) systems that include appropriate indicators, baseline data, targets, and a plan to evaluate performance and produce timely, accurate, and complete reporting. Additionally, the MERL Director will guide the reporting processes among technical staff, ensuring timely, accurate and complete reporting.

The position will be based in Juba, South Sudan and will report to the Chief of Party. Actual hiring is contingent upon signed agreement and USAID approval.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate with the COP, DCOP and HQ MEL staff in the management of the MEL components, ensuring strategic planning of activities is informed by project and relevant HMIS data sets.
• Lead the design and implementation of all monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities, including the development of the project’s performance monitoring plan; development and monitoring of project indicators; implementation of project evaluation; quality assurance and auditing of data.
• Support strategic and operational decision-making for all MEL matters with a high degree of judgement based on specific problem-solving experience and a range of external and internal factors.
• Design and implement mechanisms for continuous collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) for project staff, partners, donors, host country government counterparts, and other stakeholders.
• Assist in the development of outcome and learning/program monitoring indicators for logframe and other purposes.
• Oversee a team of monitoring, evaluation, and learning staff for the project and ensure clear roles and responsibilities and lines of communication are maintained amongst the team members.
• Ensure that lessons learned are integrated into project implementation to continuously improve quality of interventions and outcomes.
• Strengthen MEL systems and processes to assure achievement and progress towards project objectives and outcomes.
• Support program teams and partners with project assessments/evaluation planning, ensuring that minimum criteria for quality evaluations and assessments are integrated into design and implementation.
• Lead the design and implementation of operations research.
• Undertake field visits to project sites; work with implementation teams to understand impacts, operational challenges, and continuously identify opportunities for learning and improvement.
• Responsible for documenting and disseminating project successes and challenges to USAID.

Qualifications:

• An advanced degree in research methods, statistics, biostatistics, quantitative/qualitative data analysis, public health, social/behavioral sciences, or other relevant medical or health discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in leading and/or managing monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning activities for large-scale health service delivery or HSS programs in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in collecting, analyzing, and managing donor funded project data of health projects.
• Experience overseeing development and implementation of M&E and knowledge management strategies relevant to international public health projects.
• Demonstrated experience setting up and managing MEL systems, consistent with USAID protocols for data collection and reporting.
• Knowledge of and experience with key HIV/AIDS, OVC and AGYW indicators
• Experience with USAID and PEPFAR data collection systems (e.g. DHIS2 and DATIM). Experience with Government of South Sudan data collection systems is a plus.
• Experience measuring compliance/adherence on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
• At least 3 years of experience with USAID’s CLA approach, including developing and integrating the CLA approach within project frameworks and leading CLA approaches across partners and technical focus areas to yield successful collaboration and integration.
• Familiarity with USG administrative, management and reporting procedures and systems.
• Strong analytical skills to successfully use data and evidence to guide program adaptations.
• Excellent ability to articulate oral and written technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Strong data visualization skills.
• Strong oral and written communication and presentations skills in English. Working knowledge of local South Sudanese languages is a plus.
• Experience living or working in South Sudan is preferred.
• Willingness and ability to travel to project sites throughout South Sudan.

About the Organization

Corus International is a family of organizations which believes that those who were born into impossible circumstances deserve the opportunity for a better life. Corus was formed through the strategic merger of IMA World Health (operating as a public health organization since 1960), and Lutheran World Relief (operating as a livelihoods organization since 1945), and today includes the smaller entities of Charlie Goldsmith Associates, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Coffee. Corus International works in over 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, with a primary focus on health, livelihoods, and emergency response.