MERL Director - Ethiopia - EC

We are currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Director for the anticipated USAID Empowering Communities – Community Engagement project. The purpose of the Empowering Community Activity is to empower communities for better health and nutrition outcomes through community ownership of its own health and strengthened accountability systems.  **This position is subject to project award and funder approval and will be based in Ethiopia.

Position Description:
The MERL Director will oversee all aspects of monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning of the project. S/he will provide technical leadership to develop MERL plan and capture program intervention results, ensure high-quality, timely, valid ,and verifiable data collection and analysis, and develop and implement a learning agenda to inform policy makers and other stakeholders of the lessons learned. This individual shall be responsible for the overall knowledge management aspects of the project.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development, planning, and implementation of project monitoring, evaluation and learning activities. This includes development and dissemination of tools, materials, reports, papers, and intervention linked research
• Responsible for providing technical assistance, developing and setting up systems for the timely collection, management, analysis, and reporting of valid and reliable data that meet national and donor reporting requirements
• Design and implement MERL utilization plan both for internal and external audiences
• Develop and lead the implementation of a robust learning agenda for continuous learning, collaboration, and adaptation
• Supervise team of MERL professionals and support MERL capacity of partners and other stakeholders
• Undertake periodic reviews of program and/or country M&E systems and participate in planning M&E system strengthening actions. Provide guidance on information systems for quality assurance, as well as best practices documentation and reporting
• Oversee the publication and dissemination of information on successful and promising approaches, lessons learned and other program results to program partners, donors, Government counterparts and other key stakeholders

Minimum Requirements:

• Master's Degree or its international equivalent in a quantitative field required (economics, statistics, biostatistics, or other relevant field)
• A minimum of 8+ years of progressively responsible technical experience
• Demonstrated experience in design and implementation of M&E systems for USG-funded projects
• Experience and knowledge of theories of change, logic models, M&E plans, SBC and capacity strengthening indicators, data quality assurance, data utilization, and experience and expertise in developing and operationalizing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan
• Strong background or formal training in evaluating international development programs
• Experience with MERL capacity strengthening a plus
• Demonstrated expertise in rigorous quantitative and qualitative research and analytical methods and ability to articulate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Excellent report writing, analytical, and communication skills, including oral presentation skills
• Demonstrated statistical analysis skills and use of relevant software (SAS, SPSS, Epi Info, Atlas)
• Fluency in written and spoken English required; proficiency in local language preferred

This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.