Pact seeks Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MERL) Manager

Position Purpose

Pact seeks an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MERL) Manager for the USAID/Ukraine Public Health Systems Recovery and Resilience Activity. This activity will strengthen public health capacities, standards, outreach services, and access to essential health care services during crises such as COVID-19 and other health-related challenges, as part of supporting Ukraine’s pathway to self-reliance. This is to be a five-year activity.  

Key Responsibilities

The MERL Manager provides management for successful monitoring and evaluation of the program; as well as for generating and translating evidence to inform programmatic adaptation. The MERL Manager will contribute to the design and oversee a monitoring, evaluation, research and learning system that integrates known standard best practices with innovative methods; and is responsible for ensuring the functional integration of all MERL activities as well as active collaboration with sub-awardees. This individual  contributes to building M&E capacity of staff and partners; and promotes local ownership and sustainability through participatory and empowerment methods. The MERL Manager ensures adherence to USAID, Pact and international standards regarding ethical and high-quality data collection and utilization.

 

Specific Duties

The specific duties to be carried out by the successful candidate are listed below:

• Contribute to the design and implementation of the project’s MERL system under the oversight from the project M&E/SI Sr. Advisor and in coordination with Pact’s LEAP Team.
• Adapt MERL system as needed with the changing Ukrainian context while maintaining accurate collection & timely reporting of standard indicators.
• Develop a system for monitoring progress towards intended results through identifying key performance indicators and developing standard data collection tools.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of a comprehensive project data management system, including effective, efficient and secure flow of data from collection through compilation, storage, analysis and reporting.
• Systematize data quality into all MERL activities to ensure validity, reliability, precision, integrity, timeliness of data, including through Routine Data Quality Assessments (RDQA) and implementation of corrective actions to improve data quality and accountability of staff and partners.
• Provide data analysis, writing, and review of the results and learning sections of program reports in collaboration with program staff, before submission to donor.
• Integrate participatory MEL methods for promoting local ownership and sustainability; and ensure inclusive and gender-sensitive MEL.
• Contribute to co-creation with key stakeholders a targeted learning agenda aimed at generating evidence to guide adaptation of current activity and design of future interventions in public health system recovery and resilience, and lead operationalization of the agenda and dissemination of findings.
• Provide appropriate capacity development and supportive supervision for staff in monitoring and evaluation procedures, data collection tools, and data management practices in alignment with the MEL plan.
• Work closely with partners to establish their internal MERL systems, M&E plans, and data quality management, oversee partners’ compliance with MEL system, and design and conduct trainings to support capacity for MEL among partners.
• Produce learning products and thought leadership pieces relevant to the project intervention; present in conferences or on webinars regarding project’s MERL successes.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree in any of the following or related fields: public health, epidemiology, social science, research & evaluation, statistics
• At least 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience in designing, managing, and implementing results-based MERL activities for public health sector
• At least 3 years of supervisory experience
• Demonstrated relevant technical skills in collecting, analyzing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data for public health interventions and effectively packaging the findings
• Successful experience integrating participatory and empowerment MEL approaches
• Strong technical knowledge and experience in evaluation methodology
• Extensive knowledge of and experience with USAID M&E requirement, guidelines, and tools for monitoring, evaluation, and CLA in public health interventions
• Extensive experience with data management systems, including cloud-based
• Strong skills in M&E technical capacity development of others
• Ability to collaborate well with multiple stakeholders
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, i.e., Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc., and relevant statistical software programs
• Experience in Eastern Europe, preferably in Ukraine
• Fluency in Ukrainian, Russian and English (excellence in oral and written communication)

 

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with DHIS2 platform and mobile data collection software
• Strong data visualization skills including proficiency in data visualization software
• Experience in integrating gender sensitive and social inclusive MEL
• Knowledge and experience in complexity-aware evaluation methods
• Ukrainian nationals are encouraged to apply

To apply please send cover letter and CV to pactukraine@pactworld.org no later than June 23, 2022.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.