MEL Director, Zambia Integrated Health Project

PACT Overview

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Department

Programs - Pact strives for a world where all people are heard, capable, and vibrant. The Programs Team helps realize this objective by bridging program management, technical support, and business development, enabling Pact to achieve its global strategy. We ensure program excellence through continuous learning, monitoring and evaluation and provide organizational and industry-wide thought leadership by leveraging a complementary set of cross-functional, multi-disciplinary skills, expertise, and experiences. The Programs team: influences progressive change through the development and implementation of global and regional strategies and business plans; supports advancement of innovative solutions; pursues new business opportunities; and drives effective internal and external engagement to maximize Pact’s impact across the globe. Across all aspects of its role, the Programs Department adheres to and promotes a culture of inclusion, accountability, and respect.

Position Overview

Pact seeks an experienced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Director for the anticipated upcoming USAID/Zambia Integrated Health Activity (ZIHA). USAID/Zambia intends to award a contract to support the USAID and PEPFAR objectives of 95/95/95, and to provide service delivery and technical assistance to improve MNCH and FP/RH services. ZIHA will improve, sustain, and further integrate HIV/AIDS, MNCH and FP/RH services at the health facility and community levels and ensure that client-centered, high-impact, high-quality services are available to Zambians. This is anticipated to be a five-year activity. This position is contingent upon award.

Key Responsibilities

• The MEL Director will lead the development and implementation of the MEL Plan taking into consideration the contract deliverables and conditions, including capacity building and robust monitoring of all activities.

• Train, supervise, and mentor a team of MEL staff.

• Develop and lead the roll out of activity-specific MEL tools in collaboration with relevant MEL staff, partners, and other activity staff.

• Support any Pact partners in developing data collection plans, activity results frameworks (input, output, outcome and impact), and relevant indicators and targets for result areas.

• Integrate and implement adaptive management and collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approaches, tools and strategies throughout the activity.

• Work closely with Pact headquarters to design and integrate developmental evaluation activities within the project, and to develop a Developmental Evaluation Plan that will include intervention areas to be monitored and evaluated for real time program improvement throughout the life of the project.

• Lead the development and institutionalize the utilization of centralized project data management and case management systems.

• Design and conduct MEL training for Pact partners on topics that may include MEL practices, adaptive management data quality, data analysis, and managing evaluations.

• Develop high quality quantitative and qualitative methods and participatory methodologies to monitor program quality for performance and results.

• Lead routine analysis of data for learning and adaptation; visualize and summarize data and communicate with senior staff.

• Integrate the use of innovative technologies, data platforms, and GIS mapping for data collection, management, and reporting.

• Collaborate with other staff and Pact partners to develop, review, and finalize monthly, quarterly and annual MEL workplans and budgets.

• Oversee the development of donor reports, ensuring that Pact meets all donor reporting requirements for MEL.

• Liaise with counterparts at international, government, non-government agencies involved in related activities and collaborate in promoting high quality results and complementary efforts.

• Serve as liaison to USAID MEL staff and other USAID implementing partner MEL staff.

• If needed, the MEL Director will coordinate with an external evaluation team contracted by USAID to conduct a performance evaluation.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree in a relevant field, such as: social science (international development, political science), statistics, or economics.

• At least seven years of experience in designing, managing, and implementing results-based MEL activities for large, complex international development programs.

• At least five years of progressive management responsibility

• Experience in Africa, preferably Zambia.

• Experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods.

• Experience in data analysis and data visualization with Excel, SPSS or other related software.

• Demonstrated experience with data management and case management systems

• Experience with strategic information systems

• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with USAID MEL requirements and CLA tools and approaches.

• Experience developing results frameworks, logical frameworks, or similar tools for project design.

• Demonstrated experience in designing and managing operational research and evaluations.

• Demonstrated experience in synthesizing and analyzing various data sources for learning and recommendations for programming adaptations.

• Experience training other organizations in MEL topics and methods.

• Effective writing and data visualization and presentation skills.

• Strong oral presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Zambian nationals are encouraged to apply.

• Experience with  DHIS2 platform and mobile data collection software.

• Understanding of USAID and PEPFAR standard indicators.