Program Cycle Specialist

Overview of the Company

Social Solutions International, Inc. (Social Solutions) is a Hispanic and woman-owned business emphasizing quality research and evaluation, training and technical assistance, and institutional support services. We are a mission-driven organization that believes that superior science can improve the world. Social Solutions is dedicated to the creation of social and health solutions to improve the welfare of underserved populations worldwide.

Social Solutions is a large, thriving business with a fun atmosphere that encourages creativity, new ideas, and employee health and well-being. We put our employees first and use empathetic leadership, taking a genuine interest in our employees’ lives and the challenges they face in and out of the workplace. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are integral to our company culture, and we are continuously striving to enhance our DEIA efforts across our company. You will feel like a contributing member of a growing team and company that has flexibility to enhance processes and procedures quickly to improve performance and growth. We help our employees carve out a professional pathway that has mutual benefits for them and Social Solutions. Social Solutions also offers exceptional compensation and benefits, detailed below.

Join our team! We are hiring a Program Cycle Specialist!

We are looking for subject matter experts with experience in MEL for USAID's Humanitarian Assistance portfolio!

Overview of the Position

Join our team! We are hiring a Program Cycle Specialist!

We are looking for subject matter experts with experience in MEL for USAID's Humanitarian Assistance portfolio!

We have an open position on our team for mission-driven individuals that possess skills in international development research, monitoring, evaluation, and organizational learning to join the USAID Program Cycle Mechanism (PCM) team. PCM Specialists are recruited for their skills in key Program Cycle functions and are matched to requests from USAID operating units.  
 
PCM Specialists are members of a network providing technical support and advisory services to USAID. They work across design, strategy development, monitoring, evaluation, and the set of USAID organizational learning practices (collaborating, learning, and adapting or CLA) to ensure cohesive connection between the generation of evidence and applying that learning for strategy development and project and activity design.
 
PCM Specialists bolster capacity in USAID Washington and Mission offices to plan for, undertake, and use high-quality Program Cycle-related products and processes to achieve better development outcomes. They do this by providing technical expertise that strengthens the capacity of USAID staff in Program Cycle-related skills and provides the Agency with improved access and capabilities to apply state-of-the-art practices.

If this sounds like team you'd like to join, please apply at the link below!

Applicants must be eligible to work in the US and eligible for a US security clearance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Provide expert advice to USAID staff and implementing partners (IPs) on Program Cycle implementation including MEL planning and methodology and connecting staff and IPS to available monitoring, evaluation and CLA resources and guidance.

Guide operating units in Program Cycle implementation, including developing performance management plans (PMPs) and project and/or activity MEL plans.

Provide advice on developing and selecting indicators and assuring data quality.

Help design monitoring tools and resources.

Help facilitate operating units in planning, designing and/or managing specific CLA strategies and activities.

Provide TA and other support to learning advisors and champions to facilitate strengthened Program cycle practices in USAID programs.

Develop and deliver written materials and briefings to familiarize staff with evaluation study designs, methods, tools, and approaches, potentially in collaboration with partners.

Work closely with sector specialists to identify key program evaluation questions, design appropriate evaluations, and develop relevant CLA activities.

Support and/or lead internal/hybrid evaluation teams to bolster the technical evaluation skills of USAID staff and IPs, as well as to inform learning agendas through MEL activities and research.

Track, synthesize and disseminate monitoring and evaluation findings and create communication products in various formats to inform decision makers and non-evaluation specialist audiences.

Provide support in organizational systems for MEL that include strengthened Program Cycle practices.

Develop and conduct trainings, workshops, facilitated learning conversations and other capacity-building opportunities around M&E and CLA that clarify roles, responsibilities and agency requirements.

Support incorporation of recommendations from evaluations into design and portfolio reviews.

Convene a MEL community of practice or working group to share and encourage good and promising practices.

Contribute to regular data capture, knowledge products and learning across PCM.

Participate in PCM communities of practice.

Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Master’s degree and 5+ years’ relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

At least a master’s degree that includes coursework in rigorous qualitative and quantitative monitoring and evaluation approaches and methods or other technical training in M&E methods

At least five years of experience with foreign assistance monitoring and evaluation, knowledge management, organizational learning and/or strategic learning, preferably in an international development context.

Experience with catalyzing programmatic learning and adaptive management in USAID or other foreign assistance agencies (including large NGOs, contractors or international organizations).

Experience designing and implementing international development programs with USAID and/or other large development assistance agencies (including large NGOs, contractors, or international organizations).

Experience providing advice to international development managers in the field; including working in the field or supporting field projects to achieve an operational mission or to implement a project or activity.

Experience facilitating groups, meetings, or events.

Demonstrated flexibility and capacity to adapt to and operate in environments of uncertainty.

Background in capacity-building, adult learning and/or learning facilitation or related experience

Experience convening people in large organizations (in a work environment or as a volunteer) to build consensus and achieve a particular outcome.

Equal Employer

Social Solutions offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits. Please submit your resume online at www.socialsolutions.biz.

Social Solutions is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.