• Application Deadline:
• Position: Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Adapting (MERLA) Director (Nigeria Integrated Health Activity)


• Job Type Full Time


• Qualification MBA/MSc/MA


• Experience 10 years


• Location Abuja


• Job Field Data Science / Research 
  

Program Description

• The anticipated $200M (est.) USAID/Nigeria integrated health activity seeks to increase the survival and well-being of vulnerable populations and improve health system resilience in priority states.


• The activity will strengthen the development and execution of state-level health and development plans and scale-up high-impact MNCAH, FP/RH, malaria, nutrition, and HSS interventions.


• The anticipated activity will be based in Abuja, Nigeria and provide technical assistance in approximately five TBD priority states.

Position Description

• RTI is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Adapting (MERLA) Director for an anticipated USAID/Nigeria integrated health activity.


• The MERLA Director will oversee all MEL components of the activity, including the design and implementation of the Activity MEL Plan and corresponding information system to track delivery against targets.


• The position will promote learning and knowledge sharing of best practices, and dissemination of lessons learned and project outcomes as part of its collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approach.


• The MERLA Director will also mentor and support all the technical staff in MEL functions and data-driven decision-making and will manage any MEL-related program staff. This position will report to the Chief of Party (COP) and be based in Abuja, with travel to state-level implementation areas.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a member of the leadership team, setting a positive and professional tone for the team, collaborating closely with the other team leaders.


• Develop, monitor, and ensure successful implementation of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP) by overseeing project results, data management, reporting on indicators, capturing evidence and learning, and supporting evidenced-based decision-making.


• Work closely with technical team members to gather and share necessary data for M&E reporting needs and CLA activities.


• Oversee MEL technical assistance to subcontractors, FMOH, and local partners.


• Prepare quarterly report summarizing performance against the indicator list and performance standards of the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan.


• Review data and reporting to analyze progress toward targets and determine corrective action needed to improve goal achievement.


• Outline specific learning questions and activities and work closely with the staff to generate, validate, and present data in user-friendly format.


• Facilitate constructive and collaborative dialogue during regular MEL project reviews and biweekly team meetings.


• Support the Senior Management team to lead quarterly “pause and reflect” performance review processes with Workstream Leads.


• Represent the project in professional circles through meetings, conferences, and presentations and assist with dissemination of project results and learning.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in a relevant field, such as Public Health, Epidemiology, Mathematics, Economics, Statistics, or Social Sciences.


• At least 10 years of experience in managing and/or leading MEL activities for large-scale health service delivery or health system strengthening (HSS) programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, with at least three of those years working in Nigeria as a senior advisor or staff member.


• Knowledge of and experience with key MNCAH, FP/RH, nutrition, water and sanitation hygiene (WASH), and/or HIV/AIDS indicators and GON and USG data collection systems (e.g. DHIS2).


• Strong analytical skills to successfully use data and evidence to guide program adaptations.


• Demonstrated experience in setting up and managing MEL systems that track performance as per the objectives of IHP.


• Familiarity with CLA approaches. Excellent ability to articulate oral and written technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences. Data visualization skills a plus.


• Experience supervising MEL staff at different levels across different offices.


• Proven ability to work independently and multi-task in high-pressure settings.


• Ability to travel and work in any of the anticipated priority states.


• Excellent interpersonal communication and writing skills.


• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel.


• Verbal and written English proficiency is required.


• Experience working on USG-funded health programming in Nigeria.