Senior Officer Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning at Pathfinder International

Pathfinder International is driven by the conviction that all people, regardless of where they live, have the right to decide whether and when to have children, to exist free from fear and stigma, and to lead the lives they choose. Since 1957, we have partnered with local governments, communities, and health systems in developing countries to remove barriers to critical sexual and reproductive health services. Together, we expand access to contraception, promote healthy pregnancies, save women’s lives, and stop the spread of new HIV infections, wherever the need is most urgent. Our work ensures millions of women, men, and young people are able to choose their own paths forward.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Officer Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

Requisition Number: SROFF002082
Location: Borno
Employment Type: Full-time

About the Project

• This project  seeks to provide technical assistance (TA) to the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) and State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) to transition their ANC delivery platform across primary health care centers to the Group-ANC (G-ANC) model and to layer on this model as a vehicle to upscale high impact interventions along the MNH continuum of care that are also gender intentional at both facility and community levels to complement the efforts of the state government.  
• The intervention will target policy, facility and community-level activities to strengthen RMNCH+N service delivery and involve nurses, midwives, Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs), Junior Community Health Extension Workers (JCHEWs), Voluntary Community Mobilizers (VCMs), and other community influencers for the facility-based and community-based components.
• The interventions will be tailored to the needs of the state and driven by evidence and data based MNH framework.

Project Goals and Objectives

• The goal of this intervention is to improve service delivery and uptake of RMNCAH+N high impact interventions along the continuum of care layering on the G-ANC/PNC model in Borno state by supporting the State to: 
• Improve uptake of RMNCAH+N high impact interventions along the continuum of care compared to the baseline 
• Improve the quality of care of RMNCH+N services along the continuum of care compared to the baseline 
• Improve data use for decision making and to create demand for services 
• Improve health outcomes of mothers and newborns through adoption of a gender lens to address gender barriers and inequalities 
• Improve uptake of high impact interventions at the community level to address high proportion of home births and zero dose children. 
• Job Summary:  The primary responsibility of the Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer is to support better performance and greater accountability by implementing evidence-based program/project management at the field level, to guide and improve performance.
• Specifically, the Senior MEL Officer will set up effective monitoring systems for the project and support the design and implementation of sustainable monitoring and evaluation systems in coordination with relevant government agencies and headquarter-based M&E staff in line with Pathfinder’s MEL standards.
• S/he analyzes, interprets, and communicates information in a way that promotes informed decision-making for ongoing and future programmatic activity. S/he supports establishing and maintaining effective feedback mechanisms for decision-making

Key Performance Areas
Major Activities / Responsibilities

Percentage Worked:

Project Design and Planning:

• Design and coordinate needs assessment and situation analysis through various approaches (e.g., direct data collection, secondary sourcing, problem tree analysis, SWOT analysis) and ensure that needs assessment and project design are linked.
• Support to program and MEL team with developing the results framework, theory of change, log frame, and MEL plan including indicators for existing and new projects.
• Identify the budget/resources needed for MEL activities of projects.
• Represent the organization in the MEL and Assessment Working Groups promoting a positive image.

MEL System:

• In coordination with the Field Team and MEL Focal Points, establish a reliable participatory MEL framework for the Mission to ensure quality.
• Design full MEL procedures and operating plans within the Mission and develop harmonized data collection tools involving the different stakeholders (project team, partners).
• Develop data gathering strategies and harmonize data collection, analysis, and reporting flows for projects in country.
• Collaborate with the Project’s information, communications, and telecommunications (ICT) section to develop and maintain the MEL technology system, including updating, troubleshooting, and promptly addressing all problems as they arise.
• Conduct regular site visits or when required to monitor service provision and ensure data quality.

Data Quality Management:

• Develop strategies for assessing the quality of collected data for the indicators and manage tools and methods for assessing data quality for all indicators.
• Organize the planning for project data quality audits and monitor and coordinate routine data quality audits conducted in different sites, compile results at the level of a project, and develop action plans to implement corrective measures.
• Coordinate data gathering and data management of population-based surveys and surveillance activities.

Sampling:

• Use proper sampling (probability and non-probability) techniques taking into account desired power, type of evaluation (e.g., single point or multiple point; baseline vs end line), the objective of the evaluation (e.g., testing for change or getting a point prevalence), and budget limitations.
• Ensure adherence to prescribed methodologies of sampling, data collection, and data entry.
• Facilitate, guide, and supervise external consultants (if applicable) in conducting needs assessment, surveys, evaluations, and contextual analysis. Review the methodology, sampling approach, and other important details proposed by the expert/consultant.
• Lead the development of the sampling frame, calculate the sample size, and draw samples for population-based surveys.

Qualitative and Quantitative Techniques:

• Lead the design and review of structured interviews, key informant interviews, in-depth interviews, group discussions, focus group discussions and direct observations for data collection.
• Conduct trainings on quantitative and qualitative techniques for data collection for MEL, program, and interviewers.
• Develop and use different qualitative and quantitate methods of data collection including structured/ semi-structured.
• Prepare tabulation plan and perform quantitative data analysis.
• Perform qualitative textual analysis, develop topical outlines (coding) and support the team in narrating the findings.
• Keep the social dynamics, manage errors/bias and strategy to minimize them and to ensure the data collected is representative of populations without power (avoiding over dependence on community leaders, local authorities, and/or government authorities as primary sources for defining communities' needs and preferences).
• Develop Terms of Reference (ToR) outlining the objectives, methodology, sampling approach, and other necessary details for the study to be conducted internally or by a consultant and oversee the logistics of data collection and data management and ensure adequate resources are available.
• Design questionnaires for monitoring purposes and apply the different interview techniques (structured/semi-structured).

Mobile and Manual Data Collection:

• Determine the appropriate data collection tool based on the purpose, advantages, and disadvantages of mobile data collection techniques.
• Design simple and complex questionnaires using XLS or form builder (Kobo form builder, ONA form builder, etc.).
• Support in installing and configuring mobile data collection tools (ODK collect, Kobo collect, ONA collect, CommCare, etc.) on smartphones or tablets and manage data on mobile servers (Kobo form builder, ONA form builder, etc.).
• Increase the capacity of other staff in developing XLS forms and setting up mobile data collection.
• Conduct regular site visits or when required monitor and assist partners in the data collection process to ensure data quality.

Data Analysis and Use of Statistical Software:

• Develop guidance and standards methodologies for the collection and analysis of data to allow for comparison and aggregation across time and the different projects.
• Interpret statistical data for use in decision-making and synthesize quantitative and qualitative information for write-up/reports and decision making.
• Support MEAL and the project/program team on conducting statistical analysis including descriptive (univariate and bivariate data analysis) and inferential analysis using statistical software.
• Support the qualitative analysis and develop topical outlines (coding).
• Analyze data and develop spatial data models and maps.
• Triangulate findings from several qualitative and quantitative sources.

Evaluation Design:

• Develop TOR for internal and external baseline survey, mid-term evaluations, final evaluations and frame the different types of study questions such as barrier analysis, market analysis, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Surveys (KAP).
• Make a comprehensive situation analysis to inform an evaluation.
• Identify the needed resources for evaluation, such as information, expertise, personnel, instruments, and budget.
• Manage the administrative and logistic process of evaluations involving external evaluators.
• Train and supervise data gathering of internal performance evaluation and design and synthesize the findings from participative evaluation techniques (actively involving affected communities in the evaluation exercises).

Information Presentation:

• Write narrative reports (needs assessments, internal reviews, progress reports) and executive summaries.
• Present information and ‘tell the story of’ the project to multiple audiences and decision-makers based on the findings from the analysis and monitoring.
• Verify reports' accuracy and presentation of information, including the use of appropriate graphs and tables.
• Presents AAP data in simplified yet informative formats, depicting disaggregated community perceptions on the quality of humanitarian actions and accountability commitments.

Management and Leadership

• Support in identifying the human resources needs in MEL.
• Provide technical supervision and coordination of the MEL Assistant activities.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

Capacity Development and Training:

• Identify the gaps in staff knowledge of MEL concepts and skills and provide training in related topics.
• Provide coaching/mentoring of staff and on-the-job training to improve the skills of the staff in MEL.
• Deliver intermediate-level training to the MEL team and conduct training on qualitative techniques for data collection.

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Develop KML mechanisms and processes for response while ensuring these mechanisms are in line with Pathfinder International’s guidelines.
• Establish basic learning systems that incorporate response studies’ findings, lessons learned, achievements, and gaps, and develop all the tools required to support learning practices.
• Organize internal reviews and lessons learned workshops and present practical recommendations.
• Ensure after-action reviews and lessons learned exercises, including data collected through Community-Based Feedback and Response Mechanism (CBFRM) and other participative forms of community engagement and feedback collection.

Feedback and Response Mechanism:

• Provide technical support to the team in establishing and maintaining effective feedback mechanisms for decision-making.
• Lead the implementation of methodologies to consult communities on their preferences based on the operational context.
• Support the design and maintenance of the CFRM database.

Minimum Education and Work Experience

• Master's-level or a higher Degree in Social Sciences, Public Health, Statistics, or International Development, with experience or background in M&E, epidemiology, public health, and health information management.
• Minimum of five (5) years of applied experience with a humanitarian organization in designing, implementing, and overseeing monitoring and evaluation tasks.
• Demonstrated experience in managing teams and building staff capacity within complex programming.
• Experience with M&E approaches for key donors such as OFDA, ECHO, BMGF, and USAID.
• Experience in database design and other tools for information management like DHIS2.
• Experience in the use of qualitative and quantitative software for data analysis.

Competencies / Attributes
Minimally Required Job-specific Competencies:

• Country-Specific Public Health System: Foundational knowledge of the countries’ public health systems.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Services: Foundational knowledge of family planning and reproductive health principles, practices, and services of programs, including program strategies and indicators, and the latest professional developments in SRHR, including special challenges faced in the developing world, and related measurement issues.
• Training Design, Development, and Delivery: Foundational knowledge of curriculum design and development. Proven ability to train diverse groups.
• Community Relations: Foundational skills in facilitating work relationships between partners, government officials, and communities.
• Report Writing. Ability to write reports for diverse audiences.
• Proposal Development: Foundational knowledge and skills in proposal development from concept to full proposal and resource mobilization.
• Reproductive Health Research: Proven ability to plan, conduct, evaluate, and deliver research findings and recommendations in reproductive health. Mastery of knowledge and ability to apply quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Data Collection Methods: Foundational knowledge of data integrity and collection methods.
• PC Applications: Proven ability to apply statistical software applications.
• Program and Project Planning and Management: Foundational skills in program and project management and planning to fulfill performance objectives, including the timely implementation, and reporting of donor-funded program activities.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Application Deadline 21st February, 2024.