Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Specialist

The Role

At Last Mile Health, we make bold commitments that inspire innovation. Do you have experience working alongside Ministries of Health to accelerate program quality and impact? If so, you might be an excellent fit for the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Specialist role.

Working in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and Population of Malawi, Last Mile Health (LMH) is supporting the government to implement the National Community Health Strategy. Reporting to the Director of Programs, the MERL Specialist will provide flexible support to the Malawi team around data quality, analysis and learning through data feedback loops to improve program quality and support coordination at the district and national levels.

This position is open to candidates located in Malawi and candidates must have authorization to work.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the development and implementation of a robust MERL plan for work in Malawi inclusive of evaluation questions, methods, indicators, targets, analytics, reporting, and dissemination. Specifically:
  • Selection of an evaluation framework and co-development of programmatic logic models to determine relevant measurement approaches
  • Develop data collection tools (e.g., surveys, key informant interview guides, focus group guides) and project management processes for implementing those tools.
  • Design and perform qualitative and quantitative analyses for projects
  • Lead the design and implementation of data management, quality assurance, and data cleaning procedures for Malawi data (in alignment with LMH organizational standards).
  • Create accessible, relevant, and timely data dashboards and visualizations to be used internally and externally for strategic decision making.
  • Support results dissemination through data presentations, evaluation reports, and manuscripts as needed.
• Ensure Malawi program MERL plans are fit for purpose and responsive to programmatic priorities and learning needs. Share findings with the Malawi team, MOH and collaborate to use findings to refine strategies, strengthen programs, and improve activities.
• Collaborate with the digital health team to support the development of digital data collection systems (iCHIS).
• Lead MERL workplanning and budgeting for programmatic activities included in the Malawi Country Program Annual Plan.
• Engage with the MOH and other key partners and stakeholders on MERL related issues.
• Collaboratively build a data use and learning culture on the Malawi team, through the use of participatory data reviews, to institutionalize evidence-driven decision making.
• Provide technical expertise and design support to develop integrated program supervision tools and processes for national and district level actors within the community health system.
• In partnership with the Ministry of Health, support efforts to strengthen operationalization of the National Community Health Strategy to achieve outcomes-driven programmatic design.
• Support the development of a Malawi research strategy (complementing LMH’s organizational research strategy), including literature reviews, study design, and management of research development.
• Support country team leadership by staying current in the community health context and M&E and research landscape in Malawi for input in proposals for new business.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Several years of work experience, with demonstrated expertise in monitoring and evaluation to support health system design and performance management.
• Demonstrated experience developing MERL plans, indicators, data collection tools, analysis and results dissemination plans
• Experience planning for and overseeing data collection, and leading data quality initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience leading statistical analyses and reporting results to leadership through presentations and reports.
• Demonstrated experience with leading a team to use data to inform quality improvement decisions
• Proficiency using softwares for data cleaning, pivot tables, basic formulas, descriptive statistics, data visualization.
• Experience with statistical analysis software (e.g., STATA, R, SPSS) and DHIS2.
• Experience with designing xls forms in ODK or Kobo Collect.
• Demonstrated success in using data to support and advocate with high-level officials and stakeholders in managing policy and/or government compliance.
• Background in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Project management experience in the private or public sector, with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership.
• Track record of consensus building and managing relationships with a range of stakeholders across sectors.

You’ll Impress Us If

• You have an advanced understanding of community health systems.
• You have developed evaluation plans for community health worker systems.
• You are eager to take on new tasks and challenges as our scope in Malawi expands.

Compensation Information

At Last Mile Health, we strive to reward our employees equitably and transparently. This means that we pay our employees based on a clear and consistent methodology and without regard to the identity or personal relationships. We have made this model fully transparent so that everyone has access to all information related to compensation. We hope this helps you better understand Last Mile Health’s values and commitments to our employees. We look forward to answering any questions you may have during the hiring process.

Before applying for this role, please take a moment to learn more about our approach to compensation and how compensation works in each of the countries where we operate. Salary scales are largely based on country-specific costs of labor and acknowledge geographic differences in pay. Indexing pay to country-specific cost of labor ensures that we do not corrupt local talent markets.

Please find the link to our compensation model and benefits overview below:

OVERVIEW OF LAST MILE HEALTH’S COMPENSATION MODEL

Compensation for this position:

The Band for this position: Malawi Band 3.

ForMalawi, the range is $40,000-$55,000, dependent upon experience doing an equivalent role.

About Last Mile Health

Last Mile Health (LMH) saves lives in the world’s most remote communities by partnering with governments to bring critical primary care services to the doorsteps of people living in the last mile. LMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and currently works in Liberia, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at LMH. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.