Senior Technical Advisor – Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)

Job Summary:

As a member of the Action Against Hunger-USA Technical Services and Innovation team, Senior Technical Advisors offer the organization deep knowledge in essential technical areas in the battle to end hunger. In the organization, they are recognized as one of the top-level experts in his/her/their area of focus. They are sought out by internal and external colleagues as the person who knows or knows where to find the answers to some of the most challenging technical questions. If no answer exists, they are inspired to seek out an answer. Senior Technical Advisors are guiding voices in advancing an impact-driven workforce unified in the pursuit to end hunger. Not only do Senior Technical Advisors hold a deep field based technical knowledge, but they also foster a cohesive approach to addressing key drivers of hunger: social injustice, climate change, conflict and poverty.

Senior Technical Advisors are driven by three forward looking values:

1. Promote an impact-driven organization. The incumbent can translate his/her/their deep technical expertise into an integrated response and expands our focus and combats underlying causes of hunger, connects with diverse partners and mobilizes the public for lasting change.
2. Fuel the knowledge transfer essential for innovation and evidence-generations. Thru engagement with the Knowledge and Innovation Hub (based in Nairobi) the incumbent will ensure transference of effective and innovative global approaches to the field and conversely field based knowledge generated from the field are spotlighted on the global stage.
3. Develop creative, successful new funding programs and in turn, communicate these successes in various external settings. Cultivating, securing and retaining institutional and individual donors is a top priority for this role. USG is considered the top priority institutional donor. These advisors bring professionals together, streamline efficiencies, and mainstream research and evidence-generation as part of a successful resource mobilization strategy.

Senior Technical Advisors are exceptional communicators. They are effective in inspiring donors and staff to achieve a world without hunger, now – to act sooner than later. Every advisor is a strategic thinker, deeply versed in technical leadership and sought out for his/her/their contributions. These advisors, with colleagues, drive us towards a comprehensive, evidence-based, scalable approach which embraces local, community-led, inclusive change.

The position reports directly to the Director, Technical Services and Innovation.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)

Specifically, the main responsibilities of the MEL Senior Technical Advisor are to provide technical leadership and guidance to MEL approaches and interventions by:

• Contributing, from a MEL perspective, to the end of hunger.
• Improving programme impact while also building learning processes with a balanced emphasis on learning processes and accountability for results
• Maximizing impact
• Leading resource mobilization efforts
• Design and lead organizational learning by integrating innovative approaches and applied best MEL practices
• Support knowledge transfer from the field to a global level, and from the global level to the field
• Bridge knowledge and capacity building efforts across the organization

Purpose: Provides provide global leadership and strategic direction for Action Against Hunger in MEL. Leads and provides the highest level of MEL expert analytic and advisory services based on state-of-the-art knowledge.

Engagement: Promotes a multisectoral approach to tackle undernutrition and synergies with other sectors of interventions. Collaborates with technical experts. Engages with and coordinates on strategic initiatives and working groups for MEL across the Action Against Hunger network. Represent Action Against Hunger.

Delivery: Sets the MEL strategy, policies, position papers, proposals, guidance and tools as part of a wholistic approach to the root causes of hunger.

1.Technical Leadership in Maximizing Impact

• Oversees MEL activities in close collaboration with other departments and assigned Country/Region/Programs
• Develop and directly contribute to the development and implementation of MEL tools and systems to improve ability to collect, interpret and aggregate data that demonstrate impact, program accountability, and progress
• Ensure effectiveness and consistency with USG and other donor indicators for data quality and verification procedures as specified in their automated systems
• Develop and support the design and implementation of baseline, mid-term and end of project evaluations, surveys and other components of the program’s MEL system
• Provide MEL technical advice to programs, projects, including staffing and resource allocation to M&E
• Develop high quality quantitative and qualitative methods and participatory methodologies to monitor program quality for performance and results
• Provide technical support for MEL in one or more technical sectors
• Leads collaboration across multisectoral programming based on key indicators in a manner that helps the organization achieve performance excellence and program impact
• Collect lessons learned from programs and collaborate with senior management to assure MEL components are of high quality and improve processes and practices in data analysis
• Leads program development of WASH components of technical policies, framework, approaches and project models such as develop toolkits for infection prevention control and water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities

2. Resource Mobilization and Program Development

• Collaborate with technical teams in applications/proposals that integrate innovative approaches and best practices based on evidence-based data of Action Against Hunger programs and from other implementing partners
• Contributes to strengthening engagement with USAID and US-based foundations MEL teams, identifying potential partnerships, increasing awareness in Washington DC & New York of our core capacities, signature interventions, program achievements and evidence, learning, and the Action Against Hunger brand
• Review MEL plans and Performance Monitoring Plans (PMPs) for quality and adherence to donor requirements
• Sets MEL strategic technical direction, including overseeing the refinement of our programming framework and interventions in support of bringing our innovative programming to scale
• Builds and develops relationships for MEL strategic collaborations and partnerships with key stakeholders, including academic and policy institutions
• Provide quality and timely submission of all required project reports
• Represents the organization with donors, policy makers and other stakeholders to support fundraising efforts
• Liaise with national, multisectoral and donor MEL Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and colleagues to ensure programs provide complementary support and contribution to evolution of country MEL systems
• Participate in resource mobilization and contribute to proposals

3. Expand Learning, Evidence base and Knowledge Transfer

• Contribute and be a lead partner for the knowledge exchange of the Action Against Hunger Knowledge and Innovation Hub
• Ensure systems and processes for continuous collaboration, learning and adaptation (CLA) are reflected in the MEL Plan and the MEL approach and provide recommendations to changes in approaches, interventions, performance monitoring and/or work plans; as necessary
• Provide training to staff, primary stakeholders, and implementing partners on ME L components in project design, such as monitoring plan, assessments, reviews, surveys and evaluations.
• Build upon industry and experiences to improve consistency, quality and practicality of MEL strategies; promote dissemination and use of lessons learned within international partner organizations.
• Contribute to the utilization of successful WASH related interventions and approaches, and their continued performance. Builds partnerships with other agencies &/or partners to ensure up to date knowledge and understanding of the latest pertinent MEL tools, technical developments, and innovations.
• Identify best practices for documentation as success stories, technical reports, or peer review publications and reviews surveillance, research and evaluation publications prior to release to stakeholders.
• Oversee capacity building activities on MEL topics, including the development of workshop materials, webinars, the design and management of workshops for implementing partners, the development of technical briefs, learning modules, and MEL guides
• Contributes to planning and making recommendations for department/program/project concept, operations, and/or implementation.

4. Influencing & Engagement

• Develops and implements a robust influencing agenda to positively affect the policies and practice of key stakeholders most critical to organizational goal of ending hunger and undernutrition
• Continually maintains a dialogue and MEL technical exchange with field counterparts and technical staff of implementing partners. Provides trainings to partners on data quality use, monitoring and reporting
• Coordinates with employees and consultants, on-site and in the field for situations that are less routine and more unusual.
• Influences design and scope of initiatives and programs.
• Represents Action Against Hunger at global alliances, coalitions, and other working groups and technical fora (such as etc.)
• Secures invitations to represent Action Against Hunger with key audiences (such as USAID, Dept of State, WHO, United Nations, etc.)
• Authors other organizational communications, not limited to opinion papers, editorials, or other media outlets

Required Qualifications

• Minimum Post-Graduate degree (Master’s Degree or PhD preferred) in a field related to social science, climate, statistics, mathematics, economics, computer science, epidemiology, health informatics, public health, infectious disease, zoonotic disease, biology or other quantitative discipline. Equivalent experience considered.

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience designing MEL plans and measuring results against work plan for international humanitarian and/or developmental organization. Preferably donor funded projects (USAID, UN, UK DFID, World Bank, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience developing Performance Management and Evaluation Plans (PMEPs), theories of change, logical frameworks, results frameworks, data visualization at an activity level for United States Government (USG) agencies, other donors, host-country organizations, or private-sector institutions, which included project design, performance monitoring, and/or the analysis and interpretation of large amounts of data, is required
• Experience engaging in research, and/or rigorous evaluations and linking to other initiatives (external engagement and communications)
• Experience developing innovative and cross-cutting monitoring tools for Data Quality Assessment and Improvement (DQA/I)
• Ability to issue precise and accurate factual reports using rigorous analytical and interpretive skills. Preferably for nutrition, food security, livelihoods and gender activities
• Excellent computer and software skills including ability in excel, SPSS, STATA, R and/or other analytical databases including data visualization tools such as Power-BI, Visio, etc.
• Applied research or MEL development experience, involvement in the development of guidance, support tools and methodologies
• Excellent conceptual, oral and written communication skills in English (required)
• Proven ability to manage and prioritize own workload under pressure in an ambiguous environment and meet management deadlines
• Experience working in development and humanitarian/post-crisis contexts
• Proven communication skills including external representation
• Author of technical publications or reports
• External MEL representation experience in US and international technical and lay forums
• Ability to present clear ideas and arguments, providing distance support, training, and influence.
• Flexible, adaptable, dynamic, and enthusiastic in working with staff from other sectors.
• Proactive and taking initiative, autonomous and reliable.
• Working knowledge of French or Spanish desirable.
• Existing eligibility to work in the US is a requirement