Staff Associate – Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

Tetra Tech International Development (www.tetratech.com/intdev) is currently accepting expressions of interest from qualified Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) experts for a Staff Associate position in the MEL Department. This position is preferably based in Arlington, Virginia or Burlington, Vermont, with consideration of remote-work from US-based locations.

The Staff Associate is a member of the Tetra Tech home office MEL Team and works across sectors to provide quality MEL services to support new business, project implementation, and institutional learning. The MEL Staff Associate is a team player, mentor and trainer, and a provider of remote and in-country technical assistance, guidance, and support of Tetra Tech’s five sectors (Agriculture and Economic Growth, Democracy and Governance, Environment and Natural Resources, Land Tenure and Property Rights, and Water Resources and Infrastructure).

Responsibilities:

The Staff Associate is engaged in four major areas of work:

New Business Development

*Develop a thorough understanding and knowledge of proposal development process.

*Assist the sector teams in project tracking and the development of capture plans;

*Develop and share data and preliminary ME&L frameworks based on the expected RFPs to help guide pre-proposal technical strategy development.

*Develop preliminary Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plans (AMELPs) (text and tables) in full compliance and responsiveness of the RFP;

*Provide input into technical approach to stress output-outcome linkages and performance measurement;

*Review proposal MEL budgets with an eye toward balancing budgeting for implementation with a win strategy.

Project Management

*Go the field and, as part of mobilization and start-up, prepare or help local staff prepare the final AMELP, design and conduct baseline surveys, orient and train local staff on AMELP and ME&L, and develop instrumentation for data collection by Tetra Tech staff or partner organizations;

*When a field trip is not possible, prepare the final AMELP through e-mail/Skype/phone liaison with the COP, DCOP (or PM/DPM) and/or local ME&L Specialist; and

*Prepare or assist in the preparation of the AMELP, ME&L, baseline or instrumentation to the client (many times part of the final approval process).

*Provide follow-up support to field projects, such as conducting a Data Quality Assessment, review of data and reports, assisting in their preparation, or assist in the development of lessons learned and success stories;

*Provide COP and PM with input and feedback on evaluations carried out by sub-contractors.

Technical Excellence

*Contribute to the continued development and refinement of tools;**

*Develop new as well as analyze existing tools and methods that will improve Tetra Tech ME&L systems;

*Review the ME&L work of sub-contractors for quality control and improvement and provide them and the COP with guidance on how to improve their work.

Organizational and Professional Development

*Take responsibility for their own professional development, creating a plan and continuously building skills.

*Promote effective teamwork through listening and communication skills.

*Contribute to organizational priorities and initiatives.

*Prepare and deliver training materials related to ME&L for home office and field technical staff and the field ME&L specialists; and

*Participate and/or manage programs tailored to build staff capacity in ME&L, raise awareness and appreciation for ME&L and to build a culture of learning within Tetra Tech.

*Provide support, guidance, capacity building, and recognition of local ME&L professionals through the ME&L Project SharePoint Site and Community of Practice.

Qualifications:

*Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred. **

*Minimum one year of professional experience preferred.

*Minimum one year of relevant experience in a developing country is preferred. Service in volunteer programs such as the Peace Corps may be considered as relevant experience.

*Knowledge of international donor projects and/or USAID-funded projects highly desired.

*Excellent verbal and writing skills required.

*Must be an energetic and collaborative team member and leader.

*Very strong cross-cultural relations and interpersonal communication skills required.

*High-level proficiency in MS Office applications.

*Deadline-oriented and ability to work under pressure with poise and professionalism.

*Speaking and reading proficiency in at least one foreign language is preferred.

*Availability for 30–40% international travel.

*Ability to work in the US without employer sponsorship.