Technical Advisor I - Monitoring and Evaluation

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established to save, protect, and transform lives in need, CRS operates in more than 100 countries, providing relief and development assistance without regard to race, religion, or nationality. The organization focuses on various sectors including emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation, and it welcomes individuals from all faiths and secular traditions who share its values and commitment to serving those in need. The agency's processes and policies reflect its dedication to these principles, ensuring a safe environment for all stakeholders involved in its programs.

Job Overview:
The Technical Advisor I for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) will play a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of health programs by providing strategic leadership and support for M&E systems improvement. This position involves collaborating with government ministries, departments, and agencies to strengthen national and sub-national M&E frameworks, guidelines, and standard operating procedures (SOPs). The advisor will ensure that these initiatives align with the requirements of the CDC-PEPFAR program and national health priorities, promoting sustainability and integration with existing health systems. The role also includes facilitating the design and optimization of M&E tools and processes, enhancing data quality assurance mechanisms, building capacity for M&E at all levels, promoting data use for decision-making, coordinating stakeholders, and monitoring and evaluating M&E system performance. The advisor will be expected to empower teams through training and mentorship, ensuring that health workers and partners can effectively apply new skills within established frameworks, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support strategic leadership for M&E systems improvement by collaborating with government ministries, departments, and agencies to strengthen national and sub-national M&E frameworks, guidelines, and SOPs.
• Ensure alignment of initiatives with CDC-PEPFAR requirements and national health priorities while promoting sustainability and integration with existing health systems.
• Facilitate the design and optimization of M&E tools and processes, working with government teams to improve data collection tools, reporting templates, and indicator reference guides.
• Provide expert advice to streamline workflows for data capture and reporting, reducing duplication and increasing efficiency within established programs.
• Enhance data quality assurance mechanisms by offering technical support to reinforce and institutionalize data quality assurance processes within government health structures, including routine data quality assessments (DQAs) and validation checks.
• Strengthen the capacity of health workers and partners to uphold high standards of data accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
• Build capacity for M&E at all levels by designing and delivering training, mentorship, and supportive supervision for facility, district, and national staff.
• Promote data use for decision-making by assisting government partners in developing and utilizing dashboards, scorecards, and visualization tools.
• Facilitate regular data review sessions and coach stakeholders in interpreting trends for program improvement and resource allocation. 1
• Coordinate stakeholders and harmonize reporting by supporting government-led efforts to engage donors and implementing partners, ensuring alignment of indicators, reporting timelines, and data systems. 1
• Monitor and evaluate M&E system performance by aiding government teams in tracking M&E system strengthening activities against work plans and existing indicators. 1
• Facilitate documentation of lessons learned, best practices, and innovations to encourage broader scale-up and ongoing improvement.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Informatics, or related health data sciences is required.
• Master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• Minimum of eight years of relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO.
• At least three years of experience managing field-based Monitoring and Evaluation processes.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based civil society partners.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), web conferencing applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge-sharing networks.
• Strong relationship management skills with the ability to influence and gain buy-in from individuals not under direct supervision.
• Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving, and systems thinking skills with the capacity to see the big picture and make sound judgments.
• Excellent technical writing skills and presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills. 1
• Proactive, resourceful, and results-oriented.

Educational Background:
The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in public health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Informatics, or related health data sciences as a basic qualification. A Master’s degree in a relevant field is considered an advantage and may enhance the candidate's profile for this role.

Experience:
Candidates must have a minimum of eight years of relevant work experience, with progressive responsibilities ideally within an international NGO context. This experience should include at least three years of managing field-based Monitoring and Evaluation processes, demonstrating a strong background in program monitoring and evaluation, analysis, and capacity strengthening best practices.

Languages:
While the job description does not specify mandatory languages, proficiency in English is essential for effective communication and reporting. Knowledge of local languages may be beneficial and is considered a good-to-have skill, enhancing the advisor's ability to engage with local stakeholders and communities effectively.

Additional Notes:
The position includes supervisory responsibilities and is expected to be full-time. CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package for U.S.-based staff, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan. For successful candidates employed outside the U.S., benefits packages are based on the country of employment. The agency is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff, and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse. The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS's Code of Conduct. Additionally, CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens or permanent residents of the countries where CRS offices are located.