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Job Title:   Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Advisor

Organisation: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP)

Project Funding Source: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Reports to: Chief of Party

CCP is recruiting for an anticipated USAID-funded bilateral award for Uganda.

About the Company:

Johns   Hopkins Center   for   Communication Programs (CCP) is a leader in  strategic communication and research that facilitates access to information and exchange of knowledge to improve health.   CCP has more than 60 projects that employ staff in more than 40 countries around the world.  CCP has unparalleled experience as a global center for Social and Behavioral Change excellence.   Through its projects, CCP harnesses the power of social and behavior change communication to encourage the adoption of healthy behaviors in the projects implemented worldwide.

Job Summary:   The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Advisor will oversee all monitoring, evaluation, learning, and research (MERL) and quality assurance (QA) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities of the project. They will lead the project’s collaboration, learning, and adaptation (CLA) agenda. They will lead the development and implementation of the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) and corresponding monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems and promote the use of information to guide performance management through well analyzed, rapid and timely feedback. The MEL Advisor will work to include appropriate indicators, baseline data results, and a plan for monitoring and evaluating performance and for producing timely, accurate, and complete reporting. They will be responsible for ensuring effective bi-directional communication and learning between the project and service delivery implementing partners. This will include coordination, collaboration, and integration through the development and implementation of knowledge management (KM) systems. This is a Key Personnel role approved by USAID.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:  Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Lead and supervise the development and updating of the AMELP plan and tools, ensuring ethical procedures and adherence throughout the project.
• Lead the collection and analysis of process data to monitor project activities.
• Generate formative research results using primary and secondary data for SBC program development.
• Design research protocols using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches for planning, monitoring, and evaluating SBC programs
• Develop and submit Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol and liaise with the local ethics review board.
• Develop a coordinated approach to data collection from project partners, followed by the collation and sharing of results, both internally with the team and externally with stakeholders.
• With the COP, coordinate with partners and stakeholders including all levels of USAID and the Ministry of Health.
• Assure that CCP and the project team meet commitments to USAID for all project data, outputs, and other related activities by ensuring they are high-quality and evidence-based, submitting them in a timely manner, and engaging and leading training and capacity-strengthening efforts.
• Work with the program team to ensure proper documentation via KM approaches.
• Maintain efficient communication with Baltimore-based program and research teams.

M&E Systems and Tools

• Oversee the development and implementation of the AMELP and corresponding M&E systems, and provide strategic oversight, including the design of the monitoring framework and on-going configuration of digital platforms (including visualization dashboards) to track outputs and intermediate and behavioral outcomes as identified in the project’s AMELP.
• Utilize cutting edge or new technologies into digital platforms for data collection and monitoring.
• Develop standard operating procedures (manuals, trainings) for data collection, entry, and analysis, and management of devices related to data collection or use.
• Make adaptations to the project AMELP each year based on new or shifting program objectives and ensure adherence to the plan.
• Develop and co-facilitate training workshops, including development of agenda, curriculum, manuals, and materials necessary to appropriately train individuals involved in monitoring activities and data use.

Data Collection, QA, and Data Storage

• Supervise implementation of data collection activities, including all mobile data collection and GIS data, where relevant.
• Develop and implement QA procedures for data collection to ensure data accuracy and the validity and reliability of monitoring data and study results.
• Conduct site visits to ensure quality, reliability, and consistency of data and seamless flow from the selected site to the central office and onto the US-based team.
• Supervise the collection of data related to performance indicators required by the project, and report data on a regular basis into CCP’s global dashboard.
• Create, maintain, and safeguard electronic databases and any other data collection files in compliance with JHU data security requirements.
• Manage access permissions for data entry and dashboards to view monitoring output.
• Help prepare data for archiving as required by USAID’s Digital Data Archive policies.

Data Analysis and Reporting

• Track, analyze and produce comprehensive and succinct reports and documentation on indicators and measures.
• Oversee data cleaning and analysis monthly and produce graphs and reports for quarterly reporting.

People Management

• Design and manage effective team structure to meet program goals.
• Supervise, coach, and mentor staff independently. May include: o Orient and train new staff members.
• Conduct regular (at least quarterly) check-ins and annual performance reviews with all supervisees.
• Identify and recommend appropriate professional development opportunities for supervisees.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to promote continued growth and improvement among supervisees and other staff.
• Oversee and ensure the quality of work produced by staff or team.
• Develop processes, tools, and routines that ensure the quality of work.
• Provide information to others about their quality of work. This includes raising concerns about errors, omission, and poor-quality products to the staff member responsible for that work and requesting revision of work that is not high quality.
• Operate in compliance with all JHU policies and local employment laws.

Professional and Organizational Growth

• Contribute to global technical knowledge.
• Represent the project, CCP, and JHU at relevant external meetings and events. May include delivering technical presentations, networking, relationship building, and initiating and following through with opportunities for collaboration.
• Engage and collaborate with other programs across CCP.
• Recognize and address factors that might strategically impact a program or CCP, and lead implementation of solutions.
• Proactively seek opportunities to expand leadership and management skills.
• Request or initiate quarterly check-in meetings with supervisor to assess performance, strengths. and areas for improvement in your current position and establish professional goals.
• Identify opportunities for bringing new skills into CCP, including attending JHU courses and seminars, conferences. and external trainings.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics research methods, or behavioral science with relevance to SBC research, or Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with a minimum of fifteen (15) years’ experience above.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience working in M&E for large health programs, with at least five (5) years of experience managing and supervising teams.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Experience with health programs, demonstrating increasing level of responsibility.
• Senior research experience in at least one of these technical areas: family planning/reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, maternal, newborn, and child health, malaria, global health security, gender, youth and social inclusion, with sufficient understanding in all the areas to provide guidance and guide collaboration and coordination efforts.
• Proven record of building teams and fostering collaboration to achieve program goals, meet program milestones, and produce quality program results.
• Experience developing and tracking performance indicators to measure success in health outcomes as related to SBC.
• Skills in qualitative and quantitative analytic statistical software (e.g., STATA, SPSS) and qualitative software (e.g., Atlas.ti, NVivo), and proven ability in data visualization using graphs, charts, maps, and GIS.
• Experience in web-based data management system (preferably DHIS2 and/or Open Data Kit), and/or mHealth and mobile data collection.
• Experience in successfully guiding and monitoring the use of data, analysis, and evaluation findings to inform program actions.
• Demonstrated experience and familiarity with surveys, research methodologies, qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis, sampling methods, and establishment of MEL systems in developing country contexts.
• Experience working with SBC programs.
• Ability to guide QA/CQI in development.
• Ability to work well with others.
• Ability to work independently in a high profile, fast-paced and multi tasked environment.
• Excellent knowledge of national issues impacting the health sector in Uganda.
• Experience working in and knowledge of the various regions of Uganda.
• Exceptional communication skills in written and spoken English.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics research methods, or behavioral science with relevance to SBC research.
• Ugandan citizenship.
• Prior experience as MEL Advisor is preferred.
• Other Requirements:
• May require up to 25% travel in Uganda, and internationally, as needed.
• Collaborate with US-based team on a routine basis.
• Excellent past performance references.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Please note: this position is contingent upon securing award.

How to Apply:

All candidates are encouraged to submit e-mail applications to ccpug-jobs@jh.edu with copies of current CV, cover letter and three professional referees. Please indicate which position you are applying for in the subject line of the email.

Deadline: 7th August 2024

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