Senior MEL Advisor, USAID/Liberia Data, Evaluation, Learning and Technical Assistance (DELTA), Activity, Liberia

Social Impact is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.

Proposal Objective:

SI is pursuing an anticipated multi-million dollar five-year USAID-funded Liberia Data, Evaluation, Learning and Technical Assistance (DELTA) Activity with the goal to provide an innovative degree of analytical and advisory services to USAID/Liberia’s Office of Program and Project Development (PPD) and Development Objective (DO) teams in support of the Mission’s project design, performance monitoring and evaluation, and operational learning and adapting. The project’s objectives will assist the Mission in its ability to:

1. identify the lessons learned from past experience;
2. better understand the complex Liberian development context (including institutional norms and behaviors affecting project results) through advanced research, surveys, data collection and analysis; and
3. adapt its programs to this information and analysis.

The project will establish a support unit in Monrovia to assist the Mission in strengthening its management of key aspects of the programming cycle, specifically strategic planning, project design, performance monitoring and evaluation, and institutionalized learning and adaptation.

Position Description:

SI is seeking a full-time Senior MEL Advisor who will be responsible for overall management and functioning of all performance monitoring and related cross-cutting activities, as well as providing technical expertise for performance management training. This position will be based in Monrovia and is contingent upon contract award. The Senior MEL Advisor will serve as a core team member on a full-time basis throughout the five-year period of performance.

**Please note: This is a local position. Only candidates with Liberian citizenship will be considered.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee program monitoring and reporting across multiple activities and programs. She/he will work with stakeholders including implementers and Mission staff providing oversight of monitoring functions, such as the creation of performance indicators, development of activity and project Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plans, setting of targets, collection of program data, assessment of data quality, analyses of data, reporting, and measurement of impact.
• Work with Chief of Party (COP), Senior Assessment and Evaluation Advisor, and CLA Advisor to ensure that monitoring information is shared and fully utilized through knowledge sharing and strategic learning processes to speed innovation and improve upon and bring new innovations to the Mission’s programmatic work in-country.
• Provide training to various stakeholders on results-based management and creating effective monitoring indicators, plans, processes, and systems to improve performance monitoring.
• Ensure that short- and long-term monitoring team members recruited under this contract are of a high caliber and possess the required technical expertise.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree with at least seven years of related experience in design and implementation of performance monitoring as well as performance and/or impact evaluation, analyses and assessments of large and/or complex development projects.
• Demonstrated experience developing performance indicators, assessing and tracking data quality, data management, and/or training in performance management topics.
• Experience supervising, mentoring and building the capacity of a team of junior to mid-level M&E staff.
• Familiar with standard USAID policies, guidance, processes, and indicators; and capable of developing customized indicators.
• Familiar with publicly available data sources (such as those of multilateral organizations, think tanks, research institutions, Liberian government agencies/ministries, etc.) and the indicators they measure.
• Demonstrated experience developing Performance Management and Evaluation Plans (PMEPs), theories of change, logical frameworks, and results frameworks, at an activity level.
• Demonstrated experience training/facilitating workshops with various types of stakeholders on M&E topics; proven ability to distill complex information down to useable and understandable information for stakeholders.
• Computer literate and possess superior oral and written communication skills.
• Fluency in written and spoken English required.
• Program management experience highly desirable.