Summary

Save the Children is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Director for an anticipated five-year USAID-funded Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Activity in Tanzania. This Activity aim to improve health outcomes by transforming socio-cultural norms and promoting the adoption of healthier behaviors among Tanzanians. The SBC Activity is anticipated to provide technical assistance to the Government to improve policy and implementation framework around SBC activities.

The Director will be responsible for developing, maintaining, implementing, and continuously improving MERL systems for the Activity. They will incorporate best practices to ensure the information collected is accurate, timely, and disseminated appropriately in high-quality reports. The Director will use these findings to improve the Activity and its objectives. They will also promote learning through documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, and the application of project data for learning and adaptive management.

This Key Personnel position is subject to USAID approval. It is also contingent upon project award and funding to Save the Children. National candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will be based in Dar es Salaam.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Develop the overall Activity MERL framework including requirements, reporting, baseline, complexity aware monitoring and evaluation surveys.
• Develop and monitor the project Performance Management Plan (PMP) to systematically document outcomes for project technical leads and leadership team.
• Ensure alignment of MERL activities with project goals and contribute to the development of annual work plans to identify project targets and ensure inclusion of MERL activities.
• Monitor project activities and track these activities against the results framework.
• Conduct field visits for data collection, validation, and to monitor data quality. Ensure timely compilation and reporting of data. Capture and document lessons learned, and champion scaling up of best practices.
• Generate monthly indicator reports and track progress against key indicators.
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of project plans and reports to donors, including progress against targets set in the award, annual work plans, and quarterly, and annual reports.
• Provide technical leadership, capacity building and support to project and partner staff in planning and implementing MERL systems and activities, data-based project decision-making, and results reporting.
• Recruit, supervise and train MERL staff.
• Support the Chief of Party to coordinate mid-term and final project evaluations.
• Ensure utilization of global best practices of USAID guidelines regarding Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA).
• Design and implement internal and external knowledge exchange and learning events to improve peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application.
• Develop strategic relationships with relevant stakeholders to promote effective coordination, collaboration, and dissemination of project learning.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public health, health promotion, demography, statistics, economics, social and behavioral sciences, communication or community development, international development, or a related field preferred. University degree required.
• 6-8 years of senior level professional experience designing and managing MERL systems for USAID-funded integrated health or SBC activities.
• Expertise in USAID integrated health services and SBC indicators, performance monitoring plans and reporting.
• Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods, survey design and implementation, and statistical data analysis, particularly suited for SBC.
• Experience working and living in Tanzania or East Africa region preferred.
• Experience strengthening the capacity of national non-government partner organizations to achieve USAID’s goals for localization.
• Strong experience and knowledge of USAID M&E guidelines, systems, and reporting requirements including Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles, approaches, and their application to project learning and adaptation.
• Strong data visualization and report writing skills, and ability to translate technical information for non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated experience in successfully leading and managing multi-disciplinary teams to achieve project results in a fast-paced and complex environment.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with host governments, development partners, the private sector, and community organizations.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Swahili.
• Ability to produce clear and concise reports, publications, briefs and other written materials related to the project.
• Ability to travel within Tanzania as required and as security conditions allow.

About Save the Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its projects and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our projects for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

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