Managing Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (M3)

 Summary

The Managing Director for Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) is the Team Lead for MERL in the Department of Global Health (DGH) and sits on the MERL leadership team across the International Programs Division. The position leads DGH’s learning agenda, engages in departmental strategic planning and business development, and contributes to technical forums related to program research and evaluation, both internal and external to Save the Children. In this role, you will supervise MERL staff, ensure consistent guidance for MERL-related activities, and provide targeted technical assistance to select projects within the DGH portfolio. In collaboration with thematic counterparts, you will provide guidance and support for research at global and country levels, including, but not limited to, monitoring and evaluation guidance, research partnerships, and capacity building.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Technical Leadership and Quality Programming (40% Level of Effort)

• Serve as the department Team Leader for MERL, participating in strategic planning, and ensuring procedures are in place for high quality, innovative MERL approaches that comply with donor and organizational mandates.
• Support development of evidence-based program standards and guidance that reflect Save the Children best practices and state of the art approaches and promote widespread application.
• Set technical standards and priorities for MERL.
• Promote the application of MERL best practices as a key element of program implementation within Save the Children and work to keep it visible as an important cross-cutting area globally.
• Sit on the MERL leadership team for International Programs, coordinating strategic initiatives such as the global learning agenda, capacity building initiatives, and strategic research partnerships.
• Represent DGH and contribute to task forces and meetings related to MERL within Save the Children.
• Lead the department’s learning agenda.
• Oversee and contribute to finalizing learning products, including developing and reviewing journal manuscripts, technical briefs, conference presentations, and other dissemination events.
• Liaise with the Knowledge Management team to identify, create, disseminate, and apply learning.

Quality Technical Assistance (30% Level of Effort)

• Provide targeted technical assistance on MERL to selected projects in the DGH portfolio, including:
  • Working with project teams to develop and/or finalize monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans.
  • Supporting the design and implementation of adaptive management and learning strategies.
  • Helping to develop and implement project learning agendas, including refinement of learning questions, methods for capturing learning, and documentation plans.
  • Contributing to formative and implementation research studies and program evaluations, including development of tools and protocols, analytic plans, training materials, and IRB submissions.
  • Supporting data quality audits and data review meetings.
  • Supporting analyses, write-up, publication, and dissemination of findings.
  • Providing mentorship/capacity building in MERL to project staff.

Resource Mobilization (10% Level of Effort) 

• In collaboration with technical teams, Partnerships & Philanthropy (P&P), New Business Development (NBD), and regional and country offices, support efforts to secure and diversify funding for global health.
• Participate in regular resource mobilization meetings on upcoming opportunities and priority bids, and coordinate with MERL team to assign MERL staff to serve as MERL Leads on specific bids. Ensure updating of MERL capability statement for use in business development efforts.
• Serve as MERL Lead on specific bids.

External Representation (10% Level of Effort)

• Participate in external working groups. Contribute to technical and advisory forums and meetings as requested and participate in select technical working groups to ensure completion and achievement of objective Cultivate relationships and collaborate with UNICEF, WHO, DHS, and other stakeholders to promote metrics and data use.
• Cultivate relationships and seek collaboration with research partners.
• Represent DGH and contribute to task forces and meetings related to monitoring, evaluation, and learning in global for

Staff Management and Development (10% Level of Effort) 

• Lead MERL team and work with DGH and HR staff to effectively and efficiently recruit, hire, onboard, and retain talent for the agency; hold regular meetings with staff i