Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Advisor

Overview

Job Location: Washington, DC     

Telework Eligible: Yes, at least 3 days per week in-person reporting at Washington, DC office.

Remote Eligible: No.

 

Summary Statement:

 

The Global Health Training, Advisory and Support Contract (GHTASC) delivers effective global health programming to advance the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Global Health (GH) through institutional support and workforce development services from junior, mid-level, senior and expert advisory and administrative professionals.

 

Credence and its partner, the Public Health Institute (PHI), are both employers for GHTASC, and are seeking a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Advisor under GHTASC. This position will be hired under Public Health Institute (PHI).

USAID's Bureau for Global Health supports health programs in partner countries, advances measurement and innovation in areas relevant to overall Agency health objectives, and transfers new technologies through its own programmatic work, coordination with other donors, and a portfolio of grants. Global health is a global good with consequences that not only affect the people of developing nations, but also directly affect the interests of American citizens.

The Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition, within USAID's Bureau for Global Health (GH/MCHN), serves as the Agency's technical and policy lead on maternal newborn and child health, immunization, nutrition, and environmental health, with a focus on preventing child and maternal deaths and improved nutrition, and supporting other related Agency priorities. Cross-cutting activities managed by the Office in support of this goal include private sector partnerships, social and behavior change, MCHN policy, multilateral partnerships, gender, innovation, monitoring, evaluation, research/research utilization and learning (MERL), knowledge management and knowledge translation.

MCHN's Research and Policy Division (GH/MCHN/RP) is responsible for technical leadership, guidance, and coordination to advance a systematic approach to the use of measurement related efforts including innovation, monitoring, evaluation, research/research utilization and learning to accelerate the uptake, sustained and effective use of, and scale-up of maternal, newborn, child, water, and sanitation (WASH) and nutrition programming. RP is one of four divisions in the MCHN Office, which also includes the Maternal and Newborn Health Division, the Child Health and Immunization Division and the Nutrition and Environmental Health Division. RP staff support the MERL needs of other MCHN Divisions as well as USAID Missions, the Bureau for Global Health, and the Agency at large.

Position Summary:

 

The Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Advisor for Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition (Senior Advisor) will provide technical and thought leadership and capacity building in monitoring, evaluation research, and learning (MERL) in support of achievement of preventing child and maternal deaths (PCMD). The senior advisor will be responsible for undertaking practical, state-of-the art measurement approaches focused on the highest priority problem areas and interventions relevant to the needs of USAID PCMD priority countries. the incumbent will undertake advanced analytical work as a member of the office of maternal and child health and nutrition and lead a team of non-direct hire analytical experts based in the office of maternal child health and nutrition, division of research and policy (MCHN/RP). This analytic work will inform strategic plans and programmatic decisions of the Agency, the Global Health Bureau and USAID country missions.

 

The Senior Advisor will provide technical leadership for research, monitoring and evaluation, and the Agency’s Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach for MCHN components of the GH Bureau and mission bilateral projects and initiatives. Additionally, the Senior Advisor will provide technical leadership and support for the USAID interface with various global partners and other stakeholders within and outside of the U.S. Government, as well as serving on technical advisory and working groups on various dimensions of MCHN measurement, evaluation, and learning, e.g., the U.N. Interagency Group on Mortality Estimation and the Countdown to 2030.

 

 Major Areas of Responsibility:

• Contribute to USAID's global technical leadership in MERL focused on measurement, data use, and reporting on MCH, Nutrition and WASH.
• Provide expert MERL support to USAID/W, Missions, and USAID global and bilateral projects.
• Contribute to USAID's annual reporting, portfolio reviews and budg