Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Director - USAID INTEGRATE (Proposal)

The World at Abt   

Solving the world’s most pressing issues and improving the quality of life for people worldwide is what we do every day at Abt Global. Creating a more equitable world is no small task, but we are driven by big challenges.  We are a team of 3,000+ people in over 50 countries working in unison and focused on the bigger picture. Only by sharing our commitment, energy, and innovation do we affect change and push the boundaries of what’s possible. We welcome diverse ideas, backgrounds, and viewpoints – joining Abt means access to exceptional thinkers at the top of their game.    

To thrive at Abt is to embrace flexibility and collaboration. Our open culture allows you to balance your work and personal life as needed to optimize personal well-being. Creating a more equitable world starts from within – we look after people around the world, and we’ll do the same for you.   

Ready to embrace rewarding and meaningful work? Now’s your chance.  

 The Opportunity  

Abt Global seeks a qualified Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Director (MERL Director) for the USAID INTEGRATE project. USAID’s INTEGRATE project will contribute to sustaining the gains in the HIV response and enable pandemic preparedness and resilience in the face of other health threats by integrating current HIV systems for prevention, care, and treatment services into existing country health systems and primary health care platforms, in alignment with country priorities.  

As the MERL Director, you will work in collaboration with the Project Director and lead the design and implementation of the project’s MERL and Knowledge Management plans for the expected INTEGRATE Activity. The MERL Director will serve as the overall MERL lead for the project and will provide the vision and roadmap for project-wide MERL & KM, collaboration adaptation and learning (CLA), equity-centered and complexity-aware MERL approaches, and documentation and dissemination of critical advancements for the health systems strengthening community. The MERL Director will be an integral part of the senior management team and will oversee, coordinate, and collaborate with project staff and partners so that INTEGRATE MERL data collection, monitoring processes and reporting are rigorous, consistent, and valuable contributions for the client and for the broader ecosystem. The position is anticipated to be full-time for the five-year duration. The position is contingent upon the activity’s award and USAID approval.    

This position is contingent upon a project award to Abt Global.  

Core Responsibilities   

• Lead the development and implementation of the project monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework and plan, ensuring alignment with project goals and USAID policies, at global and country levels.  

• Lead the development and implementation of the project’s global learning agenda and strategy in collaboration with USAID clients.   

• Ensure coherence in INTEGRATE data collection analysis, visualization, and results-driven reporting across all project deliverables.   

• Foster a culture of systematic continuous learning and adaptive management through capturing, organizing, synthesizing, and disseminating knowledge via robust participatory systems for collaboration, learning, and project adaptation.   

• Lead strategic planning and development of new measurement approaches as appropriate, especially for emerging or expanding technical areas of the project.  

• Oversee MEL and KM staff supporting routine data collection and management, analysis, quality assurance, and reporting, including support and roll out of innovative MEL systems and tools. 

• Ensure high quality and timely results reporting to clients at global and country levels. 

• Work in close collaboration with the INTEGRATE senior leadership team for ensuring stability and support of global MEL systems, data security requirements, and support new tool development as needed. 

• Promote collaboration and teambuilding of global MEL team to support programmatic improvements and innovation. 

• Provide thought leadership on the analysis, synthesis and sharing of INTEGRATE results, evidence and emerging lessons and work closely with technical and communications teams to share actionable information in compelling ways. 

• Serve as a point of contact for client engagement around MEL, learning, and evidence. 

• Cultivate relationships with appropriate stakeholders, and present project results and evidence at meetings, workshops, and conferences as appropriate. 

• Ensure quality of MERL activities supported by or implemented by subawardees and grantees, as applicable.