M & E Specialist

Malaria Consortium is recruiting for a M&E Specialist to join our team in Osun State   

Scope of work

The M&E Specialist is expected to provide timely and relevant information on the project’s progress against performance indicators and critical milestones. The post holder will coordinate, organise and supervise data collection, both routine or per specific requests of quantitative and/or qualitative assessments, which will be used to monitor and evaluate project activities, outcomes and impact in line with the project objectives. S/he will serve as the main focal person for all MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) activities of the project and manage the database. The position holder will provide technical support to the Surveillance, M&E and Operations Research (OR) branch of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and the national PMC Research and Policy uptake subcommittee (NIRPUS) in conjunction with the State Programme Manager, Research Specialist and Senior Programme Manager. The post holder will be a member of Malaria Consortium’s M&E community of practice.

Key working relationships

The position holder will be expected to collaborate, coordinate and work closely with all involved in M&E design and implementation, including the State Programme Manager, Senior Programme Manager, Research Specialist, the Principal Investigator and Co-principal investigator for the SP-PMC project. S/he will liaise closely with the surveillance and data management units of NMEP and NPHCDA to ensure coordination and harmonization of tools and processes. The post holder will provide on-going technical support and practical assistance to the state project team, communicating project monitoring outcomes primarily with the project team, serving as bases for strategic planning and programmatic review. 

Key accountabilities

Technical contributions (30%)

• Develop and implement a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan to ensure the achievement of project targets and guarantee the quality control of project activities.
• Prepare training materials and plan sessions for field teams to ensure the best achievement on data collection.
• Develop and implement a robust supportive supervision and mentoring framework for health workers at implementation facilities and communities.  
• Develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) for sentinel surveillance at the study sites
• Recruit and train sentinel site data collectors on the SOP for sentinel surveillance
• Feed the State programme Manager and team with technical input and ongoing feedback on project outcomes for ensuring quality implementation by the teams.

  Data/information management (30%)

• Organize internal implementation of M&E data collection, management and analysis and donor reporting functions
• Liaise with the respective national and sub-national stakeholders to ensure that the Malaria Consortium database is coherent with the National Program database (National Malaria Data repository)
• Lead data collection and validation activities for the project
• Design and implement a data quality assurance system for the project
• Be responsible for the data collection, management, and analysis and reporting of any requested survey and of routine monitoring activities
• Design and manage the databases for all monitoring and evaluation activities in relation to this project in collaboration with the Malaria Consortium country office technical team and PI for the research.
• Provide the State Implementation Officer, the State Programme Manager, the Senior Program Manager and/or Operation Research Specialist with any data needed for management decisions

 Communications and reporting (20%)

• Prepare timely consolidated progress reports, reports on M&E findings for internal as well as for external donor use on monthly, quarterly, semester and/or yearly bases
• Prepare and provide the regular sharing of the outputs of M&E findings with all project staff, implementing partners and stakeholders
• Prepare presentations as requested by Senior Management, Senior Management Team and/or Project team.

 Representation and documentation (20%)

• Participate in relevant meetings at national and sub-national levels and where possible, present results and experiences of the project
• Provide effective support to monitoring visits of donors and/or partners related to both project planning, review and fundraising.

Person specification

Qualifications and experience:        

Essential

• A postgraduate degree in Statistics, Project Management, Public Health, or a related subject
• Advanced training and vast experience in Monitoring and Evaluation
• At least 7 years of direct work experience in M&E
• Experience with performance monitoring and evaluation for health projects, including developing performance indicators, data collection and analysis
• Experience in developing monitoring and evaluation plans, and supporting documents, including data collection and management guidelines
• Experience with sentinel surveillance and routine immunization
• Experience in HMIS data validation, analysis and evaluation
• Experience in translating data into accessible reports and comprehensive presentations/compilations for diverse audiences
• Experience conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys and its supervision and analysis
• Experience in writing high quality project reports
• A team-oriented individual who demonstrates inclusivity and transparency in their ways of working and sharing information. Motivating colleagues working on M&E related tasks

Desirable

• Experience in working in malaria related projects/programmes
• Familiarity with DHIS2
• Experience in M&E of routine immunization programmes
• Experience in writing high quality project reports

Essential

• Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Excellent planning and organising skills
• Excellent communication skills both written and spoken in English
• Excellent interpersonal skills and good team spirit
• Excellent knowledge in the use of data management and analysis software
• Willingness to participate in field activities/surveys and travel to remote areas within the project implementation sites
• Ability to follow deadlines, accuracy and attention to detail

Desirable

• Excellent report writing and presentation skills
• Capable of working with minimum supervision
• Innovative and ideas driven

Knowledge of project management techniques and tools