Primary Responsibilities

CAPACITY STRENGTHENING ACTIVITIES – Conduct capacity strengthening activities (in-person or virtual sessions) on key MERLA tools or software with staff from African nodes, as needed/requested. Key MERLA tools or software include, but are not limited to: use of global databases, mobile data collection platforms, quantitative and qualitative analysis software, data visualization platforms, and other analytic tools to enable use of evidence to monitor and improve programs and projects. Support nodes to follow Network Quality Standards and M&E Standard Operating Procedures.

CAPACITY STRENGTHENING TOOLS/PROCESS Support the use of learning tools throughout the project cycle, including theory of change, logic models, log frames, evaluations, and after-action reviews

TEMPORARY GAP FILLING IN NODES – Provide monitoring and evaluation backstopping for new country offices, offices with limited research and MERLA staff, and offices with staffing transitions, as needed.

GLOBAL MERLA STRATEGY/SYSTEMS Act as liaison across nodes to develop and ensure global MERLA standard operating procedures, the Ipas M&E Guide, and global MERLA tools and processes are driven by best practices and country learning and priorities

FUNDRAISING SUPPORT – Serve as MERLA lead or support to global, regional and country-level fundraising initiatives and proposal development in the form of evidence-based project design, technical writing, peer review, and co-creation of conceptual frameworks.

MLE PLANS – Co-develop (or provide technical support to the development of) monitoring, evaluation and learning plans during project set-up for new projects with project team members by providing technical assistance on indicators, data management processes, data collection tool design/adaptation, and best practices

DATA USE Co-design and build user-driven tools and dashboards that support nodes to interpret and use results from monitoring, evaluation, and research for continuous quality improvement, learning and internal and external dissemination to stakeholders.

ANALYSIS Perform quantitative and qualitative analyses of monitoring, evaluation, and research data, for organizational and program decision-making, upon request AND/OR work with TEX colleagues to meet these needs

REPORTING – Lead or support organizational and donor reporting on programmatic data and conduct in-depth analysis and evidence synthesis in support of the strategic plan and donor requests

RESEARCH DESIGN LEADERSHIP Lead and/or support research project development as primary or co-investigator, including preparing concept notes, study protocols, data collection tools, consent forms, proposals for funding, and managing the ethical approvals process

RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION – Hire, train, and monitor/supervise research teams, including data collectors and field supervisors, sometimes in multiple countries

RESEARCH DISSEMINATION Support nodes to prepare and execute dissemination plans to ensure research results are actionable and impactful, including representing Ipas at conferences, hosting internal and external webinars, developing factsheets/research briefs, and managing the submission process for peer-reviewed publications

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING – Stay informed of developments in the global field of MERLA to bring best practices to the work of Ipas.

Requirements

Minimum

Masters degree in social science or public health discipline, or equivalent professional experience

8+ years work experience in global reproductive health programs, especially experience in MERLA

Experience in MERLA for global health programs, especially SRHR; including experience training others in MERLA related skills and processes

Experience managing research and/or evaluation teams

Experience using mobile data collection apps using ODK programming, CommCare, or similar programs

Demonstrated ability to use data for decision-making and quality improvement

Experience with word-processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software

Experience with use of databases

Experience with communicating data to various audiences and use of data visualization software (Power BI, Tableau, Excel, or others)

Fluency in English, excellent written and verbal English, ability to effectively use language translation tools when needed

Experience working in multiple African countries

Willingness to travel internationally, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, up to 40% time

Preferred Skills

Proficiency in French and/or Portuguese, in addition to English

Experience using statistical analysis computer packages (Stata, SPSS, SAS, R, or others) for inferential statistics

Experience with qualitative data analysis and software (Dedoose, NVivo, Atlas.ti, or others)

Research and/or evaluation budgeting experience

Competencies

Supportive of a woman’s right to choose and to have access to safe abortion services.

Committed to uphold the highest ethical standards in MERLA practices

Well-organized with the ability to track multiple projects and deadlines

Ability to work successfully in a cross-cultural, team-based, global environment

Understanding of and commitment to gender equity and social inclusion in a local and international context.

Ipas is strongly committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequity. We recruit, employ, train, promote, and compensate our personnel without regard to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, creed, ancestry, citizenship, caste, ethnicity, regional identity, tribal identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic protected by law or outlined by Ipas policy. Ipas acknowledges that these personal characteristics may differ in different contexts.