M&E Advisor - Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

PACT Overview

A global nonprofit with experience in more than 60 countries, Pact fosters thriving, resilient communities that chart their own development paths. We deliver solutions that are rooted in evidence and driven by data.

Position Overview

The M&E Advisor - MNCH provides hands-on monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) support to Pact’s maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) portfolio and broader health programming. Working under the technical direction of senior Learning, Evidence and Impact (LEAP) staff and senior project staff, s/he supports MERL system start-up, implementation, and close-out on projects and carries out core M&E tasks, including indicator and instrument development, data cleaning, quantitative analysis, and data visualization and reporting. S/he provides capacity strengthening, technical backstopping, and quality oversight to in-country project M&E leads to ensure that Pact’s health projects produce high-quality data that meets donor requirements and is used for learning and adaptive management.

The position is matrixed: for project work, s/he works directly with and takes day-to-day direction from the assigned Project Lead(s) or their designee; for new business and institutional work, s/he works with and is directed by LEAP. The Senior Technical Officer contributes to new business by developing the MEL sections of MNCH and other health proposals, including theories of change, results frameworks, indicators, and MEL plans. The position requires practical knowledge of MNCH programs and their M&E requirements; experience with HIV programming is an asset

Key Responsibilities

Ensuring quality programming through technical MERL support (working directly with assigned Project or LEAP Lead(s))

Project MERL support and implementation

• Lead MERL start-up of new MNCH and health projects, including development of MEL plans, results frameworks, indicator reference sheets, data flow, and data management system set-up (excel, DHIS2), and preparations for baseline and endline assessments.
• Carry out M&E tasks for assigned projects, including designing quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments, sampling, building digital data collection forms, data cleaning and management, quantitative analysis, and preparing tables, dashboards, and visualizations (e.g., in Power BI).
• Lead and contribute to baseline, midline and endline assessments, special studies and evaluations under the direction of a principal investigator, including drafting terms of reference, protocols, tools, analysis plans and report sections.
• Track project performance against targets and support the preparation and review of quarterly and annual performance reports to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with donor requirements.
• Ensure that project indicators and data systems align with national health management information systems (HMIS/DHIS2), global standard MNCH and health indicators, and donor M&E requirements.

Quality oversight and capacity strengthening of project M&E leads

• Provide regular technical backstopping and quality oversight to project M&E leads, including review of MEL plans, tools, datasets, analyses, and reports, and follow-up on recommended improvements.
• Plan and support routine data quality assessments (DQAs) and help projects resolve data quality issues.
• Design and deliver remote and in-person training, coaching and mentoring for project and partner M&E staff on indicator measurement, data management, data quality, analysis, visualization and data use for decision-making.
• Promote the use of data for learning and adaptive management, including supporting pause-and-reflect sessions and learning reviews with project teams.

New business development (working with LEAP)

• Serve as champion or technical lead for health-related research and evaluation proposals.
• Develop the MEL sections of MNCH and other health proposals, including theories of change, results and logical frameworks, indicators and targets, MEL approaches and draft MEL plans, under the guidance of senior LEAP staff.
• Review proposal MEL content for technical quality, feasibility, alignment with donor requirements and consistency with the program design.
• Contribute MERL staffing, budget and level-of-effort inputs, and compile project results and past performance information for proposals and capability statements.

Institutional support and learning (working with LEAP)

• Support Pact’s Global Indicators process for health projects, including mapping project data to global indicators, data cleaning and reporting.
• Support the use of imPact on health projects, including configuration requests, dashboards and user support.
• Participate in the LEAP Community of Practice and contribute to LEAP tools, templates, guidance and learning products, particularly on MNCH and health measurement.
• Coordinate with Pact’s health technical staff to share findings and support health learning agendas.
• Employee complies with all company policies and procedures, including completing all compliance training topics by the deadline to satisfy each and receiving the corresponding acknowledgment statement that the training has been completed.
• All other duties as assigned.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree and 8+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, health economics, biostatistics, demography, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation of international development programs, including at least four years supporting MNCH or broader reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition (RMNCAH+N) programs.
• Working knowledge of MNCH program approaches, standard MNCH indicators and data sources (e.g., HMIS/DHIS2, DHS, MICS), and the M&E requirements of major health donors (bilateral, multilateral and foundations).
• Demonstrated hands-on M&E experience, including developing MEL plans and indicators, designing data collection instruments, and data cleaning and management.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct quantitative analysis, with proficiency in at least one statistical software package (e.g., Stata, R or SPSS), plus advanced Excel skills.
• Experience providing technical assistance, training or mentoring to M&E staff, including reviewing others’ work for quality.
• Experience contributing to the MEL sections of competitive proposals.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including the ability to present data clearly to non-technical audiences, and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate effectively across time zones with field-based teams.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a matrixed structure, balancing direction and deadlines from multiple project and technical leads.

Preferred Qualifications

• Econometrics or advanced applied statistics experience, particulary in health.
• Experience with HIV programming and associated M&E requirements (e.g., PEPFAR MER indicators).
• Proficiency in Power BI or a similar data visualization tool, including building dashboards.
• Experience with DHIS2 and mobile data collection platforms (e.g. KoboToolbox, ODK, SurveyCTO, CommCare).
• Experience with qualitative methods and analysis software (e.g. NVivo, Dedoose).
• Professional working proficiency in French.
• Experience overseeing and coordinating with international field offices.
• Experience living or working in low- and middle-income countries.

Strong preference will be given to candidates based in the Washington, DC area. Candidates outside the DC area may be considered if they reside in one of the following states where Pact is registered to employ staff: CO, DC, ID, MA, MD, MI, NV, and VA. This is a hybrid role requiring two in-office days per week.

The salary for this position is determined based on a wide variety of factors including but not limited to an individuals skill sets, experience, training, certifications, education, as well as business needs and internal equity. At Pact, employees are typically not hired at the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are made based on the aforementioned circumstances. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $89,000 to $123,000