VillageReach Current Job Vacancy Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Description
ABOUT VILLAGEREACH
VillageReach is an NGO that develops solutions to critical health system challenges in low-resource environments, with an emphasis on strengthening the ‘last mile’ of healthcare delivery. VillageReach combines expertise across public health, technology, and business to bring life-saving innovation – new systems, programs and technologies – to scale and sustainability in the world’s most underserved communities. VillageReach is headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices located in the Malawi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Summary
VillageReach is searching for a qualified and energetic individual to fill the position of Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Community Health Programs. Based in Lilongwe, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will work closely with the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor and Program Managers in coordinating monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts of key projects implemented by VillageReach in Malawi. This position will primarily support the Chipatala cha pa Foni (CCPF) hotline, which is based at the Ministry of Health in Lilongwe, and the Kwitanda Community Health Project in Balaka. Other projects may be assigned from time to time.
Description
The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Community Health Programs will be responsible for the design and implementation of M&E systems, including data collection, analysis and reporting, for two public health programs in Malawi:
- Chipatala cha pa Foni (CCPF) – The cornerstone of VillageReach’s digital health work, CCPF is a free hotline designed to increase access to timely and appropriate health and nutrition information for communities throughout Malawi. Supported by the Ministry of Health, Airtel and a variety of international donors including USAID (ONSE), GIZ, Vitol Foundation, Concern Worldwide and Johnson & Johnson, CCPF provides general advice and referrals on a wide range of health topics for men, women and children of all ages. CCPF also utilizes a ‘tips and reminders’ mobile messaging service, which provides regular text or voice messages on reproductive, maternal, and newborn health topics. Since 2011, when it was first piloted in Balaka district, CCPF has expanded to 9 districts, with plans to go national by the end of 2017. VillageReach just transitioned the operation of the hotline to the Ministry of Health, and will continue to provide technical assistance to the government through September 2019. The hotline was moved from Balaka to Lilongwe as part of this transition at the end of July 2017.
- Kwitanda Community Health Project (KCHP) – This project operates in a catchment area of approximately 27,000 people and one Health Center, with the goals of developing and testing innovative approaches to improve access to and use of available Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health services. One major focus is on improving prevention and treatment of common childhood illnesses and conditions such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, and vaccine preventable diseases, and improving methods of data collection for decision-making through Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs). Another major focus is on reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. To this end, VillageReach provides logistical support for outreach antenatal clinics and for HSAs to conduct home visits to pregnant and postnatal women, encouraging facility deliveries and full completion of ANC and PNC visits. VillageReach also procures drugs for village clinics, conducts community sensitization meetings toward child and maternal health issues, and builds the capacity of Kwitanda health workers. A mortality and morbidity study to better determine the causes of death and disease in Kwitanda has just started.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.
- General M&E:
- Design robust M&E strategies/plans, including development of indicators for projects, in collaboration with project partners and Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor;
- Assist in the implementation of M&E plans, including regular monitoring of indicators, creating data collection tools and procedures, database design and management, and data analysis;
- Assist program teams in understanding M&E results and using data to inform continuous program improvement;
- Participate and assist in the training and capacity building of project staff, government and other partners in the areas of data collection and data quality as needed;
- Work with various stakeholders to identify existing data sources and data collection activities and to gather data from identified sources.
- Document and disseminate best practices and lessons learned on a quarterly basis.
- Communication, Public Relations, and Program Development
- Create reports of results that can be shared with external audiences, sharing lessons learned and supporting advocacy efforts with the global health community.
- Support M&E design for related proposals that may emerge;
- Communicate with key external stakeholders.
- Routine Monitoring & Data Management
- Design appropriate data collection methodologies and instruments based on the M&E plans for the two projects – CCPF and KCHP;
- Collect monthly data and ad-hoc data for various related projects and assessments; take responsibility in ensuring the quality of the data collected;
- Ensure that data is entered into the project databases and routinely cleaned;
- Develop and manage the central databases for the two projects – CCPF and KHCP;
- Analyze data after data cleaning, and produce monthly reports/dashboards, as well as progress reports and presentations required less frequently (on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis);
- Undertake field visits to monitor activities for both programs – CCPF and KCHP;
- For KCHP, provide feedback to HSAs and Community Health Facilitators on the data reported monthly, and train field staff on data collection and data quality;
- For KCHP, provide technical guidance to the AEHO on reporting, assisting in the review of patient registers and other reporting forms on a monthly basis; crosscheck that the under 5 clinic registers are properly filled, and that the monthly reports submitted are accurate.
- For CCPF, assist in updating the M&E framework and selecting key indicators for the new hotline system, in close coordination with the Information and Communication Technology Officer;
- For CCPF, produce a variety of donor-specific reports with custom indicators on a regular basis.
- Project Evaluations and Assessments
- Assist in the development, implementation and results dissemination of additional research studies, assessments and program evaluations related to CCPF and KCHP in collaboration with project partners and academic institutions;
- Assist in writing publications of results as needed; this could be in the form of reports, journal articles, abstracts, presentations, website blogs, etc.
- For CCPF, support the conduct of an impact evaluation to be led by an independent evaluator.
- Other Activities:
- Train staff on data collection, data management, data analysis and result-oriented programming, basic surveying and sampling techniques, M&E methods and impact assessment.
- Any other responsibilities that may be assigned to you from time to time by the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor. Please note that duties, responsibilities, and priorities may change at any time, so it is important to maintain flexibility and an open mind.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
This position has no supervisory responsibilities, however it will require working closely with Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) from the Kwitanda community during monthly sessions of data collection, and with CCPF hotline workers and a wide range of stakeholders in designing a new M&E system for the hotline.
Environment and Physical Demands:
The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will work in a shared, open environment with meeting rooms accessible for privacy and meetings. Travel is expected to the VillageReach office in Balaka and the Kwitanda health center for approximately 30% of the time.
APPLICATION INFORMATION:
The position will be based in Lilongwe, Malawi, and will report directly to the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor but will work closely with the CCPF and Kwitanda Program Managers. Salary is commensurate with qualification and experience.
This is an immediate hire and resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis. To apply, please submit your resume and a cover letter to our online portal: http://www.villagereach.org/join-us/ Writing samples and references will later be requested from selected candidates.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:
VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most underserved and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce.
Requirements
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Interpersonal Skills: Conduct oneself with sensitivity, awareness and respect when working with diverse groups of people, including VillageReach staff, beneficiaries, donors and partners.
- Dependability: Act at all times as a reliable and effective team player, volunteering to help without being asked.
- Initiative and Results: Proactively enhance the quality of programs, outputs, workplace environment and relationships.
- Representation: Represent VillageReach and its programs by demonstrating a personal commitment to the mission and values of VillageReach and a sound knowledge of the organization, its principles and its programs.
- Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship: Demonstrate leadership by being a positive example to others, a positive force programmatically and organizationally; foster a culture of innovation.
- Commitment to Learning and Growth: Demonstrate commitment to develop, acquire, document and apply best practices in related fields, and apply solutions to obstacles to organizational effectiveness.
- Consistency: Demonstrate consistent and productive attendance and work record.
- Compliance: Follow VillageReach policies and procedures.
- Master’s degree candidate or graduate in Mathematics, Statistics, Public Health, Development Studies, or another relevant field;
- Minimum of 3 years of relevant M&E work experience related to public health programs in sub-Saharan Africa and Malawi; experience with community health programs preferred, but not required;
- A working understanding of effective approaches to monitor and evaluate health programs including: methodology and data collection tools development, ability to find and gather data from a variety of sources, and training and capacity building to improve data collection and quality;
- Strong background in research and success in implementing studies (as demonstrated by significant participation in study design, data collection, analysis, and generation of reports) and translating research into policy and practice;
- Strong quantitative skills and demonstrated experience in data management and analysis;
- Ability to develop and carry out work plans, M&E plans, and to solve problems independently;
- Strong computer skills including MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Outlook; statistical packages (STATA or SPSS); web-based data collection, ArcGIS, etc.
- Strong organizational and planning skills, and superior attention to detail;
- Excellent writing skills, particularly aimed at technical report writing;
- Experience working in team settings, preferably as part of an international organization;
- Experience working closely with government ministries on complex projects preferred;
- Fluency in English and Chichewa is required.
- Demonstrated understanding of public health challenges in rural, underserved and low-income communities, particularly in Malawi.
- This position is only open to Malawi citizens.