Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator | Addis Ababa

NPI EXPAND Overview

The New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) Expanding Health Partnerships—NPI EXPAND Project—is a cooperative global five-year (2019-2024) U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project that supports locally-driven efforts to increase the availability and utilization of high-quality health (FP/MNCH) services. NPI EXPAND invests in new and underutilized local partners (NUPs) and strengthens their capacity to strategize, plan, and implement programs with USAID funds. Enhanced participation of capable local organizations to increase demand for and to deliver high-quality, high impact services will enable governments to meet crucial goals equitably and sustainably. NPI EXPAND will also catalyze opportunities to scale up innovative interventions by strengthening the capacity of NUPs with varying levels of capabilities and exposure to USAID.

Overview of the project in Ethiopia

The USAID Ethiopia Mission is engaging the NPI EXPAND project to support their Empowered Communities for Better Health (ECBH) project, which aims to empower communities to take action and ownership over their health and nutrition and drive a cycle of responsive and accountable service delivery. Moving away from a supply/demand model of health systems development, the ECBH emphasizes the need to engage communities toward improved health services and outcomes. This involves tapping civil society organizations, networks (e.g., women, men, youth), professional associations (e.g., midwives), religious institutions, and community elders and other community structures (e.g., IDDIRs) toward better health. The project will support interventions that engage and/or leverage CSOs and community structures in social accountability interventions toward more responsive and higher quality FP/MNCH services in Amhara, SNNP, Sidama and Southwest Ethiopia Peoples region.

The NPI EXPAND project has three areas of results:

Organizational sustainability of new/underutilized local entities or locally established partners.

Utilization of high-quality, high-impact health services, information and supplies; and

Scale-up of promising and innovative health approaches through new and underutilized partnerships for increased sustainability

Position Description 

The coordinator will provide support, advice, and oversight on NPI EXPAND Ethiopia’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning efforts and activities. This role entails implementing and updating the project’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plan to track progress of grantee activities. Other responsibilities include coordinating with local partners for regular data collection to update the MEL Tracking Table, ensuring timely reporting and information sharing, and identifying and facilitating learning opportunities with grantees. This position will report to the Ethiopia Country Team Lead in Addis Ababa and will be working closely with the NPI EXPAND Ethiopia Project Manager and the Global Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning team based in Washington D.C.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Contribute to the development and finalization of the MEL plan and indicator framework for NPI EXPAND Ethiopia.
• Collaborate with local partners to track progress on improvements in their capacity and performance through selected indicators
• Oversee monthly data collection through grantee reports and conduct regular data verification checks.
• Liaise with EXPAND home office to report data and lead the aggregation of data among local partners.
• Conduct capacity strengthening in MEL functions with local partners including formal training sessions and coaching in collaboration with NPI EXPAND Ethiopia’s capacity strengthening team.
• Coordinate with global MEL team to conduct data quality assessments for a sample of performance indicators and results reported to USAID.
• Prepare quarterly monitoring reports and synthesize data at country or program level and contribute to monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Support the team in monitoring and evaluating progress in respective areas as well as coherence with the overall strategic priorities.
• Organize and facilitate periodic project progress review meetings in collaboration with other NPI EXPAND staff.
• Implement MEL activities to address learning questions from EXPAND Ethiopia in alignment with NPI EXPAND learning agenda.
• Identify and formulate MEL findings, lessons learned and recommendations and avail results for decision-making processes and further project development.

• Facilitate dissemination of lessons learnt from local partners and other stakeholders as need arises.
• Facilitate information exchange and sharing among grantees through occasional learning events.
• Assist with other MEL-related duties as needed.

Period and Location of Performance

The period of performance is through the end of June 2024. Location for this engagement is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Only Ethiopian nationals, based in Ethiopia will be considered for this position. Women are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree preferred in relevant academic fields such as social science, public health or development
• 5+ years of experience in supporting monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts in an international organization and/or public health context with strong preference for prior experience in FP/MNCH or Social Accountability.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with monitoring and evaluating programs, including designing and using M&E plans, theories of change, logic models, and other MEL frameworks.
• Strong experience working with civil society organizations (e.g., NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, etc.) in Ethiopia preferred.
• Strong skills in collecting, analyzing, interpreting qualitative and quantitative data to demonstrate linkages with project outcomes.
• Experience in developing success stories and case studies to present lessons learnt and showcase project achievements.
• Proven capacity to build the MEL skills of colleagues and/or partners.
• Attention to detail, ability to effectively perform multiple tasks, and balance competing priorities.
• Strong process facilitation, analytical, strategic thinking, and planning skills.
• Strong project management, organizational, and interpersonal skills required.
• Excellent report writing and communications skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Fluency in English preferred.
• Ethiopian nationality with residence in Addis Ababa