Job Summary:

The MERL Advisor will be responsible for establishing and leading all MERL efforts for ELEVATE Nutrition in Ghana. S/he will be responsible for developing the project’s Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP)/Performance Management Plan (PMP); establishing systems for collecting, analyzing and reporting data to track project progress; designing and leading the project’s collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA) agenda; and designing and managing research-related activities. The MERL Advisor will ensure data quality across project activities and systems, and that all MERL activities comply with FHI 360 and USAID regulations and guidelines. The MERL Advisor will report to the Chief of Party and will collaborate closely with technical team members in the ELEVATE Nutrition Ghana and Headquarters offices. This position will be based in Tamale, Ghana.

Essential Job Functions:

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the development of an AMELP/PMP that aligns with ELEVATE Nutrition Ghana project goals and objectives, including indicator development, baseline values, and targets, and with ELEVATE Nutrition’s global AMELP.
• Oversee and manage systems for collecting, analyzing and reporting data to track project progress and outcomes against both the ELEVATE Nutrition Ghana PMP as well as for global reporting.
• Oversee routine data quality check activities at implementation sites and contribute to/participate in audits of globally reported indicators.
• Develop and implement data use strategies to maximize internal data use and sharing of data with stakeholders to strengthen accountability and feedback loops.
• Oversee the development of and support implementation of the ELEVATE Nutrition Ghana CLA plan, including the learning agenda, establishing learning questions, tracking progress towards learning objectives, and documenting and disseminating learning outcomes.
• Support the delivery of team-wide pause and reflect sessions, encouraging a culture of learning and knowledge sharing, to critically analyze project data, identify successes and challenges, and use evidence to inform programmatic decision-making and foster adaptive management.
• Support efforts to synthesize and document project learnings, best practices and results in formats that facilitate knowledge sharing and utilization, such as project briefs, reports, presentations, and manuscripts.
• Lead and/or contribute to the design of training materials, job aids, tools and/or data collection instruments, ensuring that MERL content is technically sound.
• Lead and/or contribute to the design of research activities, including protocol development, qualitative and quantitative tool development, oversight to data collection, support to data analysis and report writing, and management of local and FHI 360 institutional review board requirements.
• Ensure research implementation adheres to FHI 360 and international policies and standards and remains technically and ethically sound.
• Serve as the key MERL technical point of contact for partners, including participation in technical meetings and coordination platforms.
• Promote gender equality and social inclusion in the design and implementation of activities, guided by the ELEVATE Nutrition Gender Strategy.
• Collaborate with ELEVATE Nutrition home office technical advisors on technical activities to ensure alignment with ELEVATE Nutrition’s global processes and best practices.
• Prepare and contribute to regular reports (quarterly and annual) to meet donor requirements and internal project monitoring needs.
• May supervise junior level staff members.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Master’s degree or international equivalent in Public Health, Statistics, Nutrition, Social Sciences.
• At least 12 years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, research, and/or learning for donor-funded projects, preferably within multisectoral and/or nutrition programs.
• Solid understanding of USAID regulations and monitoring and evaluation and learning reporting requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Strong analytical skills (quantitative and qualitative) and proficiency in monitoring and learning tools and software such as SPSS, Stata, Excel and other data analysis tools.
• Keen attention to detail for ensuring data quality and accuracy.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel within Ghana, especially the five northern regions.

This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

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Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements