NPI EXPAND Overview

The New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) Expanding Health Partnerships—NPI EXPAND Project—is a 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 and education 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 catalyse 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 Mali

NPI Expand Mali’s mission is to increase child survival in Koulikoro and Kayes. The activity is designed to build on previous and ongoing investments by the Health Bureau, as well as to complement ongoing activities in the two regions. NPI EXPAND Mali’s objective is to realize and develop the following specific results in the regions of Koulikoro and Kayes:

• Strengthen the organizational capacity of 3-4 local organization(s) to successfully become a direct recipient of USAID within 2 years and manage child survival activities.
• Improve access to, demand for and use of quality maternal, newborn and child services, including COVID-19 and other infectious disease prevention, detection, and mitigation measures:
  • Maintain/expand these services safely – protecting healthcare workers and communities from COVID-19 while preventing, detecting, and responding to epidemic prone diseases including COVID-19;
  • Sustainably improve local referral system for early use of emergency services by mothers and children under five; and
  • Build clinical skills of facility-based providers in charge of mother and child health.
• Increase community actors’ mobilization for promotion of preventive and promotional health.
• Increase community participation in supporting local health system in delivery of essential mother and child health services including immunization, ANC, PNC, FP. 

Position Description 

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer will provide support, advice, and oversight on program-level monitoring, evaluation and learning to the NPI EXPAND Mali program. This will include progressively implementing and updating the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Tracking Table for greater consistency, scaling up and refining EXPAND’s monitoring systems to allow efficient tracking of program results. This position will report administratively to the Mali Country Team Lead in Bamako and operationally to the Director of Monitoring Evaluation in Washington D.C.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Conduct and oversee data collection efforts, including baseline studies for each local partner;
• Conduct data quality assurance for a sample of performance indicators and results reported to USAID
• Conduct capacity building in MEL functions with local partners including formal training sessions and coaching.
• Prepare quarterly monitoring reports and synthesize data at country or programme level and contribute to monthly, quarterly and annual reports;
• Support the team in monitoring and evaluating progress and effect in respective as well as coherence with the overall strategic priorities;
• Implement MEL activities to answer learning questions from EXPAND Mali 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.
• Liaise with EXPAND home office to provide data; lead the aggregation of data among local partners and facilitate access.
• Facilitate monitoring of cross cutting issues by all stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience in the use of office software packages and handling of web-based project management systems.
• Contribute to the development and finalization of the MEL Framework, indicator framework and data collection plan for EXPAND Mali;
• Provide guidance, develop tools, templates and conduct trainings with staff and partners on key M&E concepts, data collection tools and processes.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Period and Location of Performance

The period of performance is for 1 year renewable. Location for this engagement is in Bamako, Mali. Only local Malian applicants will be considered.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree preferred in relevant academic fields such as social science, public health or development;
• 3-5 years of experience in supporting evaluation and learning in an international cooperation and/or public health context with strong preference for SMCH, and RH experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in monitoring and evaluating programs, including designing and using M&E plans, theories of change, logic models, and other MEL frameworks.
• Strong skills in collecting, analysing, interpreting qualitative and quantitative data;
• Proven capacity to build the MEL skills of colleagues and/or partners;
• Advanced skills in monitoring, evaluation, feedback, and learning methods; including significant knowledge of USAID best practices and experience with M&E frameworks, feedback, and learning processes.
• Direct experience building simple M&E systems.
• Strong experience working with civil society organizations (e.g., NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, etc.) in Mali
• Excellent report writing and communications skills
• Fluency in both English and French preferred
• Experience designing and using project dashboards and/or technology for M&E preferred.
• Malian nationality with residence in Bamako
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Application Instructions

Qualified applicants are invited to apply using the following link: https://palladium.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/2/home/requisition/12518?c=palladium