Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Director

CARE seeks a MEAL Director for the anticipated USAID-funded five-year program on Strengthening Primary and Community Health Care (SPCH) in Cote d’Ivoire. The principal objectives of the Strengthening Primary and Community Health Care program are to improve access to quality services and better protect and promote health care for pregnant women and children under five years old, and to strengthen the quality and accessibility of voluntary family planning (FP) and reproductive health ( RH) services to address unmet needs through the public, non-government, and private sectors, through an increased focus on primary health care. The MEAL Director will play a pivotal role in providing strategic guidance, vision, and management for the effective monitoring and evaluation of the p roject . This position will oversee the MEAL team ensuring integration of all MEAL activities and fostering collaborative partnerships with USAID /Cote d’Ivoire , government entities (including the unit responsible for the D istrict Health Information System [DHIS] 2 within the Ivoirian Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene) and project sub-partners. The MEAL Director will assume responsibility for overseeing, providing technical direction, and supporting all MEAL activities, guaranteeing accurate and regular reporting of results pertaining to program initiatives . Working closely with the program staff, the MEAL Director will be responsible for designing and obtaining donor approval for the MEAL Plan (including the Performance Measurement Plan ) , developing, and overseeing the MEAL system for monitoring project performance, and tracking progress towards project objectives and expected outcomes. The MEAL Director will also lead routine data collection, analysis, data management, reporting, data quality assurance (DQA) exercises compliant with USAID DQA standards and supervisory field visits to enhance monitoring systems and data utilization at project sites. By collaborating closely with project staff, partners, and stakeholders, the MEAL Director will analyze and interpret project data, document, and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and project deliverables to facilitate continuous improvement and knowledge sharing. This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USAID approval. It is also contingent on project award and funding. National candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will be based in Abidjan and will directly report to the COP. Application Deadline: November 4, 2024 Responsibilities: Develop a comprehensive MEAL plan with r obust quantitative and qualitative tools , context-appropriate systems for data collection, quality assurance, analysis, and reporting and a Performance Management Plan (PMP) and associated indicator Performance Indicator Reference Sheet s to systematically document outcomes for project technical leads and leadership team . Oversee and train a team responsible for data collection, entry, verification, analysis, and reporting, ensuring accurate and high-quality data is reported and highlighting emerging patterns and findings. Ensure alignment of MEAL activities with program goals , objectives , donor requir e ments, and Cote d’Ivoire’s local health system goals. Oversee the development of annual work plans to identify project targets and ensure inclusion of M&E and Learning activities. Monitor project activities and track these activities against the results framework. Conduct field visits to project sites, including sub-partners, for data collection, validation, and to monitor data quality . Ensure timely compilation and reporting of data. Capture and document lessons learned, and champion scaling up of best practices. Work closely with local health authorities to strengthen their MEAL systems , including DHIS 2 Generate monthly indicator reports and track progress against key indicators to meet program a n d donor requirements . Ensure timely and accurate submission of project plans and performance reports to donors, including progress against targets set in the award , annual work plan s , and quarterly, and annual reports. Provide technical leadership , capacity building and support to project and partner staff in planning and implementing MEAL systems and activities, data-based program decision-making, and results reporting . Recruit, supervise and train project MEAL staff. Review scope of work and deliverables for potential MEAL consultant s (responsible for conducting project baseline , midline and endline evaluations ) Support the C OP to coordinat e periodic project evaluations in collaboration with stakeholders . Ensure synthesis of evaluation findings into actionable recommendations, and utilization of g lobal best practices of USAID guidelines regarding Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) . Design and implement internal and external knowledge exchange and learning events to improve peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and application. Develop strategic relationships with relevant stakeholders to promote effective coordination, collaboration, and dissemination of program learning . Qualifications: Master’s degree in statistics, data management , public health, international development, economic development or other relevant is required . At least 8-10 years of relevant senior experience in international development as MEAL director, program director or in a senior management role p referably or o n health projects of similar scope and scale.: multi-year (5 years and more) and multi-million (10-25 million US Dollars) Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods, implementation, and data analysis . Demonstrated MEAL experience in the project technical area ( primary and community health care, family planning, reproductive, maternal , newborn and c hild health/nutrition ) . Strong experience and knowledge of USAID M&E guidelines, systems, and reporting requirements i ncluding Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles , approaches , and their application to project learning and adaptati on . Strong data visualization and report writing skills , and ability to translate technical information for non-technical audiences . At least 5 years of experience working in the West and Central Africa region, preferably in Cote d’Ivoire . Experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff and teams and building capacity of local partners. Demonstrated skills building and maintaining relationships with project stakeholders, local partners, and local organizations . Fluency in French and English required (spoken and written) Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated inter-cultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills. Demonstrated commitment to PSHEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment, and Abuse). Demonstrated commitment to principles of Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion (DE BI) . Ability to travel within Cote d’Ivoire as required and as security conditions allow . #LI-HG H