The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.
CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
The IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi state. In February 2014 the IRC moved into Adamawa State in NE Nigeria to provide humanitarian interventions through a multi-sectoral, integrated approach for conflict-affected populations. IRC Nigeria now operates a country office in Abuja and field offices in Mubi and Yola of Adamawa State, Maiduguri, and Monguno of Borno state, and Damaturu of Yobe State. Currently, IRC Nigeria implements programs for primary health care, nutrition, environmental health, women’s protection, and empowerment, protection, child protection, education, food security & livelihoods
Job Overview/Summary
HeRON Project Overview
USAID/FCDO Health Resilience of Northeast Nigeria (HeRON) Service delivery project in Borno and Yobe states supports the delivery of quality integrated primary healthcare, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health services, to improve evidence-based decision-making, accountability at all levels of service delivery.
IRC leads a consortium of humanitarian and development implementing partners (Action Contre la Faim – ACF and Society for Family Health Nigeria- SFH).
The Project team is working alongside states and local government authorities, strengthening their capacity to effectively deliver quality integrated primary healthcare, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition services.
Scope of Work
IRC is seeking a dynamic and highly experienced monitoring and evaluation professional to provide technical support to the HeRON monitoring and evaluation activities.
The Senior M&E Manager will report to both the Consortium Team Lead, with dotted lines to Deputy Lead (HeRON Technical Lead) and the IRC Country program M&E Coordinator. She/he will be responsible for client responsiveness and M&E systems development and implementation for the IRC-led HeRoN Consortium, ensuring consistent use of M&E approaches, data management, client responsiveness, and data quality, and facilitating learning across teams and consortium partners. The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring overall coherence of monitoring and reporting tools, and coordination of data compilation from different consortium members. He/she will have a strong working relationship with the IRC M&E team as well as the consortium team for additional technical support. He/she will work collaboratively with consortium teams and M&E/Consortium coordinators in partner organizations and support M&E officers at the field level. He/she will be expected to communicate courteously on consortium performance and maintain positive relationships with program and support teams.
Major Responsibilities
Program Management, Technical Quality & Strategy
Consortium M&E design and learning
- Support development, review, and implementation of HeRoN project M&E systems, SOPs, guidance, and measurement tools in line with the IRC MEAL Handbook.
- Ensure that detailed and feasible consortium monitoring plans are developed that: i) provide an indicator matrix, ii) consider the ethical and safe collection and storage of data, iii) consider data quality audits, vi) consider storing, protecting, and sharing project documents.
- Closely work with the M&E coordinator, Technical Lead, and Consortium partners to ensure that all partners have tested standard monitoring tools that capture both activity and indicator progress over time.
- Ensure development and localization of Client Responsiveness Mechanism across partners.
- Develop tools that aid in documenting, storing, and sharing lessons learned that have implications for the refinement of best programmatic practice.
- In consultation with the M&E coordinator and Consortium Technical Lead, organize lesson-sharing events to fertilize learning across different partners.
- Serve as a consortium focal person on information management, lead and design diagnostic studies, evaluations, and surveys for the consortium.
- Develop/implement innovative ideas regarding client feedback mechanisms and ensure effective use of existing feedback mechanisms (FGD, hotline facilitation, suggestion boxes, exit interviews, IEC materials, radio jingles)
Monitoring and evaluation
- Ensure that the IRC- led consortium has a robust monitoring plan in place, developing monitoring and evaluation guidelines, frameworks, and indicators for the project’s action plan in close collaboration with the M&E Coordinator/Deputy Team Leader.
- Lead and assist the partner M&E staff in conducting reflective practice forums at the field office/ partner level and compile lessons from partner implementation processes.
- Update and provide data and information to the M&E coordinator and Team Leader on consortium project performance indicators.
- Conduct data quality audits of partner data to identify and resolve systemic problems affecting data quality, document findings from data quality audits, and store them in project files to ensure collective and sustainable access.
- Support consortium Managers and M&E staff with the planning and implementation of baseline surveys, Health Facility Assessments, needs assessments, and mid-term and end-of-project reviews/evaluations including preparation of Terms of References.
- Work with partner staff to ensure that the consortium work plans include monitoring activities (or that a stand-alone monitoring work plan is in place), is up-to-date and progress tracked.
- Design survey data collection tools and methodologies to ensure it captures protection mainstreaming issues, Washington disability questions, and IRC client responsiveness.
- Conduct field monitoring visits and document learnings and share lessons
- Work with partner M&E staff to track progress on action points related to implementation and M&E activities.
- Facilitate planned surveys and proper engagement of external consultants (where necessary)
- Plan and facilitate joint partners monitoring visits
Information management and reporting
- Provide M&E inputs for regular analysis and action planning meetings to (1) compare data against project milestones, targets, and quality expectations across project sites; (2) identify issues requiring concerned staff attention.
- Extract lessons learned from projects, systematically document stories of change across partners, and make them easily accessible.
- Support partners M&E Officers to ensure that data is collected and entered into databases and/or tracking sheets, and/or the data platform on a regular basis.
- Organize and facilitate meetings with consortium members on M&E progress, challenges, and way forward.
- Coordinate data management, and ensure data is managed according to IRC protocols and best practice
Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:
- Train partners staff on data analysis procedures, quantitative and/or qualitative data (support on; Cleaning, sorting, categorizing, and organizing data)
- Provide consistent, supportive supervision to strengthen partner staff performance as necessary to meet monitoring objectives.
- In coordination with the consortium members, enhance primary stakeholder ownership of the program via community participation and consultation and the use of participatory approaches.
- Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of HeRON team members in relevant technical and management competencies.
- Develop and implement remote management capacity-building approaches to build the strengths of his/her team.
- Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
- Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
- Approve and manage all time, attendance, and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews.
- Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, at least monthly.
- Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team, and providing guidance on career paths.
- As required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.
- Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
- Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.
- Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures and communicate through words and examples a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.
Coordination & Representation
- Participate and provide technical support at State MOH monitoring and evaluation activities/meetings
- Participate in program coordination meetings with the consortium and implementing partners
- Participate at coordination meetings: All HeRON consortium coordination-related meetings, Field implementation meetings with partners, and any other relevant IRC internal meetings as required
- Participate at relevant external coordination meetings (relevant TWGs and Tsk forces, etc.) as required
- Facilitate field monitoring visits for internal and external stakeholders, when required.
Key Working Relationships
Line Manager: Team Leader – HeRON Consortium
Indirect/Technical Reporting: Deputy HeRON Team Leader & IRC Country program M&E Coordinator.
Position directly Supervises- HeRON M&E Manager, HeRON M&E technical officers, and Roving MEAL officers.
Key Internal Contacts:
- Country Program: HSS Advisors, Health Governance Manager, SBCC Specialist, HeRON Senior Program Managers, M&E Managers, Pharmacy Managers, IRC Sector leads (Health outcome)
- Region/Global: Senior Technical Advisor, M&E Advisor, Health Technical Advisor (HQ)
Key External Contacts: State MoH Officials, State PHCDA Officials, State MoH – HeRON Focal Persons, HeRON Implementing partners (M&E & Technical leads), Sustainability Task Force Focal Persons.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in (statistics, social science, public health, health economics, or related field). Master’s degree added advantage
- Minimum 3 years’ experience managing M&E project components, preferably health-related projects
- Excellent database, data management, and data analysis skills, with experience using at least 2 software applications such as Microsoft Excel, Access, SPSS, and STATA.
- Experience with electronic/mobile data collection (E.g., Kobo Collect, Survey CTO, COMM Care) and GIS mapping.
- Proven technical skills in monitoring and evaluation, including experience with multi-sectorial and multi-donor-funded programs and experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Previous experience with USAID-funded projects is an added advantage.
- Proven abilities to develop monitoring plans, data collection, information management, use of databases, and analysis and performance monitoring.
- Strong analytical, quantitative, and qualitative research skills and M&E skills
- Problem-solving, decision-making, leadership, and good judgment skills. Ability to take initiative and independently respond to situations.
- Experience in consortium M&E work will be an added advantage.
- Ability to communicate effectively with managers, colleagues, partners, and clients.
- Strong commitment to IRC’s mission, purpose, and values.
Work Experience:
- Previous experience working closely with Ministry of Health officials and in policy development/Health Systems Strengthening
Demonstrated Technical Skills:
- Demonstrable technical expertise and working in a health system strengthening project
- Excellent monitoring and evaluation skills
- Excellent coordination and networking skills
Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:
- Knowledge, skills, and experience in consensus building and partnerships.
- Demonstrated leadership, communication, and facilitation skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to handle a large and dynamic workload, work under pressure and meet deadlines
Languages:
- Fluency in English (spoken and written)
Computer/Other Tech Requirements:
- Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Ability to Travel: 20-30% of the time
Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons, and several others.
Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.
Working Environment: This position is based at the IRC field office in Maiduguri, Borno State.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants based on merit, without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
