Senior Technical Advisor for M&E, Operations Research & Learning in Health & HIV

Requisition Number:	D658
Area of Interest:	Hiv/Aids
Position Type:	Full Time
Location:	United States/Baltimore
Job Description:	Job Title: Senior Technical Advisor for M&E, Operations Research & Learning in Health and HIV Programming Dept./Location: Program Quality Support Department (PQSD)/Baltimore, MD Band: E FSLA: Exempt Reports To: Health & HIV Senior Technical Advisor Background: Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is a non-profit international relief and development organization whose mission is to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. In its health and HIV work, CRS, in collaboration with local partners, seeks to strengthen local health systems (from the community to the national levels) to meet the health needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people. Located within the Program Quality Support Department (PQSD), the Health and HIV Unit supports CRS country programs to develop, implement, and evaluate high quality health and HIV projects in a wide range of areas including, but not limited to, health system strengthening, HIV care and treatment, nutrition, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases. CRS works in close partnership with local stakeholders to prioritize local ownership, leadership and sustainability. Interventions follow CRS’ Integral Human Development model and focus on the most vulnerable populations. PQSD technical advisors work closely with regional and country program staff to identify and document promising practices, manage and share technical information with the field, represent the interests of CRS’ Health and HIV Unit internally and externally, and provide assistance to field programs. At a time of increasingly scarce financial resources, CRS country programs are expected to reach more people while demonstrating the effectiveness and impact of their interventions in a reliable and credible way. Primary Function: The Senior Technical Advisor (STA) for M&E, Operations Research & Learning will work within the Health and HIV Unit to provide technical and strategic leadership to CRS to strengthen agency capacity and acquire resources to (1) enhance M&E and information management systems; (2) oversee operations research (implementation science) and impact evaluations; and (3) develop a learning agenda that identifies evidence-based best practices with potential for replication and scale. To enhance CRS’ ability to implement evidence-based programming, this STA will play an active role in resource acquisition. An important focus of this position is to ensure dissemination of CRS’ work in trade and peer reviewed journals as well as an active presence in technical working groups, domestic and international workshops and conferences. S/he will also represent CRS interests in health and HIV programming both internally and externally. It is anticipated that 70% of the time will be spent providing technical support related to M&E, OR and learning (both from Baltimore and on site visits) and 30% will be spent on representation and other related tasks. Job Responsibilities: 1. Serve as a technical advisor for M&E, Operations Research & Learning for health and HIV programs implemented by CRS and its partners to ensure programs reflect the state-of-the-art practices in M&E and Reporting, data demand and information use (DDIU) and that CRS’ OR program (implementation science) respects ethical standards of practice, uses sound research methods, and produces reliable and valid results. 2. Contribute to CRS’ Health and HIV Global Strategy by working collaboratively with other PQSD staff as appropriate to provide technical and programmatic advice on appropriate strategies for M&E, operations research and learning. This includes taking the lead on the development and implementation of a CRS learning agenda that fosters enhanced program quality and innovation in CRS health and HIV programming. The learning agenda should leverage CRS’ work as a multi-sectoral agency and identify replicable models with the potential for scale. 3. Identify new resources (funding and relationships) to support impact evaluation, operations research, documentation and dissemination, and staff training around M&E, DDIU and OR. This includes, but is not limited to strategic linkages with academic institutions, private-sector entities, and other non-governmental organizations to facilitate learning and innovation around areas of mutual interest. 4. Provide technical leadership, support and assistance in the overall design and implementation of M&E and OR for health and HIV projects, including large multi-sectoral projects. This includes assisting with resource acquisition by providing direct technical assistance, training, and mentoring staff (e.g., HQ and Regional Technical Advisors for Health and M&E, country program health, HIV and M&E staff) in the development of logical frameworks, M&E plans, reporting and information management systems. 5. Support and mentor staff to develop sound evaluation and research designs including sampling, survey instrument design, enumerator training, data collection, management, analysis, and quality assurance that facilitate reliable and valid results. 6. Maintain a network of scientific and professional contacts including leading researchers, scholars and practitioners in M&E and areas of strategic importance in health and HIV programming. Participate in and contribute to internal and external working groups and committees working on issues related to M&E in the context of health and HIV programming and cross-cutting areas like gender. 7. Collaborate with CRS headquarters, regional and country program staff to identify and document promising practices in health and HIV programming and work with staff to evolve promising practices into evidence-based best practices. Facilitate sharing of materials and best practices across regions and countries. Publish in peer-reviewed journals. 8. Contribute to raising CRS’ profile through participation in international and domestic meetings, workshops and conferences related to health and HIV programming and/or M&E through attendance, presentations, and supporting the review and submission of abstracts from CRS staff. 9. Engage in agency-wide and headquarters based initiatives such as strategy reviews and planning for Health and HIV sectors, coordinating special projects such as the health and HIV indicator project(s) and advancing, monitoring and reporting on core and common indicators. 10. Provide technical assistance to country programs in articulating their strategies for health and HIV programming, including participating in strategic planning processes and evaluations where appropriate. 11. Develop technical guidance, trainings, and other learning tools that support the development of staff capacity in the areas of M&E, DDIU, and OR at the headquarters, regional, and country program levels as it relates to health and HIV programming. 12. Supervise and coordinate a range of consultants and short-term staff on various M&E, OR and learning documents. 13. Ensure CRS M&E and learning efforts align with global donor trends such as USAID, PEPFAR, CDC/HSS, UNAIDS, the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM), the World Bank, NIH, and 3ie. Supervisory Responsibilities: Supervise consultants and short-term hires as necessary. Key Working Relationships: Internal: PQSD Health and HIV Unit; PQSD M&E Unit; PQSD Publications Unit; Other PQSD Technical Advisors; Special Grants Unit, Overseas Support Department; Regional and Country Offices, including Regional Technical Advisors (RTA) for Health, HIV and AIDS, and Vulnerable Children; RTAs for M&E; Other RTAs; Deputy Regional Directors for Program Quality; Country Program Representatives; Heads of Programming; Program Managers; Business Development; Fundraising; Media; US Operations. External: International health and HIV networks; M&E/Operations Research advisors of other Faith-based Organizations/PVOs/NGOs; M&E-related working groups; partner organizations; USG agencies such as USAID; universities; firms specializing in strategic information; consultants; and donors. Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff): These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results. · Serves with Integrity · Models Stewardship · Cultivates Constructive Relationships · Promotes Learning Qualifications: 1. PhD or equivalent degree (e.g., MD, DrPH) in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, demography, social sciences or related field strongly preferred. 2. Eight to 15 years of relevant international working experience in an advisory or management role at the country and regional levels, preferably with five to seven years’ experience working in the field contributing to or managing projects in multiple regions. 3. Track record of publication in peer reviewed journals. 4. Strong research methods background, including research design (qualitative and quantitative), sampling procedures, data analysis, and reporting. 5. Strong quantitative and analytical skills with an ability to communicate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical colleagues both orally and in written format. 6. Demonstrated understanding of and familiarity with a range of applied research and M&E approaches, including health information systems. 7. Proficiency managing complex sets of quantitative data, including data collection, conducting data quality checks, and analyzing data. 8. Proven leadership and management skills in coordinating project teams and/or consultants in M&E activity implementation and reporting all aspects of operations research, and documentation. 9. Ability to engage, manage and motivate staff. 10. Demonstrated experience in the use of data for decision-making, to inform communication, planning, resource allocation and other strategic initiatives. 11. Demonstrated experience developing the M&E plans and reporting frameworks for USAID, Food for Peace, PEPFAR, CDC, and the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria proposals and projects. 12. Ability to articulate the Agency’s principles, including respect for and willingness to work within CRS HIV/AIDS policy and Catholic Social Teaching. 13. Experience developing integrated systems that collect data at multiple levels (community, facility, and national) using information communication technologies - including mobile devices preferred. 14. Experience with conducting cost-effectiveness analysis desired. 15. Willingness to travel frequently—up to 30% of time. 16. Mastery of Microsoft Office Suite products: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access and Internet Explorer. Proficiency with SharePoint a plus. 17. Expertise with data analysis software for quantitative and qualitative data analysis e.g., Epi Info, Stata, SPSS, NVivo, or similar databases. 18. Demonstrated ability to set up a data management information system. 19. Fluency in English; functional ability in French, Spanish, or Portuguese required. 20. Excellent interpersonal, organizational and written/verbal communication skills, including in cross-cultural settings. 21. Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment as well as the ability to work independently. Physical Requirements/Environment: · Normal US office environment conditions. · Requires overseas travel to sometimes difficult and challenging regions/countries. This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. NOTE: All interested applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application. EOE/M/F/D/V

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