State Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (MES) at the Management Sciences for Health (MSH) - 7 Positions

Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global health nonprofit organization, uses proven approaches developed over 40 years to help leaders, health managers, and communities in developing nations build stronger health systems for greater health impact. We work to save lives by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health.

We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: State Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (MES)

Job ID: 13-9867
Location: Abuja
Dept/Unit: GEN (General)
Project/Program: P000 - Proposal
Reports To: State team leader
Slot: 7

Overview
MSH Nigeria will implement a Global Fund malaria program as a sub-recipient (SR) to CRS, that aims at supporting State Ministries of Health (SMoH) and the National Malaria Elimination program (NMEP). In Nigeria, MSH will be sub-recipient to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), one of two principal recipients of the Global Fund Malaria grant (the other being NMEP). MSH will assume the role of Sub-recipient (SR) to CSR for the Global Fund Malaria grant starting in January 2018. As SR, MSH will support state governments and malaria partners and stakeholders to coordinate monitoring and evaluation and OTSS activities, improving facilities reporting. MSH will also have an important role in strengthening the capacity of the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP), the government principal recipient for the malaria grant. MSH will support M&E for NMEP through a senior M&E specialist, and through seven state-level M&E specialists. Finally, MSH will provide health product management support through deployment of 13 state-level PSM officers, to be housed within State offices. As with M&E, MSH will recruit a senior PSM/HPM advisor with responsibility for strengthening the capacities of both the NMEP and NSCIP in HPM/PSM.
The success of the Global Fund malaria program depends SRs, PRs, government and the Global Fund having accurate, complete and timely data of program achievements to national platforms (including DHIS2) and to the Global Fund. Timely achievement of set targets is of the utmost importance. In this context, the objective of the State-level M&E Specialist positions is to oversee M&E activities for the program within designated states, ensuring quality and timeliness of data collection and reporting; provide technical support at state levels to improve the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of reporting; to support states in adopting new or amended tools as needed; and under the leadership of NMEP and the FMoH DPRS and with support of the MSH Senior M&E Manager, to ensure integration of severe malaria data elements into the HMIS registry. The state-level M&E Specialists will provide daily oversight and capacity strengthening to State-level M&E staff. They will contribute to implementation of robust DQA systems that is responsive to GF OIG and LFA and national requirements. Under the leadership of NMEP and MSH M&E specialists, they will ensure effective collaboration between the MSH- and the Malaria Consortium-hired M&E officers (the latter deployed in six states). Finally, the State-level M&E specialists will be responsible for planning, design and delivery of M&E training as required in the subrecipient agreement.

Job Objectives
Program M&E in designated states:

• Strengthening capacities at state level in areas including the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of data; adoption of new tools and incorporation of new data points in national platforms (including DHIS2)
• Supporting regular data quality assessments at state levels
• Planning, designing and ensuring delivery of M&E training required in the subrecipient agreement to M&E officers in the seven states served by MSH

Specific Responsibilities
Monitoring and Evaluation, including Capacity Strengthening:

• Ensure collection of high-quality reliable and timely data to monitor program activities and evaluate progress towards achievement of program objectives and state targets.
• Support development of M&E plans and procedures. Ensure plans are adhered to and in line with national and state M&E strategies, health information management systems, and tools.
• Collaborate with and support the State Ministry of Health’s SMEP and HMIS Units to strengthen processes for data collection, aggregation, reporting and analysis through the NHMIS; support and strengthen use of the DHIS2.0 platform at state- and LGA-levels.
• Support M&E counterparts at the state-level in strategically preparing and reviewing M&E calendars and work plans.
• Coordinate regular data quality audits (DQAs) to ensure the integrity of project data, using the DHIS data and other relevant tools, from state to LGAs, using DQA process to define capacity strengthening needs at facility, LGA and state counterparts.
• Conduct regular field monitoring and supervisory visits with program teams, and government partners to provide mentoring and supportive supervision.
• Organize and undertake M&E capacity building activities such as mentoring, monitoring and supervisory visits and other visits for learning for State and LGA Ministry of Health M&E staff.
• Work with ICT4D staff to incorporate and maximize the value and utility of technologies for M&E, in states where LLIN mass campaigns are planned for 2017.

Program Management:

• Support SMoH staff with coordinating program management activities, by ensuring that the recommended coordination meetings are held at the LGA and state levels.
• Work with the state and LGA Ministry of Health staff to ensure that reports are obtained from all health facilities within the state through appropriate state-specific mechanisms.
• Participate in regular monitoring and supervisory visits to the GF-supported health facilities, and ensure that action plans are developed for identified gaps.
• Support health facilities with ensuring that all items in the action plans are addressed and all outstanding gaps are closed.
• Contribute to elaboration of Progress Update/Disbursement Requests (PU/DR) for the state in collaboration with other program and M&E staff.

M&E Client Feedback:

• Support programming staff to engage key populations in monitoring and evaluating program’s performance and to incorporate participatory methods into M&E systems.
• Orient program staff and partners on the basic principles and practices of beneficiary accountability.
• Support the development and implementation of feedback and response channels to reflect the preferences of community members and beneficiaries.
• Ensure that beneficiary feedback is adequately documented, addressed, analyzed, and utilized by program teams.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a field related to Public Health, International Development, or Social Sciences.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in monitoring and evaluating health programs in Nigeria.
• At least 2 years’ experience in provision of capacity strengthening support to government and/or community M&E professionals.
• Knowledge of national and state health management information systems, strategies and tools in Nigeria; familiarity with DHIS2.0 platform required.
• Demonstrated experience with collection/analysis of epidemiological data.
• Understanding of principles and current approaches to M&E for health programming, including knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative methods.
• Experience with participatory and community-based M&E systems
• Familiarity with beneficiary accountability mechanisms.
• Proficiency in database development/management, and skills in analyzing, interpreting and communicating data and information to various stakeholders.
• Experience using ICT4D for data collection preferred.
• Significant experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative assessments and surveys.
• Previous experience in program management desired.
• Experience with facilitation, capacity strengthening and partnership building.
• Ability to transfer knowledge through formal and informal training.
• Knowledge of Global Fund strategies and regulations desired.
• Ability to interface with multiple stakeholders, representatives, and partners (including representatives of government agencies) in a professional manner on an ongoing basis.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under pressure and to prioritize competing demands.
• Strategic, analytical and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Proficiency in database development/management and statistical software (SPSS, EPI-Info).
• Professional proficiency in English oral and written communication skills; strong demonstrated writing skills required (reports, evaluations).
• Willingness and ability to travel to field locations regularly and sometimes on short notice.

Application Closing Date
22nd December, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online