Vacant Position advertisement: USAID/Health Office – Senior Project Management Specialist: Operation & Program Leader/Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist
REF No.: 72068820R10001 (must be inserted in the subject line of the email)
GRADE LEVEL: FCFA 21,897,069 TO FCFA 33,940,461 equivalent to FSN-11. The incumbent will be compensated in accordance with the U.S. Mission Mali’s Local Compensation Plan (LCP). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.
BASIC FUNCTION: As the Operations & Program Team Leader, the Sr. Specialist will supervise a team of four – the HIV/AIDS M&E PMS, Budget PMS, Health PMA and an Administrative Assistant – that provides internal and external support to the Health Office. Specifically, the position provides leadership, implementation, and oversight of the administrative, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting (operational plans, PPRs, etc) functions for the office. The Sr. Specialist leads, plans, initiates, conducts, evaluates, and coordinates all health and HIV monitoring and evaluation activities based on need, and makes assignments and delegates to the HIV M&E Specialist and other members of the team as determined necessary. S/he also manages the Health Office research agenda and directs others in applying evaluation research to the monitoring of program/project/activity implementation in order to create new learning data, document results, and to translate M&E and other data into meaningful policy and program improvements. S/he further serves as a senior advisor to the Government of Mali (GOM) in matters related to strengthening the capacity of the GOM information systems for all health data collection. S/he also oversees the tracking and monitoring of the health budget that is comprised of six different health funding earmarks, including PEPFAR, PMI and GHSA, disbursed through more than 20 separate mechanisms, as well as ensuring that the Health Office receives timely and high quality administrative support (travel and motorpool requests, visitor access, VAT reimbursements, meeting planning, GLAAS actions/incremental funding, etc) in order to carry out all day-to-day functions. S/he further manages Health Office reporting including submissions of the annual operational plans and PPRs, and serves as the Deputy Mission Environmental Compliance Officer for all of USAID Mali.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Supervision 40%
Supervise a team of four – the HIV/AIDS M&E PMS, Budget PMA, Program PMA and Administrative Assistant – that provides internal and external support to the 20-person Health Office with an annual $69 million portfolio in USAID Mali. Provide leadership, implementation, and oversight of the administrative, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting (operational plans, PPRs, etc) functions for the office.
Examples of work activities in this category include, but are not limited to:
Administration and Budgeting
- Manage all the administrative functions for the Health Office including: filing, correspondence, information/document management, time and attendance, property and maintenance, software and computer services support, meeting planning, GLAAS actions/incremental funding, travel and logistical support, implementing partner VAT reimbursements, etc.
- Ensure the Health Office’s full compliance with all budgetary, financial reporting, programmatic and operational requirements in collaboration with the Mission’s Controller’s, Acquisition & Assistance, and Program Offices, as well as Mission- and Washington-based Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representatives.
Strategic Planning, Design and Research
- Coordinate strategic planning efforts, and lead or contribute to project and activity design Efforts.
- Lead the activity design team for monitoring and evaluation activities. Liaise with other Mission offices, such as the Program Office, on the design process. Facilitate the organization of Mission reviews and approvals for new activities.
- Manage the Health and PEPFAR Operational Planning process including the budgeting. Coordinate inputs from all Health Team staff. Ensure that Health Team strategic priorities are reflected. Write and/or edit substantive sections of the Plan. Coordinate with the Program Office to ensure that all requirements and deadlines are met.
- Serve as the M&E point of contact for project/strategic design teams. Organize inputs from health technical staff. Provide substantive input to the design process with particular interest in M&E requirements.
- Develop and manage research activities for the Health Office.
- Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) 40%
The Operations & Program Team Lead/M&E Specialist leads the Health Office in monitoring and evaluation of activities and results.
Examples of work activities in this category include, but are not limited to:
- Serve as the primary resource within the Health Team for monitoring and evaluation. Provide expert advice to colleagues and disseminates and interprets guidance on M&E. Coordinate M&E related activities with consultants and others; liaise with other Mission offices, implementing partners, and the government of Mali to ensure that the Health Office has accurate and timely M&E data for evidence-based decision making and annual reporting.
- Supervise the HIV/M&E Specialist in meeting the complex and highly demanding reporting requirements of PEPFAR. This includes PEPFAR strategic planning and design activities; ensuring that all HIV/AIDS data are collected, analyzed and reported in a quality and timely manner. Provide guidance and direction on annual performance objectives and daily work requirements.
- Supervise data collection and compilation for the Performance Management Plan to be updated annually, along with the annual PEPAR Regional Operational Plan and the Mission Operational Plan.
- Manage the collection and reporting of data for the Performance Plan and Report from Implementing Partners (IPs) with the Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representatives (C/AORs).
- Ensure the conduct of Data Quality Assessments for all indicators that will be reported to USAID/W, providing expert advice and guidance to C/AORs and Activity Managers.
- Write data quality assessment reports and memos for the health files and Program Office.
- Maintain a record of all M&E visits by each COR/AOR. Provide suggested M&E frequency and follow-up and request documentation of the visit.
- Compile and distribute health project activity evaluation results to appropriate stakeholders.
- Activity Management 20%
As COR/AOR/Activity Manager, the incumbent will manages the design and implementation of specific monitoring and evaluation activities.
Examples of work activities in this category include, but are not limited to:
- Whole-of-Project Five-Year Evaluation:
- Description: This activity will conduct both a midterm and a final whole-of-project evaluation for the Five-Year Health Project.
- Purpose: This activity will analyze the overall effectiveness of the Integrated Health Project. The results of the evaluation will be used to improve the performance of the Integrated Health Project and to document lessons learned and best practices for the design of future projects.
- Instrument and Estimated Budget: Bilateral: $2 million
- Impact Evaluation:
- Description: This activity will conduct an impact evaluation of a pilot approach involving health governance.
- Purpose: This activity will evaluate the impact of a specific pilot approach involving strengthening health governance in order to improve health outcomes to see whether that approach should be scaled up. The specific pilot approach to be evaluated will be identified during the development of the Health Systems Strengthening activity and based on information from the health-specific political economy analysis.
- Instrument and Estimated Budget: Bilateral: $1 million.
- Data for Decision-Making:
- Description: Works with the MOH to improve the National Health Information Management System and health commodity management system for the purposes of getting real-time data for management decision making.
- Purpose:Increasing access to health services; contributing to all Project high-level health targets.
- Instrument and Estimated Budget: Central Mechanism/Field Support: $5 million.
- US Census Department’s Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Planning:
- Activity Description: Provide Technical Assistance to the GoM in the design and implementation of a national census scheduled for 2020.
- Purpose: Ensure high quality census data for Mali.
- Instrument and Estimated Budget: Central Mechanism/Field Support: $2 million.
- Demographic and Health Survey
- Activity Description: This activity will design and manage Mali’s next Demographic and Health Survey.
- Purpose: Ensure five-year impact data on health indicators for the country of Mali.
- Instrument and Estimated Budget: Central Mechanism/Field Support: $3 million.
Research:
Carry out and manage a multitude of research activities such as verbal autopsy of child death, formative research on health behaviors and beliefs.
Environmental Compliance
- Serve as the Deputy Mission Environmental Specialist, one of two Mission experts in USG environmental regulations. As such, s/he serves as a resource to all teams in the Mission, providing expert advice and technical assistance on environmental requirements.
- Serve as Environmental Focal Point on the Health Office and Mission Deputy Environment Officer. Serve as Acting Mission Environmental specialist in the Absence of the Mission Environmental Officer. Provide the Health Team and the Mission specialist advice and technical guidance on USG environmental regulations and environmentally sound activity design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
- Ensure appropriate Environmental Compliance Language is inserted in all Health and Mission Solicitations, Grants and Contracts.
- Monitor health partners’ implementation of the conditions in the health Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and each project’s Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP).
- Manage the conduct of IEEs for the Health portfolio; assist other offices with their IEEs. Write Health Team IEE memos, amendments, and determinations for individual activities. Provide technical guidance and assistance to other teams in drafting these documents.
- Train implementing partners and USAID staff in environmental compliance requirements as necessary.
Health Management Information System (HMIS)
- Work closely with USAID implementing partners and the Government of Mali on all HMIS database rollout and scale up including DHIS2.
- Promote data use across all levels of the Malian health system, by working closely with USAID implementing partners and the Government of Mali on the data quality and data availability for decision making.
- Work closely with USAID implementing partners and Government of Mali on the Organizational capacity of the MoH to reinforce key critical functions supporting the HMIS.
- Promote data collection and integration for decision making, including the integration of the Health Management information system and the Logistics management information system.
To be considered for this position, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants MUST meet the minimum qualifications below and ONLY preselected candidates will be contacted:
- All Malian Citizens and Local Residents with a valid work permit at the time of application.
- Education: A Master’s Degree, in social sciences, mathematics, statistics, sciences, or a health field relevant to monitoring, evaluation, and/or surveillance work is required
- Prior Work experience: A minimum seven years of progressively responsible job-related professional-level experience in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems, evaluation of program/project/activity implementation, in direct program/project/activity management, or in a closely related activity is required. At least four years of this experience should have been in a development-oriented workplace, or a related field, for USAID, other donor agencies, host-country organizations, or private-sector institutions, and which included project design, performance monitoring, and/or the analysis and interpretation of large amounts of data.
- Language Proficiency: Fluent French and English (Level 4) are required. S/he must be capable of drafting error-free routine correspondence and translations in English and French.
- Job Knowledge: A good knowledge of M&E systems, public health programming, and international donor operations in the health sector is required. In addition, the Specialist must have the ability to quickly acquire: knowledge of USG legislation, policy, and practice relating to development assistance; USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation; and, of the objectives, methodology, and status of assigned activities. The Specialist must have knowledge and understanding of the organization and roles of the different levels of GoM health delivery systems in order to maintain effective communication, and to develop consensus on plans for governance, finance, and human resources management systems improvement.
- Skills and Abilities: Must be able to maintain effective working relationships with Mission personnel at USAID/Mali and Embassy as well as with host-government, implementing partners, and other donor agencies. Ability to obtain, organize, analyze, evaluate, and present information in clear, concise reports. S/he must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Proficiency in word processing, advanced spreadsheet applications, database management and data analysis – including typing skills in French and English is required. The incumbent must be proactive, flexible, and dedicated, with a willingness to take on new and various tasks and responsibilities.
SELECTION FACTORS:
To be considered for this position, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications noted above. For applicants meeting the minimum qualifications, further consideration and selection will be based on panel assessment of the selection factors listed below.
Applicants are required to address each of the selection criteria on a separate sheet describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education, and/or awards or recognition they have received relevant to each criteria described below, and any related considerations.
Management may consider the following when determining successful candidacy: nepotism, conflicts of interest, budget, and residency status.
Full Statement of duties and the qualification requirements are available on https://www.usaid.gov/mali/work-with-us/careers or https://ml.usembassy.gov/embassy/jobs/
TO APPLY: All cv/resume and cover letter must be in English; otherwise application package will be considered as incomplete and will be rejected. All the hiring process will be conducted in English, including interviews and any eventual proficiency written test.
Interested candidates for this position must submit the following required documents:
- A cover letter of not more than two (2) pages describing how the incumbent’s skills and experience fit the requirements of subject position.
- A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) relevant to the subject position.
- Copy of Diplômas, degrees, certificates and/or ‘‘Attestation de travail’’, recommendation letters, etc.
- Three (3) to five (5) professional references with complete contact information including email addresses and telephone numbers. References should have knowledge of the candidate’s ability to perform the duties set forth in the application and must not be family members or relatives.
- Full mailing address with telephone, facsimile numbers and email address and should retain for their records copies of all enclosures that accompany their submissions.
SUBMIT APPLICATION: Indicate the Vacancy Reference Number: 72068820R10001 in the subject line of your email. If this is not properly indicated your submission would NOT be retrieved.
Email Human Resources Management Section: bamakohrmvacancies@usaid.gov with the above reference in the subject line.