Nigeria/Regional Senior MERL Advisor

This position will support the multi-country Scaling the Optimal Use of Multiple ACTs to Prevent Antimalarial Drug Resistance (STOP-AMDR) project. The goal of STOP-AMDR project is to contribute to efforts in protecting the efficacy of existing ACTs thus reducing malaria mortality and case incidence in Africa. The Project will connect operational research and implementation learning with market shaping efforts to steer catalytic change through the adoption of Multiple First-line Therapies (MFTs) as a key strategy to mitigate or slow-down the spread of resistance to artemisinin and partner drugs. 

The Regional/Nigeria Senior MERL Advisor will provide technical leadership and strategic direction for implementation of routine monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities across STOP-AMDR implementing countries, and oversee the design and execution implementation research and adaptive management activities

The Regional/Nigeria Senior MERL Advisor will supervise the in-country M&E Officer/Analyst and manage the project’s M&E teams across 6 countries, and oversee the collection, management, analysis, and use of project data, ensuring that lessons learned are integrated into project implementations to continuously improve the quality of interventions and outcomes across six (6) countries. S/he will ensure a coordinated MERL approach across the STOP-AMDR project, including programs, technical, market shaping and communication teams, along with in-country stakeholders and partners. S/he is also responsible for documenting and disseminating program successes and challenges to project leadership and Unitaid, in-coordination with the STOP_AMDR M&E Lead and Research Lead in Jhpiego Home Office.

The Regional/Nigeria Senior MERL Advisor will be based in Jhpiego, Nigeria office, in West Africa, and international and local travel will be required.

• Oversee the project’s implementing countries and country‐level MERL strategy and implementation approaches
• Provide leadership and strategic direction to ensure that the STOP-AMDR project builds an understanding of MFT implementation according to WHO definition, and document the variabilities across implementing countries, and how relevant multi‐sectoral components interact and impact one another to mitigate anti-malarial drug resistance and improve malaria outcomes
• Provide leadership and strategic direction on M&E to ensure the project achieves its goals and corresponding objectives and targets, in the project and observer countries.
• Develop the monitoring and evaluation plan, and standard operating procedures (SOP) for the host-country, and oversee the implementation across all project countries to capture, track, use and disseminate project performance and results, including routine service delivery data reporting as well as supplemental data collection efforts, and assessments in coordination with the Jhpiego home office
• Oversee the monitoring of the STOPAMDR logframe and ensure timeline preparation and reporting of semi-annual and annual reports to Unitaid
• Work closely with Health Informatics Advisors to ensure the anti-malarial drug resistance dashboard is functional and updated with MFT implementation status and drug resistance trends from project and observer countries
• Foster a culture of data-use for decision-making both internally for the supported project teams and with project stakeholders
• Oversee the project’s Implementation Research activities, working collaboratively with global technical staff, partnered Research Institutions, and local stakeholders to plan and execute research activities such as studies or assessments, and disseminate findings of research activities in targeted and appropriate settings across the implementing countries
• Collaborate with the study investigators and MERL officers/Advisors/focal points in the implementation of research activities, including protocol and tool development, managing local ethical reviews, data management and analysis, and management of consultants and/or research firm
• Develop and oversee the implementation of robust context‐appropriate systems for data collection, quality assurance, analysis, and reporting on research and routine activity outputs/outcomes and program quality
• Support results reporting to UNITAID by providing written documentation on research, M&E activities, and indicator results for progress and annual reports, as appropriate
• Ensure relevant data are entered quarterly into JADE, Jhpiego’ s organization-wide performance management system
• Collaborate closely with M&E team at National Malaria Program to ensure smooth coordination and monitoring of project activities,
• Cultivate strategic M&E relationships and alliances with monitoring, evaluation, and learning counterparts in other projects, national and international institutions, and key stakeholders, leading initiatives to learn from project data and influence decision-making, resource allocation, and adaptation
• Support project leadership to champion holistic approaches to adaptive management, including design and implementation of action-oriented project research, routine analysis of available health sector data sources, and application of best practices and lessons learnt in knowledge management
• Support oversee and/or conduct targeted assessment, and evaluations, ensuring compliance with local, WHO ERC and Johns Hopkins University institutional review board policies across the implementing countries
• Represent M&E activities in public and professional circles through meetings, conferences, and presentations. Actively participate in RBM case management and SME working groups
• Ensure project compliance with UNITAID, Jhpiego, and national (NMP) monitoring, evaluation, research, and data policies
• Train and mentor MERL Advisors and project staff across implementing countries, and implementing partners in monitoring and evaluation methods, tools, and systems
• Ensure the protection of participant data and confidentiality during all monitoring, evaluation, and research implementation and dissemination processes
• Ensure project compliance with local laws, regulations, and policies surrounding the ethical collection, storage, use, and sharing of data, including close coordination with local IRBs

• Master’s degree in public health, demography, statistics, social sciences, data science or related field or equivalent experience. Higher qualification(s) may be an added advantage
• 10 years’ experience in leading monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning of global health programs. Experience with Unitaid projects preferred
• Experience in incorporating systems practice and systems approaches into complex MERL
• Proven expertise in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methodologies, health management information systems, data visualization, and
• Vast experience in working with Research Institutions to implement research activities
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative and quantitative research skills, including but not limited to study design, survey instrument design and use, sampling, data analysis plans, data cleaning, statistical analysis, qualitative data analysis, presentation and reporting and communication of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods results
• Knowledge and experience establishing and measuring health indicators, as well as associated capacity building with partner governments and local organizations.
• Demonstrated experience in utilizing data and evidence to facilitate program adaptation and innovation, and in facilitating timely knowledge synthesis and/ or generation, dissemination, use, and sharing
• Demonstrated experience and strong management, coordination, teamwork, and planning skills with proven ability to function effectively with multiple host-country counterparts in both the public, NGO, and private sectors
• Vast experience in malaria M&E, and familiarity with antimalarial drug resistance programming

• In‐depth experience with UNITAID MER guidelines and indicators. Experience with UNITAID reporting requirements and timelines
• Familiarity with the health management information system and other M&E systems in target countries
• Strong technical skills, including the ability to process and analyze data using DHIS2 and PowerBI and one or more statistical software packages, e.g., Stata, SPSS, R, MS Excel
• Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with the NMPs, UNITAID, WHO, other host‐countries counterparts, and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector
• Demonstrated outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, organizational, team-building, and representational skills
• Excellent verbal, written interpersonal, and presentation skills in English. French proficiency will be an added value
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally as needed