Associate Director, Evidence Learning & Impact (ELI) at International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)

Purpose :

• Under the direction of the Regional Director for Africa, the Associate Director, Evidence, Learning and Impact serves as the technical lead for all regional monitoring, evaluation and learning initiatives.

Delivery:

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY:

Management and Leadership

• Develop and lead regional strategies for monitoring, evaluation and learning of all PP Global programs across East and West Africa.
• Create program plans, reports, budgets, and process leadership to support the realization of regional strategies.
• Participate in strategic planning and the design of new regional initiatives from an evidence-based perspective.
• Serve a member of the Africa Region Senior Management Team (SMT), actively participate in its activities and contribute to the growth and efficient management of ARO program.
• Participate in the development of concept papers and fundraising proposals, and ensure that the quality of proposals advanced reflect value for money which fit into the overall regional strategy;
• Work with ARO SMT members and country teams to plan, develop and align ARO strategies and interventions across program countries with the divisional strategic priorities.
• Establish and oversee regular meetings for sharing of regional program results and impact, to ensure programmatic coherence, communication, and the tracking against ARO priorities and plans;
• Ensure that PP Global’s partnership and data equity principles are integrated into all aspects of the regional monitoring, evaluation and learning strategy.
• Manage, lead and develop assigned staff and/or team to ensure effective management and high performance; advise on staff tasks and priorities.
• Take part in monitoring and evaluation networking opportunities with NGOs, CSOs, intergovernmental agencies, research institutions and other external partners, to stay current on best monitoring and evaluation practice and to support quality programming and accountability standards.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by supervisor.

Technical Leadership in Data Management, Evaluation and Research

• Coordinate, develop and manage data collection and reporting at all levels (i.e. regional, country and partners) through PP Global’s MIDES platform (built on DHIS2).
• Contribute to timely, accurate and appropriate reporting of program activities and results to internal and external stakeholders (including PPFA and PP Global leadership, donors, allies, partners, etc.) through presentations, briefs, progress reports, and other knowledge products as needed.
• Provide technical leadership to regional staff and partners on development and implementation of project results frameworks, indicators and M&E plans.
• Work closely with country teams and ARO staff to identify, develop and deliver appropriate training and technical support in skills related to data management, evaluation and research.
• Lead in the design and implementation of research projects, baseline surveys and evaluations;
• Advise managers and teams on new approaches relating to M+E that sustain project quality and delivery within the context of the wider ARO program.
• Identify and document successful regional programs and models for documentation, sharing and replication/ scaling-up.
• Work collaboratively with regional staff to ensure necessary program/project management cycles function smoothly and efficiently.
• Critically appraise project documents submitted by program officers for quality assurance in line with divisional strategies.
• Regularly travel to the field to provide technical support, training and assess progress of program activities with partner organizations and ARO staff.

Visibility/collaboration:

• Provide support to regional staff on communicating PP Global’s impact and value add.
• Promote and support the dissemination of best practices among project teams and with external stakeholders.
• Write articles and abstracts for publication and present at conferences on behalf of PP Global and in collaboration with regional partners in order to raise visibility and to promote greater understanding of PP Global’s work.
• Work collaboratively with Latin America and Global Connect Team colleagues across the ELI horizontal to promote cross-regional learning.
• Represent PP Global in various forums as may be called upon.

Engagement:

• Regularly interacts with other regional office staff, Global Operations staff, Program and senior management team as appropriate to ensure work is on time and meets performance goals. Divisional policy, work plan and project needs determine the nature and frequency of external contacts. These include a well-defined constituency that has a moderate influence on regional office activities, assigned projects or operations. Requires regular contact with in-country partners, colleagues, and sister organizations, in order to advance the interests of PP Global.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):

• Knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights issues, both for service delivery and advocacy, and the link between the two.
• Knowledge of project cycle management, including design of reproductive health interventions in Africa.
• In-depth knowledge of monitoring and evaluation concepts, as well as their application; understanding of the principles of knowledge management and learning.
• Knowledge of organizational and project planning and development; understanding of organizational assessments, partner identification and engagement.
• Track record of publication or conference/meeting presentations preferred.
• Knowledge of grant-making, including budget management and reporting.
• Knowledge of partnership management, both with implementing partners and donors.

Education:-

• Master’s degree in public health, monitoring and evaluation or social science disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, development studies and other related field. Must be a member of a regulatory body within the field, and proof of which will be required.

Experience:-

• Over five to seven years work experience in designing and implementing health programs and M&E strategies.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical assistance to colleagues and other organizations, including training in Africa.
• Experience in strategic planning, program development and management of complex, multi-stakeholder interventions.
• Direct experience of project appraisal, assessment, monitoring and evaluation methodologies;
• Demonstrable experience in working in multi-cultural settings and commitment to a participatory, supportive, open environment to ensure the learning and development of all.
• Commitment and ability to foster and support capacity building in own staff and of partners, including experience of managing teams across different sites.
• Demonstrable experience in preparing funding proposals and reports for a range of donors;
• Proven experience and knowledge of effective budgetary control and grant management

Skills:-

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence, communicate and negotiate with a wide range of people and organizations at all levels with tact, diplomacy and sensitivity to cultural differences; excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present materials in meetings, at conferences and to write project documents and proposals.
• Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform.
• A team player accustomed to building team capacity, delegating working teams, and developing communities of learning among program country partners.
• Strong change management, results oriented and decision-making skills.
• Strong and well developed analytical skills coupled with experience of writing quality proposals and reports.
• Problem solving skills.