Monitoring Expert (Surge Support) (USAID Learns – Social Impact)

Social Impact (SI) is a global development management consulting firm. We provide monitoring, evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity-building services to advance development effectiveness. We work across all development sectors including democracy and governance, health and education, the environment, and economic growth. Since 1997 we have worked in over 100 countries for clients such as US government agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, foundations, and nonprofits.

Project Objective

SI is implementing the USAID/Vietnam Learns Contract. The scope of the five-year project is to support USAID/Vietnam staff and partners to implement more efficient, effective, and transparent programs by improving: (1) USAID and Implementing Partner (IP) capacity to achieve expected results; (2) USAID’s understanding and tracking of project performance; and (3) collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA).

Position Description

SI is seeking three to four months of in-country support from a Monitoring Expert focused on monitoring capacity building and management. This position will be based in Hanoi, Vietnam, starting as soon as possible through January 2023.The Monitoring Expert will serve as a core team member on a full-time basis for three to four months and report to the Learns Chief of Party (COP).

This position is an exciting opportunity to help USAID and implementing partners use performance monitoring information to manage adaptively and improve programming. For more on using performance monitoring data, see SI’s write-up on this topic. We are most interested in a candidate with strong leadership and team management skills and someone who has made data use and adaptive management a reality in their previous development roles.

**Please note: This position is open to both international and local candidates**

Responsibilities

Co-lead the full design update of the “Foundations of Monitoring” four-months long course, working closely with the Learns Capacity-Building team and the Monitoring Specialists, to make it highly interactive and experience-based. To successfully carry out this assignment, the expert should have very strong presentation/facilitation skills and be able to develop experience-based training materials/exercises, closely connect and consult with Learns team members to ensure the course builds on existing resources and lessons learned in course of the first iteration of the 2022 training course. Day-to-day management, coordination, oversight, mentorship, and strategic guidance in support of the Acting Monitoring Director (currently served by the COP). Role will include the willingness and ability to:
- Offer ongoing and on-demand mentorship, strategic guidance, and management support to Monitoring team members.
- Support task management in line with SI's quality standards.
- Support on-demand quality control and ongoing ideas for systems/process improvements.
- Support coordination, facilitation of new-ideas generations, strategic thinking exercises and team-building exercises.
Generally, act as a role model, motivator, and facilitator, championing team-wide collaboration, safe and open sharing, innovation, user-friendly deliverables, in line with overall strategic goals. Actively contribute to the team's culture of learning, adaptation, and commitment to promoting more ownership, sustainable utilization, and behavioral change throughout, while remaining compliant and service-oriented.
Work closely, and proactively with other senior technical directors so they may continuously identify, facilitate, and deepen cross-team technical collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA). Experience working in a highly CLA-infused manner is highly desirable.
Ensure that new team members are engaging with the right technical approach (i.e., one that promotes accessibility, solutions-focus, and adaptability) and, once onboard, have access to required resources.
Regularly meet with the Acting Monitoring Director (COP), and, when applicable, with the USAID Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), to keep them up to date on task developments, technical advances, challenges, new opportunities, strategic developments, and other management level updates under his/her portfolio.

Qualifications

Master’s Degree in a social science, development studies or related field (highly desirable).
Field-based experience working in the area of Monitoring as an M&E Advisor and/or Director in a USAID-funded project.
Passionate about building the capacity of staff to become strong and confident Monitoring Officers, dedicated to both data quality and data-use.
Demonstrated ability to offer clear technical guidance, mentoring and management support to either individuals, groups, or institutions, especially in areas of Monitoring.
Keen and demonstrated ability to make data-management processes and systems user-friendly, streamlined, and easily auditable.
Capacity-building experience, especially with the design and delivery of highly-interactive training modules, designed for adults.
Keen interest and ability to make monitoring tools, systems and reports coherent, accessible, and useful to all users, including to technical staff, management and donors. Strong analytical skills, including ability to process, analyze and present data/evidence. Experience with various data-management systems is an asset.
Very strong communication skills; strong listener with the demonstrated ability to give constructive feedback to mentees /supervisees.
High computer literacy and superior oral and written communication skills.
Required experience with USAID-funded programs, and strong familiarity with the USAID Program Cycle.
Fluency in written and spoken English.

The Learns team currently has a vacant Monitoring Director position. This Monitoring Expert (Surge Support) is needed to support the monitoring team while the long-term Monitoring Director role undergoes recruitment. Potential for this surge support person to fill the longer-term Monitoring Director role, if candidate is interested and aligns with the needs of the team.

Come join our energetic and innovative team! We offer you the opportunity to play a leading role in the growth of our company, work as part of a creative and committed team, and make a difference in the well-being of our world.

The closing date for application: September 30, 2022. Selection and interview will be performed constantly and interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply, please merge both your CV and a cover letter (one-page briefly outlining your qualifications and motivations for applying) into one pdf file and submit it through the online portal.

Click here to Apply

SI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Only selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please, no phone calls.