Senior Monitoring Specialist (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 Learns Contract (Learns). The scope of the five-year project is to support USAID/Vietnam staff and its implementing partners (IPs) to implement more efficient, effective, and transparent programs by: (1) improving IP knowledge and skills in Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) and Collaborating, Learning & Adapting (CLA); (2) advancing evidence-informed decision-making; and (3) strengthening strategic collaboration between staff and local stakeholders.

Position Description:

Learns seeks to hire a full-time Senior Monitoring Specialist to actively support Learns Monitoring team members, USAID/Vietnam staff and USAID-funded projects to improve quality and use of data across the Mission. Under the leadership of the Monitoring Director, the Senior Monitoring Specialist will play multiple and complementary roles, including:

Monitoring Specialist - assuming the technical responsibilities of a Monitoring Specialist, including technical capacity building support and advisory services to both USAID and IP staff as may be required (e.g., leading on the review of partner Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plans (AMELPs); and conducting ongoing Data Quality Assessments (DQAs), while also
Lead team coordinator - offering ongoing, active and daily coordination, quality control, issue raising, thought-leadership support to the Monitoring Director and the overall Monitoring team,
Lead on Vietnamese-speaking SME capacity building efforts – Actively supporting the Monitoring Director overall’s coaching, mentoring and capacity building role, especially when capacity building efforts are most effectively done in the Vietnamese language.

The 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 looking for someone who has the passion and skills to make this vision a reality.

In the initial months, the Senior Monitoring Specialist may be learning-on-the-job how to use and apply Learns-specific tools/systems/procedures but should early on demonstrate the desire and ability to quickly learn and effectively apply these processes and associated approaches. The applicant should, however, already be very familiar with USAID monitoring requirements and have assumed relevant technical responsibilities for at least 5 years. Learns is most interested in a candidate with a strong sense of curiosity, sound analytical, collaboration and communication skills and who cares deeply about helping others making evidence-based decision-making easier and more widely practiced.

This position will be based in Hanoi, Vietnam reporting to the Learns Monitoring Director.

**Please note: This is a local position. Only Vietnamese citizens are eligible to apply* *

Responsibilities:

The Senior Monitoring Specialist will be working closely, day-to-day, with all Monitoring team members, as well as other USAID Learns colleagues, to collaboratively carry out the following roles and responsibilities:

1) Monitoring Specialist Role

Building on existing tools/processes and USAID guidelines, and in alignment with the responsibilities of other Monitoring Specialists, provide technical assistance to USAID and IP staff, including, but not limited to:

Conduct DQAs and offer related technical support to help IPs strengthen any identified areas of weakness (and highlight strength areas)
Review new or revised AMELPs submitted to USAID, and offer related technical support to help IPs improve the quality of their plans and associated tools and processes
Offer ongoing technical advice to IPs and USAID on improving their Monitoring Plans, data quality, data use, and monitoring practices that are evidence-based, collaborative, and adaptive
Support IPs on the deeper use of monitoring, and other types of data to support learning and improve performance
Provide or actively support on-demand technical assistance to USAID and IPs, including in areas related to the development of performance indicators/AMELPs and related data-quality.

When applicable,

contribute to the development of training materials, guidance materials, and platforms or tools supporting Learns’ overall project goals.
work closely with the team to develop monitoring milestones and /or other technical materials.
support the design and facilitation of training sessions on targeted topics.
participate in / contribute to events and technical assistance meetings, and
lead on a designated technical area(s) or assignments, internally.

2) Monitoring lead coordinator

In direct support of and under the leadership of the Monitoring Director, the Senior Monitoring Specialist will act as a lead coordinator, actively supporting the team in the following ways:

Task management - ongoing status tracking/oversight of the timeliness of all active Monitoring tasks under the responsibility of various team members. The Senior Specialist should help flag any delays or emerging issues, or task completion survey responses warranting follow up or special acknowledgement, as may apply.
report writing – Help ensure all Monitoring team report contributions are complete and timely; Follow up with relevant team members when gaps remain. Reports will typically include:
- Quarterly progress report updates (Annex 1)
- Quarterly tasks status updates
- Quarterly Learns AMELP Indicator results (and associated data quality control)
- Quarterly Strategic Insights and associated analysis
- Annual Progress Report
- Annual Workplan.
Quality control support - As directed by the Monitoring Director, offer added quality control support to help build consistency and growing internal staff capacity (see more below) especially when doing so in Vietnamese is helpful.
Internal Data Quality Reviews of Learns AMELP results and validation of final DIS submissions before approved by the Monitoring Director, on a quarterly basis.
Facilitation of team reflections in Vietnamese, and ongoing sharing of associated insights with the Monitoring Director and periodic sharing at the Learns wide bi-weekly meetings.
Thought leadership – Actively contribute to team-wide new ideas generation, problem-solving and strategic decisions, helping the team more effectively met its stated objectives/goal.
Knowledge Management – Act as the primary point of contact for all Monitoring team resources (supported by other team members as s/he may assign).
Other coordination, oversight responsibilities as may be assigned by the Monitoring Director.

3) Lead on Vietnamese-speaking SME capacity building efforts (internally and externally) – In support of the Monitoring Director overall’s coaching, mentoring and capacity building roles, the Senior Monitoring Specialist will play a complementary role to the Director – as directed - especially when capacity building efforts are most effectively done in the Vietnamese language. Externally, the Senior Monitoring Specialist will act as the lead Vietnamese-language subject matter expert on the Specialist dojo track, supporting the Specialist Dojo Track Lead (Monitoring Director), and closely collaborating with the Capacity Building Lead Facilitator.

Qualifications:

Education: Masters’ degree, preferred; an Undergraduate University degree, required
At least 6 years of senior-level experience in the area of Monitoring, preferred.
Experience working with USAID-funded activities, preferred
Strong communications skills in both English and Vietnamese (both verbal and written), required
Proactive mindset, inquisitive and solutions-focused, required
Strong analytical and presentation skills, required
Ability to work in a highly adaptive and collaborative manner, required
Experience facilitating training events, preferred
Strong interest/experience in evidence-based adaptive management, preferred
Strong inter-personal, organizational, analytical, communication skills (both written and presentation/verbal); ability to organize, collaborate, prioritize, and follow through on multiple tasks, completing them in a qualitative and timely manner.
Technical monitoring experience and skills:
- Monitoring methods and approaches and their practical applications
- Data analysis, data visualization techniques, and overall data use
- Experience managing data using basic common software such as Excel, required
- Experience using other software (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, SAS, SPSS, Stata, GIS…) preferred
Experience working in area of environment or health, preferred.
Experience working in USAID funded projects, strongly preferred.
Experience designing and delivery training courses in area of monitoring, ideal.
Experience managing and/or coaching monitoring staff, ideal.

The closing date for application: December 26, 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.

Apply here:

https://phg.tbe.taleo.net/phg02/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SOCIIMPA2&cws=1&rid=4316

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 and/or visits.