Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer
VillageReach · Lomami
ABOUT VILLAGEREACH
VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone, so that each person has the health care needed to thrive. We develop solutions that improve equity and access to primary health care. This includes making sure products are available when and where they are needed and primary health care services are delivered to the most under-reached. Radical collaboration with governments, the private sector and other partners strengthen our ability to scale and sustain these solutions. Our work increases access to quality health care for more than 46 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. VillageReach in incorporated in Washington State and has offices in Seattle (USA), Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Cote d’ Ivoire, Kena and Mozambique.
SUMMARY
In consultation with the Manager of Monitoring and Evaluation (in DRC), The Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer will provide technical leadership for the monitoring, evaluation, learning and adaptive management on a new large grant focused on improving routine immunization coverage in Lomami Province. The position will lead the operationalization of the program's MEL framework and measurement of the program’s Theory of Change, ensuring that VillageReach can reliably determine whether zero-dose and under-immunized children are being identified, whether underserved communities are incorporated into microplans, whether planned vaccination sessions actually occur, whether children are reached, and ultimately whether vaccination coverage improves.
The Senior MEL Officer will integrate multiple data streams—including DHIS2/Gestion PEV, digital session reporting, GTS/geospatial data, supply-chain monitoring, supervision findings, community data and qualitative evidence—to generate actionable information monthly for programme management, government and health facility decision-making. The position will work closely with the Project Senior Manager, global Research, Evidence and Learning Director and with a geospatial mapping partner while maintaining VillageReach’s overall responsibility for programme monitoring, learning and donor reporting.
In addition to leading the project’s M&E. This program will be supported by an external evaluation team who will conduct a baseline and endline coverage survey, this position along with the Global Director of Research, Evidence and Learning will be the points of contact for the external evaluators. Lastly, this project will also be supporting a small pilot of an intervention of Community Health Workers as Vaccinators, the Senior MEL Officer will support the creation and execution of the research, data collection and analysis plan for that pilot.
This position reports to the Manager of Monitoring and Evaluation (in DRC), with a dotted reporting line to a Director of Research, Evidence and Learning (global level).
Role Description:
Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time.
1. MEL System Leadership and Implementation
- Lead the development, refinement and implementation of the detailed project MEL Plan, indicator reference sheets, data-flow architecture, reporting calendar, data-quality procedures and learning agenda.
- Translate the project Theory of Change into measurable indicators and practical monitoring systems.
- Ensure alignment between VillageReach monitoring indicators, funder standard indicators, learning questions, programme milestones and government routine immunization information systems.
- Lead periodic review and refinement of indicators during inception and implementation as programme design and learning needs evolve.
2. Vaccination Coverage, Zero-Dose and Dropout Monitoring
- Lead analysis of routine immunization performance, including DTP1, DTP3, MR1 and other agreed tracer antigens.
- Monitor trends in vaccination coverage, zero-dose children, under-immunization and DTP1–DTP3 / DTP3–MR1 dropout.
- Triangulate DHIS2/Gestion PEV data with project monitoring, geospatial information, microplans and other available sources to identify inconsistencies and emerging performance gaps.
- Support interpretation of independent baseline and annual vaccination coverage survey findings and translate results into programme recommendations.
3. Outreach, Mobile and Fixed-Session Performance Monitoring
- Establish systems to compare planned versus completed vaccination sessions, including fixed, outreach, mobile and gathering-point strategies.
- Monitor session frequency, reliability, supervision, geographic reach and the extent to which services reach hard-to-reach or previously missed communities.
- Analyse whether increased outreach and mobile activities are affecting the availability or quality of fixed vaccination services.
- Develop early-warning analyses to identify missed sessions, repeated implementation gaps and underperforming health areas.
4. Geospatial and GTS Data Integration
- Work closely with the geospatial mapping partner to integrate geospatial mapping, GTS vaccinator tracking, settlement mapping and travel/access information into the VillageReach MEL system.
- Triangulate GTS tracks against micro-plans, session reports and community information to determine whether vaccination teams reached planned locations.
- Support analysis of geographic equity and identify settlements or populations that remain unreached.
- Ensure geospatial evidence is translated into practical recommendations for revised microplans and outreach strategies.
5. Data Quality and Verification
- Develop and oversee project Data Quality Assurance protocols covering completeness, timeliness, accuracy, consistency, validity and source-document verification.
- Conduct routine data-quality reviews and periodic DQAs at provincial, health-zone and health-facility levels.
- Ensure reconciliation across DHIS2/Gestion PEV, vaccination registers, tally sheets, digital session reports, GTS, community registers and project databases where appropriate.
- Document discrepancies and establish corrective-action mechanisms with programme and government teams.
6. Learning and Adaptive Management
- Lead monthly and quarterly synthesis of quantitative and qualitative evidence to answer the project's key learning questions.
- Support the design and coordinate qualitative assessments involving health workers, RECOs, caregivers, community leaders and government stakeholders.
- Analyze unintended effects, including health-worker workload, RECO workload, impact on fixed sessions, caregiver experience and contextual changes.
- Facilitate monitoring-for-action sessions so that evidence results in documented corrective actions, responsible persons and deadlines.
- Track implementation of corrective actions through subsequent review cycles.
7. CHW/RECO Vaccinator Pilot MEL
- ·If approved, support development of the MEL component of the CHW/RECO-as-vaccinators pilot.
- · Support development of indicators covering additional children vaccinated, coverage, quality and safety, AEFI reporting, cold-chain compliance, data quality, workload, retention, supervision requirements and acceptability.
- ·Support baseline, mid-term and end-of-pilot assessments and generate evidence to inform government decisions regarding potential scale-up.
8. Donor Reporting and Milestones
- Coordinate MEL contributions to quarterly updates, inception reports, annual reviews and final grant reporting.
- Track MEL-related milestones and ensure deliverables are produced according to agreed timelines.
- Prepare high-quality dashboards, analytical briefs, presentations and evidence summaries for VillageReach management, the Funder, government and partners.
- Provide technical inputs into responses to donor questions related to programme performance, monitoring methodology and learning.
9. Capacity Strengthening and Government Data Use
- Strengthen capacity of the Provincial Health Division, EPI branches, Health Zone Management Teams and facility teams to analyze and use their own data.
- Support monthly Health Zone reviews and quarterly provincial performance reviews.
- Coach MEL Officers, programme staff and government counterparts in data interpretation, root-cause analysis, visualization and corrective-action planning.
Competencies:
VillageReach has ten (10) Organizational Competencies that describe how we work together and get things done that are grouped into three strategic areas of Achieving Great Results, Setting Direction and, Bringing Others With you. For a full description, please download our Organizational Competency document.
Achieving Great Results:
1. Risk Taking and Innovation
· Key Behaviors: Comfort with ambiguity, curiosity, adaptability, unconstrained and undeterred creativity, resourcefulness.
2. Business Judgement
· Key Behaviors: Getting to root causes, understanding environment, navigating complexity and ambiguity, entrepreneurial energy.
3. Building Strong Teams
· Key Behaviors: Trust in Subject Matter Experts (SME’s); radical candor to resolve conflict, hold each other accountable as colleagues, focused on results, commitment to mission.
Setting Direction:
4. Compelling Communication
· Key Behaviors: Clear and evidence-based communication, audience adaptability, curious listener.
5. Resilient Self Leadership
· Key Behaviors: Self-aware, plan how one shows up, emotionally intelligent, use one’s own agency and takes accountability.
6. Stewardship and Personal Alignment
· Key Behaviors: Take ownership, display ethical conduct, effective at resource management, alignment of personal objectives with organizational goals and mission, focus on continuous improvement and sustainability.
Bringing Others with You:
7. Influencing Leadership
· Key Behaviors: Cultivate trust, influences to make change, navigate the matrix structure.
8. Radical Partnership
· Key Behaviors: Share information and credit, address conflict, increase impact through collaboration, political and contextual awareness.
9. Cultivates a Growth Mindset
· Key Behaviors: Seek out diverse input, demonstrate flexibility in thinking and curiosity, embrace challenges, demonstrate persistence, seek learning opportunities.
10. Cultural Intelligence and Inclusion
· Key Behaviors: Continuous learning and ally-ship across cultural lines, challenge prejudice and bias, modeled in one’s own behavior.
Requirements
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, health information systems, social sciences or a related discipline; Master's degree preferred.
- At least five-seven years of relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation, preferably in immunization, primary healthcare, community health or health-system strengthening.
- At least one concrete example of acting as the M&E lead for a medium to large program
- Experience triangulating data from disparate datasets to provide a comprehensive picture of a program’s performance. Practical experience with routine health data, DHIS2 or comparable health information systems.
- Experience in field data verification, data-quality checks and preparation of routine monitoring reports.
- Experience with digital data-collection tools, Excel and data visualization; exposure to Power BI is an advantage.
- Familiarity with vaccination registers, routine immunisation indicators, zero-dose monitoring or EPI systems is an advantage.
- Experience supporting qualitative data collection, community monitoring or supervision activities is desirable, including quality assurance of data collection
- Strong written and spoken French; fluency in spoken and written English is an advantage.
Qualifications:
- Established cultural competency in collaborating with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
- Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel), Atlas.Ti and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment.
- Comfortable delegating tasks and directing the work of others.
- Demonstrated good judgment and comfort in making independent decisions, while also understanding limitations and knowing when to ask for additional support.
- Skill and experience in strategic thinking, planning, and executing projects from vision through implementation.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to data quality.
- Ability to organize, clean, analyze and present routine programme data.
- Field-oriented problem-solving and follow-through.
- Ability to work constructively with government health teams, community actors and technical partners.
- Good communication, documentation and teamwork skills.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines and maintain reliable monitoring records.
Environment and Physical Demands
VillageReach has no private offices, employees work in a shared, open environment with task and conference rooms accessible to employees for privacy and meetings. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Due to the time zone differences between our Seattle office and our Country Offices and location of other global staff, US based staff are expected to be available for early morning meetings starting at 6am. In addition, our global HQ and Country office staff are expected to be available for late afternoon/evening meetings up to 6pm.
The position is field-oriented and requires regular travel to supported Health Zones, Health Areas and vaccination sites in Lomami Province, including hard-to-reach settings. The postholder is expected to comply with VillageReach safety, safeguarding, data-protection and professional conduct requirements.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:
VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most underserved and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce.
APPLICATION INFORMATION:
This is an immediate hire and therefore resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis until [Input Date]. To apply, please submit your resume and a cover letter [plus any other desired materials] to our online portal: http://www.villagereach.org/join-us/. In your cover letter, please address (1) Why you are interested in this position, (2) What is one reason you think you’d be a good fit for this position and, (3) what is one strength you would bring to this position?
Hiring Process:
The hiring process will include the following steps:
1. Review submitted applications
2. Conduct 20-30 minute screening interviews for shortlisted candidates
3. Conduct skills and value-based interviews for 3-5 candidates.
4. Request that top candidates submit a practical assessment (designed to take no more than two hours to complete). Sometimes the assignment will occur before the interview.
5. Conduct final interview if necessary
6. Request references
7. Make offer
8. Conduct background check
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, but candidates who proceed to step 2 will be notified if they are not chosen for step 3.
SAFEGUARDING:
VillageReach is committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults, and beneficiaries with whom it engages. We expect everyone working with us to share this commitment through our code of conduct. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which may include criminal records. VillageReach participates in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, in line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.
Benefits
Compensation & Benefits:
VillageReach has an established compensation structure that is based on the relevant market and internally transparent. We hire people into the established range based on one’s experience and education and considering internal equity. We do not inquire about salary history. Please refer to our compensation overview on our website for more information and for more information on employee benefits.