Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) and Reserach Advisor- Integrated Innovation Highway (IIH) Project Ethiopia

PATH · Addis Ababa

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PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges. 

PATH combines scientific and public health expertise, implementation experience, innovation, and strong partnerships with governments, communities, civil society, and development partners. In Ethiopia, PATH works closely with the Federal Ministry of Health (MoH), Regional Health Bureaus, health facilities, communities, local organizations, and development partners to strengthen health systems and expand access to high-quality, equitable health services.

Project Overview

The Integrated Innovation Highway (IIH) is a Gates Foundation–funded project that supports the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and MoH to establish a government-owned platform that systematically identifies country needs, prioritizes innovations, assesses evidence and readiness, and supports the introduction, transition, and scale-up of innovations within the Ethiopian health system.

The IIH will establish an integrated approach across six innovation highways:

• Medical devices
• Diagnostics
• Therapeutics, family planning and nutrition products
• Vaccines
• Technology, including digital health, artificial intelligence (AI), and biotechnology
• Bundled and systems innovations

Phase 1 will focus on three tracer products across two highways:

• Medical devices: AI-enabled point-of-care ultrasound (AI-POCUS)
• Diagnostics: Near-point-of-care TB PlusLife and Ebola diagnostics

The project will work closely with the MoH, Regional Health Bureaus, public health institutes, universities, innovators, development partners, and other stakeholders to strengthen innovation governance and develop practical pathways for evaluating, introducing, transitioning, and scaling priority health innovations.

Position Summary

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) and Reserach Advisor will provide strategic and technical leadership for the project's monitoring, evaluation, research, learning, and adaptive management functions.

The MEAL and Research Advisor will lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the project's MEAL system, ensuring that project performance, evidence, learning, and lessons are systematically generated, analyzed, communicated, and used to inform decision-making and the transition and scale-up of health innovations.

The position will work closely with the Project Director, IIH technical team, MoH, Regional Health Bureaus, research institutions, universities, local partners, innovators, and other stakeholders to generate and use evidence to inform the introduction, transition, and scale-up of priority innovations.

Reporting and Working Relationships

Reports to: Project Director, Integrated Innovation Highway

Key internal relationships: IIH Project Director, technical leads, Project Officers, AI/innovation specialists, PATH Ethiopia leadership, finance and operations teams, and PATH global/regional technical teams.

Key external relationships: MoH, Regional Health Bureaus, public health institutes, universities, research organizations, innovators, development partners, Gates Foundation, local implementing partners, and other IIH stakeholders.

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with travel to project implementation sites and partner institutions as required

Key Responsibilities

1. MEAL System Design, Data Management, and Performance Monitoring

• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of the IIH MEAL system, aligned with the work plan, learning agendas, results framework and donor requirements.  
• Develop and maintain project indicators, performance measurement plans, data collection tools, reporting templates, and data management systems.
• Establish systems for tracking project outputs, outcomes, milestones, risks, assumptions, and progress toward transition and scale-up goals.
• Oversee implementation monitoring at national, subnational, partner, and service-delivery levels, as applicable.
• Ensure timely collection, analysis, validation, and reporting of project performance data.
• Support the development and monitoring of annual and quarterly project work plans.

2. Learning, Evaluation, and Adaptive Management

• Analyze project data and lead performance reviews and learning sessions to assess progress against targets, identify implementation bottlenecks, emerging risks, and lessons learned, and recommend corrective actions to support adaptation and continuous improvement.
• Lead the development and implementation of learning agendas and priority learning questions for the IIH.
• Lead evaluations of the project and its approaches, and support stakeholders to interpret and use evaluation findings.
• Work with technical leads and project partners to ensure that evidence, learning, and evaluation findings are routinely used to inform project implementation and strategic decisions.

3. Research and Evidence Generation

• Lead the development of the project's research and evidence-generation agenda and coordinate its implementation with project and research partners.
• Collaborate with local research institutions, universities, public health institutes, and other partners involved in project research and evidence generation.
• Provide technical oversight for feasibility studies, operational research, implementation research, and other evidence-generation activities, including development of protocols, study designs, data collection tools, analysis plans, and research reports.
• Ensure that research activities comply with applicable ethical, regulatory, scientific, and donor requirements.
• Support the interpretation and synthesis of research findings to inform innovation prioritization, introduction, transition, and scale-up.

4. Innovation Assessment and Transition-to-Scale

• Provide MEAL and research leadership for the assessment of priority innovations from initial assessment through introduction, implementation, and potential scale-up.
• Develop indicators and assessment frameworks to measure innovation readiness, implementation, sustainability, and scale-up potential.
• Work with technical teams and government stakeholders to establish evidence requirements and milestones for transitioning innovations into the health system.
• Support the generation and synthesis of evidence needed to inform decisions on innovation introduction, transition, and scale-up.
• Support documentation of the transition pathways for priority innovations.
• Identify and track key learning and evidence needs along transition-to-scale pathways.
• Support generation of findings and analyses that can inform government decisions regarding financing, institutionalization, and scale-up.

5. Data Quality and Knowledge Management

• Conduct routine data quality assessments and support partners to address identified gaps.
• Ensure that project data are appropriately documented, stored, analyzed, and protected.
• Develop and maintain knowledge-management systems and repositories for project evidence, lessons learned, case studies, success stories, and other learning products.
• Promote the use of data visualization, dashboards, and other appropriate tools to communicate project performance and results.

6. Documentation, Learning and Dissemination

• Lead documentation of project achievements, lessons learned, challenges, promising practices, and insights from the assessment, introduction, transition, and scale-up of innovations.
• Develop success stories, case studies, technical briefs, learning briefs, and other knowledge products.
• Facilitate learning events, stakeholder consultations, dissemination meetings, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
• Ensure that lessons and evidence generated by the project are shared with government, partners, and other stakeholders through learning events, technical forums, publications, conferences, and other appropriate platforms.
• Develop communication products that demonstrate the contribution of IIH to strengthening Ethiopia's innovation governance and health system.

7. Team Leadership and Capacity Strengthening

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to project staff, consultants, and partner MEAL and research focal points.
• Coordinate MEAL and research contributions across technical workstreams and implementing partners.
• Mentor project staff and partners in monitoring, evaluation, research, learning, and evidence-use approaches.
• Support government and local partners to strengthen MEAL and research capacity and progressively assume ownership of relevant monitoring, evidence-generation, learning, and decision-support functions.
• Supervise MEAL and research staff, consultants, or interns, as assigned.

8. Donor Reporting and Accountability

• Lead the MEAL and research inputs to all project reporting to the Gates Foundation.
• Consolidate quantitative and qualitative project results from technical leads and implementing partners.
• Provide analysis and interpretation of project performance against agreed results and milestones.
• Ensure that donor reporting is supported by accurate, complete, and verifiable evidence.
• Coordinate the preparation of periodic donor performance reports, ensuring accuracy, consistency, completeness, and timely submission.
• Support donor reviews, portfolio reviews, and project learning and reflection processes.
• Track and document follow-up actions arising from donor and project performance reviews.

Qualifications and Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Statistics, Epidemiology, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Master's degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Research Methods, .
• At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in monitoring, evaluation, research, learning, and/or evidence generation within public health or development programs.
• Extensive experience in MEAL and research roles for donor-funded health programs, preferably involving health innovation, health systems strengthening, technology, diagnostics, medical devices, or digital health.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing MEAL systems and results frameworks for complex, multi-partner projects.
• Experience designing and managing feasibility studies, operational research, implementation research, and/or program evaluations.
• Demonstrated experience working with government institutions, research organizations, universities, development partners, and local implementing organizations.
• Experience with donor reporting and performance management, preferably with the Gates Foundation or other major international donors.
• Strong knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and data analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research findings and program data into actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience using Artificial Intelligence (AI) across multiple use cases, including research and evidence synthesis, data analysis, programme design, decision support, knowledge management, content development, workflow automation, and/or other health-programme applications.
• Ability to assess the appropriate use of AI, including consideration of data privacy, accuracy, bias, ethics, safeguarding and responsible use in health and development contexts.
• Strong technical writing, analytical, presentation, and communication skills.
• Experience developing learning products, success stories, case studies, and evidence briefs.

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