Evaluation Advisor

Location:	Washington, DC
Number:	GHFP II-P1-020
Status:	Open
Close Date:	4/23/2012
All online applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on the closing date.
Global Health Fellows Program II Technical Advisor III: Evaluation Advisor Office of Strategic Planning, Budgeting and Operations, Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development Location: Washington, DC Assignment: Two year fellowship GHFP II-P1-020 The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP-II) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with CDC Development Solutions and Management Systems International. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). GHFP-II's goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by developing and increasing the capacity of health professionals with tailored development opportunities. This is accomplished through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels, and performance management and professional development activities aimed to enhance the technical and leadership skills of fellows. BACKGROUND: The Bureau for Global Health (GH) is the USAID/Washington operating unit charged with providing technical support to improve the health of people in the developing world by expanding health services, including family planning/reproductive health and maternal/child health; strengthening health systems; and addressing HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, avian influenza and other public health threats. The Global Health Bureau’s primary role in the health program area is to strengthen field operations, promote research and technical innovation, and provide leadership and training. The Strategy, Planning and Budget (SPB) Division within GH’s Strategic Planning, Budget and Operations Office leads the review of strategic plans for GH and coordinates their approval. Additionally, the Division liaises with Learning, Evaluation and Research Office of the Bureau for Policy, Planning & Learning, and US Department of State and other Federal agencies regarding Agency strategy, policy development and implementation. SPB leads GH in program planning and performance monitoring. The Division facilitates periodic data collection, conducts analyses and provides written inputs for annual reports and other Agency performance reporting requirements. This Division serves as the primary GH resource for USAID evaluation policies and practices, oversees implementation of GH’s evaluation plan and analyzes and disseminates evaluation findings, conclusions, recommendations and best practices as appropriate. SPB provides analyses for Global Health planning and portfolio reviews and supports planning efforts for GH technical offices. INTRODUCTION: The Evaluation Advisor will be a member of the new Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Team that has been established at USAID, focusing particularly on evaluation and the Global Health Initiative (GHI) Learning Agenda. S/he will also help facilitate the interagency M&E process. GHI is led by the US Department of State and is closely coordinated with USAID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. USAID has recently been established as the lead for M&E for GHI. As part of the newly established M&E Team for the GHI in the Bureau for Global Health, the Evaluation Advisor will foster a culture of evaluation within the GHI and the Bureau and provide leadership in the development of an evaluation portfolio for the health portfolio. The evaluation portfolio will primarily be implemented through the Learning Agenda, which will include a range of country specific studies, primarily in GHI Plus countries, as well as the Bureau’s Evaluation plan. The Evaluation Advisor will provide technical assistance for the design and implementation of the studies as necessary and facilitate the dissemination and use of the findings. Although leadership of the Evaluation plan will be the Advisor’s primary role, s/he will be expected to support the larger M&E portfolio as needed. The Evaluation plan links closely with routine monitoring and other M&E activities, so it is critical that the Evaluation Advisor work with the larger team to ensure all activities are strategically linked and support evidence-based decision making at all levels of the GHI and within the Bureau. The Evaluation Advisor will establish, nurture, and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of players with varied perspectives. These players include, but are not limited to, other members of the GHI M&E Interagency Team, as well as M&E and other staff of USAID’s Bureau for Global Health and regional bureaus; M&E leadership and staff in USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning; United States Government (USG) teams in the GHI countries; headquarters staff of other USG agencies involved in the GHI; M&E staff within other donor organizations, and M&E thought leaders in the health and development communities. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The primary responsibilities of the Evaluation Advisor include: A. Oversee, coordinate and manage the GH evaluation plan and GH bureau evaluation working group (25% LOE) Work closely with the SPB M&E Team and bureau staff to implement an overall GH evaluation agenda that reflects current programmatic and strategic priorities. The GH evaluation group should also develop an annual workplan that tracks and monitors the many GH evaluations to ensure they support the evaluation plan Provide expertise in evaluation purposes, designs and methods to guide USAID/Washington (HQ) and country teams on decisions for their evaluation Assist field missions in formulating evaluation plans as a component of their country strategic plans/Country Development Cooperation Strategies, GHI country strategies, and annual Performance Monitoring Plans. Interact with and advise a variety of internal and external stakeholders in planning, managing, and using evaluation report findings, conclusions and recommendations Supports the goals and implementation of the USAID Evaluation Policy within the Bureau Ensure evaluations are in compliance with USAID Automated Directives System, the new USAID Evaluation Policy and other related guidance and policies B. Coordinate the Interagency process around the GHI Learning Agenda at both the country and central levels (25% LOE) Lead and oversee the development of an evaluation plan for the GHI (to include performance (mid-term and end-term), and impact evaluation questions, and establishment of baselines for impact measurement Work with the interagency group to coordinate priorities for the central learning agenda and a process to review both central and country-level contributions Serve as a point of contact for the external evaluation teams working on the central Learning Agenda study, assuring alignment with SOW, methods and deliverables Provide expertise in evaluation purposes, designs and methods to guide HQ and country teams on decisions for their evaluation Facilitate exchange of learning between country programs and with HQ technical and program offices Work with the larger interagency M&E group to use evaluation results for dissemination, reporting and program planning C. Facilitate the use of evaluation findings to inform organizational learning, programs and policies (20% LOE) Exercise quality control management during the review and comment phase of an evaluation process and ensure final evaluation report meets quality standards and expectations as noted in SOW Support organizational learning and knowledge management to improve data utilization for decision making D. Provide technical assistance in the area of evaluation to the field missions (20% LOE) Coordinate with other USAID Offices and USG agencies to ensure country teams and HQ staff receive training, mentoring, coaching and technical assistance in the area of evaluation Keep staff and partners up to date on best practices in evaluation and relevant research studies Provide technical assistance directly to individual missions to develop evaluation agendas for the health portfolio, design sound methodology and/or monitor ongoing evaluation work Serve on the management team for the Global Health’s centrally-managed evaluation project E. Provide support and technical expertise to the larger GH M&E portfolio (10% LOE) Work with the GH M&E Team to closely coordinate the evaluation plan with the strategic direction of routine M&E activities around the health areas and other agency priorities. These activities should be closely linked and support the larger agenda of measuring the accomplishments of Bureau and improving ongoing programs Participate in strategic planning and design for the overall Bureau and GHI M&E portfolio Provide technical support on an ad hoc basis to the routine M&E functions Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on (a) organizational and programming need and/or (b) the Technical Advisor’s own interests. REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCE: Master’s degree in public health or related discipline. An advanced degree (PhD, ScD, EdD) in public health, social sciences, or education highly desirable Minimum ten years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation with at least three to five years’ experience in an international or resource challenged setting Knowledge of and experience in the theories, principles, and methods of public health evaluation in the context of international development and their application in resource-challenged settings Demonstrated familiarity with technical and developing country content in GHI areas of focus Ability to provide advice, guidance, and consultation to officials on the interpretation and application of completed evaluations in a constructive and diplomatic manner Demonstrated familiarity with developments in the larger evaluation community Demonstrated knowledge of statistical software packages Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment Strong interpersonal communication and writing skills Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse teams and cross-culturally High degree of good judgment, maturity, ingenuity and originality to interpret strategy, to analyze, develop and present work results, and to monitor and evaluate implementation of programs Willingness to travel internationally US Citizenship required SALARY AND BENEFITS: Salary will be based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs http://www.ghfp.net/docs/2012_Benefits_Booklet_GHFP.pdf. TO APPLY: All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP-II’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. All online applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on April 23, 2012. Applicants who have applied previously have been given consideration and need not re-apply. We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer.