Performance Monitoring Specialist at RTI International

RTI International is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to conducting innovative, multidisciplinary research that improves the human condition. With a worldwide staff of more than 5,000 people, RTI offers innovative research and development and multidisciplinary services.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Performance Monitoring Specialist

Location: Niger

The Program

• RTI International in collaboration with Plan International and other partners are implementing a 4-year USAID funded Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (E-WASH) program
• E-WASH will provide technical assistance to and will work in collaboration with state governments to improve urban water service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial, and technical viability of six (6) state water boards (SWBs) in Nigeria. The overall goal is improvement of urban water and sanitation service delivery.
• RTI International hereby invites applications from highly resourceful, motivated and experienced professionals to fill the position above

Job Description

• The Performance Monitoring Specialist will report directly to the MEL Advisor and shall be responsible for monitoring all State level E-WASH activities including developing monitoring/progress reports and supporting quarterly/annual reports collation (e.g. quarterly SWB and Utility progress reports), routinely upload field-based data to E-WASH Integrated Database Management System (IDMS) and provide timely Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) updates for onward reporting to USAID MEL Performance Reporting System (PRS).
• PMS will support the conduct of targeted state-specific field-based studies and research assessments to inform the development of KM/ Learning products
• The PMS will actively collaborate with other members of the MEL team (i.e. Senior MIS Specialist and Senior Media and Communications Specialist); designated STTA MEL Specialists and work alongside members of the E-WASH state program team.

Essential Duties

• Monitor and work closely with the MEL Advisor and other team members to implement the programs MEL plan and systems.
• Support data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Work with utility M&E departments to review and adjust targets on a quarterly basis with the Department Managers for four quarters after the initial implementation of the Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs).
• Build capacity of program partners and transfer this responsibility gradually to the SWB and CSO M&E departments/personnel.
• Support the development of learning/KM products to highlight key research findings, implementation lessons and best practices identified during E-WASH program implementation;
• Facilitate the implementation of effective program MEL mechanisms on grants reporting, generating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) reports for State Water Boards (SWBs) and Utilities including Civil Society Organization (CSO) monitoring to inform onward performance reporting to USAID.
• Work closely with respective E-WASH program and partner staffs to ensure timely upload of performance reporting data; robust grants monitoring and document reviews of SWB Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) benchmarking procedures.
• Work closely with the State Team Leader to identify issues in the state program and agree on the redress.
• Lead on activity monitoring, performance improvement, learning and adaptive management in the State.
• Actively participate in specialists’ meetings to ensure adherence to the set indicators and provide technical oversight.
• Collaborate with the Senior MIS Specialist to conduct field-based assessments and evaluations i.e. Data Quality Assessments (DQA), Collaboration Mapping, Updating Pivot Logs, Rapid Political Economy Analysis (PEA) and other rolling assessments to inform program learning and adaptive management measures.
• Ensure compliance with E-WASH Data Risk Mitigation Strategy and work alongside the MEL Manager and designated STTA/USAID representatives to conduct data quality assessments for performance indicators.
• Conduct of routine field visits and spot checks to support surveys (Household and GIS mapping) as well as inform the development of program reports i.e. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) reports, Grants Monitoring Reports (GMRs), Activity Monitoring Reports (AMRs) etc.
• Identify potential research areas of interests related to E-WASH program focus and work to develop evidence-based articles and publications.
• Handle additional ad-hoc responsibilities as assigned by the MEL Advisor or required by the E-WASH program.

Qualifications and Experience

• A Master's or Bachelor's Degree in Social Science or a related field
• A minimum of Master's Degree and 1 year of experience in measuring and evaluating governance or WASH-related programme or a Bachelor's Degree and 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience in measuring and evaluating governance or WASH-related programming.
• Experience working on donor funded projects especially USAID would be beneficial.
• Familiarity with robust grants reporting protocols (for CSEF grantees) and mobile data collection apps/tools (i.e. Kobo Tool Box, Magpi, CAPI, FS Mobile) for effective performance monitoring of donor funded projects.
• Strong technical skills in data management, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), survey and questionnaire design, household surveys and mapping, and/or conducting field-based assessment is required.
• Experience with mobile based data collection tools and grantee reporting is desirable. Skilled proficiency in Excel, Word, and other Microsoft (MS) Office software; data analysis software (such as Excel, SPSS or Stata).
• Experience in knowledge management and communications for outcome reporting including conducting research focused studies and assessments as a basis for developing learning/KM products (i.e. fact sheets, newsletters, outcome journals.
• Knowledge of USAID's Collaboration, Learning and Adaptation (CLA) approach is beneficial.

Skills & Abilities:

• Possess excellent organizational and analytical skills.
• Possess excellent oral and written communications skills in English.
• Ability to perform effectively as a part of a diverse team of professionals.

Remuneration

• We offer a highly competitive remuneration.

Application Closing Date
25th January, 2020.