Senior Technical Officer - FHI 360 - Remote/Washington, D.C., United States

FHI 360’s Global Education, Employment and Engagement (G3E) Business Unit encompasses a vast portfolio of programs working globally in the following technical areas: primary and post-primary education, early childhood development, youth engagement and positive youth development; economic development and livelihoods; environment and climate change; civil society capacity building, media, and peacebuilding; and international exchanges.

The Research & Evaluation (R&E) Department is one of five departments in the G3E Business Unit. R&E serves two functions: 1) Provide monitoring, evaluation, learning and research support for large scale global development projects; and 2) Carry out research to advance FHI 360 thought leadership in global development.

The Senior Technical Officer, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning will occupy a critical role within the R&E department. They will serve as a backstop to large-scale projects, working directly with field teams, technical teams in the home office, partners and clients, to ensure that FHI 360 is fulfilling its mission as an evidence-driven, adaptive and effective actor on the global stage. The incumbent plays a crucial role in project design, infusing evidence-building and learning into technical implementation plans for every assigned project and providing quality assurance for monitoring, evaluation and learning. Strong communication and teamwork skills are of absolute importance to succeed in this role, as is the ability to manage individual and team contributions across projects and time zones. This position offers vast opportunities for creative, passionate individuals who care about development, and who have demonstrated commitment and success in infusing learning and adaptive management into development programs.

Accountabilities:

• Serve as the home office technical partner on monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) for FHI 360 projects in the technical areas supported by the R&E department, focusing on education and literacy programs, continuously working with project teams on 4-6 projects, writing and revising monitoring, evaluation and learning plans for donor-funded projects (mainly USAID); supporting a broad range of monitoring and evaluation activities over the project cycle, such as the design of the performance monitoring plan, sampling and methodology development, research design, instrument design, data collection, and analysis of project-level data; ensuring the integrity and completeness of project-level data and all technical documentation related to the monitoring of all measurable outcomes included in the project monitoring plan or other overarching frameworks; ensuring that assigned projects are adequately supported in MERL activities throughout their life cycle and surge capacity is provided at critical points, to ensure quality and timeliness of M&E deliverables; providing MERL-related capacity building to team members and local counterparts.

• Function as the MERL partner in the development of technical proposals in the technical areas supported by the R&E department, particularly for education and literacy programs, infusing research design thinking and learning systems into project implementation; leading the development of M&E plans during the proposal phase for implementation programs, including developing budget inputs; and contributing to the growth of the research and evaluation portfolio by leading or contributing to the development of proposals in research and evaluation.

• Support the development and implementation of data collection efforts, translating M&E needs into efficient data collection systems, and ensuring that data collected are utilized for adaptive management.

• Facilitate knowledge sharing and learning, communicating regularly on results and activities in assigned projects and fostering evidence building on common issues across projects.

• Engage with clients and partners in managing the execution of the monitoring, evaluation and learning strategy for G3E projects;

Applied Knowledge &Skills:

• Comprehensive knowledge of theories, concepts, methods and practices in monitoring, evaluation, learning and adaptive management;

• In-depth understanding of approaches used with the objective of integrating evidence building in global development projects; including impact evaluations;

• Thorough understanding of the realities of conducting research in development contexts and the challenges of timelines, budgets, human resources, and donor requirements;

• Proven knowledge of the development context, including deep familiarity with country contexts outside of the highly industrialized nations;

• Languages: English required, Spanish or French required, Arabic and/or other languages are a big plus;

• Understanding of the major actors and key issues globally pertaining to education and early childhood development,

• Ability to communicate in a clear, positive manner with external clients and staff, as well as clearly communicate technical and research strategies, results, and implications to non- technical audiences

• Creativity, problem solving, demonstrated ability to effectively collaborate with others and independent thought are a must.

Experience:

• At least 6 years of experience - 8+ years of experience preferred developing and implementing monitoring and evaluation methodologies, including impact evaluations, managing data collection activities, and providing M&E technical assistance to projects;

• Experience with business development and project M&E, particularly developing and implementing M&E Plans or Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) with a focus on the USAID Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) framework;

• Experience working with diverse teams and integrating research-to-practice and collaborating, learning, adapting approaches (CLA) to program implementation;

• Experience effectively communicating and utilizing research and technical content for practical application;

• Prior work experience in a non-governmental organization (NGO) or in work-related academic, governmental, or industry setting, experience working internationally highly desirable.

Education:**

• Master’s Degree required in one of the following or related fields: international development, international affairs, economics, political science

Typical physical demands:

• Typical office environment.

• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time.

• Ability to lift/move up to 5 lbs.

Technology to be used:

• Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.

travel requirements:

• 10% - 25%

Pay Equity and Benefits:

The expected hiring salary range for this role is listed below. FHI 360 pay ranges represent national averages that vary by geographic location. When determining an offer amount, FHI 360 factors in multiple considerations, including but not limited to: relevant years of experience and education possessed by the applicant, internal equity, business sector, and budget. 

Base salary is only one component of our offer. FHI 360 contributes 12% of monthly base pay to a money purchase pension plan account. Additionally, all US based staff working full-time, which is calculated at 40 hours/week, receive 18 days of paid vacation per year, 12 sick days per year, and 11 holidays per year. Paid time off is reduced pro rata for employees working less than a full-time schedule.

Hiring Salary Range:  $80,000 - $122,000

This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

FHI 360 is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employerwhereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

FHI 360 will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. 

FHI 360 fosters the strength and health of its workforce through a competitive benefits package, professional development and policies and programs that support a healthy work/life balance. Join our global workforce to make a positive difference for others — and yourself.

FHI 360 staff working in the United States are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of the type of project or client they serve, or of their employment status (full/part-time, remote, telework, or in-office), unless an accommodation applies.  FHI 360 complies with federal, state, and local laws with regard to accommodations related to this policy. Full vaccination is currently defined as two weeks after the second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Booster doses are not required at this time.