Practice Area Leader, SEA
Management Systems International (MSI), a Tetra Tech Company, is a Washington, D.C. metro area management consultancy with a 40-year history of delivering results for our clients. Our expertise is in the fields of monitoring and evaluation; democracy and governance; peace and stability; rule of law and accountability; education; gender and inclusion; strategic communications; and leadership and organizational development. MSI has implemented projects in 90 countries around the world such as Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria and Ukraine, and works domestically. We support clients ranging from the U.S. Government (e.g., the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Departments of State and Labor, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation) to large bilateral and multilateral donors (e.g., the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program). We also work with national and local governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks, foundations and universities. For more information, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.
Practice Area Summary:
MSI’s Strategy, Evaluation and Analysis (SEA) practice area oversees all monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) projects. It is a dynamic practice within the company that strives for excellence and innovation across all activities, encompassing a range of sectors, including education, health, economic growth, democracy and governance, gender, capacity building and policy reform. SEA has approximately 20 MEL Specialists in the U.S. headquarters and 30 field-based MEL projects overseas.
**Please note: U.S. work authorization is required for this position**
Position Summary:
The Practice Area Leader (PAL) will lead MSI’s SEA practice area and report to the Senior Vice President of Programs (SVP-P). The PAL will work collaboratively with two other SEA PALs, as well as Technical Directors, Managers, and Associates across the practice. The PAL will liaise with MSI’s Operations Division, Business Development Unit (BDU), and other practice areas across the company such as Education, Learning and Organizational Development, Peace and Security, and Rule of Law, Governance, and Accountability. This position will be responsible for a portfolio covering of approximately 10 to 12 MEL projects and 8 to 10 headquarters staff members. These numbers might fluctuate over time as new projects start up and others close out.
The PAL will provide overall management oversight and leadership direction for the practice area. The PAL will be responsible for: 1) providing technical leadership and innovation for the practice and the assigned portfolio; 2) overseeing the technical work of field implementation projects to ensure technical excellence; 3) managing a team of headquarters MEL Experts including Technical Directors, Managers and Associates; and 4) helping to drive market and business development. This role may require travel including to areas of conflict. The preferred location for this role is in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.
Responsibilities:
Overall Work Planning and Execution:
- Oversee the development and execution of annual practice area planning in partnership with the SVP-P.
- Keep the SVP-P abreast of progress, problems, and other important developments.
- Gather market intelligence and apply it in practice area planning.
- Ensure projects within the portfolio meet deliverables, consistently produce high quality work and assist with problem solving on projects as needed.
- Serve as a point of contact for key clients, establishing strong relationships and understanding their evolving requirements.
- Collaborate with clients to identify opportunities for expanding services and provide advice on leveraging research products to inform decision-making and program improvement.
- Collaborate with the other two SEA PALs and other practices for the benefit of MSI more broadly.
- Develop practice area pursuit plans to effectively position and prepare MSI for anticipated solicitations and/or new areas of growth and new clients.
- Ensure effective coordination with the SEA BD PAL and MSI’s BDU in the lead up to and during the proposal preparation process.
- Support field-based reconnaissance, recruitment, and research in support of proposal preparation in the subject country, as needed.
- Provide technical expertise and oversight in the design, development, and draft of proposals.
- Seek and develop new clients for work in the practice area.
Technical Leadership
- Create an environment that promotes technical creativity and innovation.
- Serve as a technical leader and remain abreast of developments in the field.
- Support staff in extracting learning from existing projects in the practice area and ensure learning is shared broadly across the practice area and its projects.
- Help market capabilities and experience.
Team Management
- Optimize the team’s performance by ensuring high quality standards are maintained and ensure staff satisfaction.
- Ensure a positive and inclusive work environment.
- Support the professional development of staff, including the development of new tools, approaches, and innovations.
- Coordinate to share staff resources with other relevant practice areas as needed.
- Support recruitment and hiring of new staff as needed.
- Conduct performance assessments at periodic intervals for staff and supply feedback on performance.
Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in international development, political science, sociology, statistics, economics, public administration/public policy, or similar fields required.
- Minimum 15 years of relevant experience encompassing international development, evaluation and research, and program management required.
- Experience working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Department of State, World Bank, or other international development organizations.
- Experience building and maintaining strong, positive relationships with clients, including demonstrated instances of responding to clients’ needs or working collaboratively.
- Experience heading task teams to deliver client deliverables in evaluation, assessment, research, performance management, strategic planning, third party monitoring, or scaling.
- Experience supervising staff and providing technical leadership in a relevant field.
- Experience and familiarity with MEL, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) principles, tools, and methods.
- Experience in strategic planning is highly desirable.
- Ability to convey information clearly, listen actively, and foster effective communication within the team and with external stakeholders.
- Ability to work well in a team environment, actively participate in group projects, and contribute to achieving common goals.
- Ability to adapt to changing circumstances, learn new skills, and adjust to evolving priorities and work environments.
- Ability to effectively navigate ambiguity.
- Strong understanding of international MEL trends.
- Strong management, analytical, leadership, problem-solving, written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to travel when required including to areas of conflict.
- Fluency in English required.
At MSI Tetra Tech, health and safety play a vital role in our success. MSI Tetra Tech’s employees work together to comply with all applicable health & safety practices and protocols, including health orders and regulations related to COVID-19 that are mandated by local, state and federal authorities.
MSI is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We strive to develop and maintain a culture that honors the perspectives and identities of our employees, our communities and those impacted by our work.
We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants’ and employees’ religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
MSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities/Veterans Employer.
Pay Transparency Statement:
We are committed to taking a thoughtful, compliant and equitable approach to employment compensation. We commit to providing a holistic comprehensive salary analysis, including reviews of individual skill sets and compensable factors related to qualifications, business needs, internal compensation data, and industry and labor market surveys. The anticipated pay range for this position is $185,000 to $195,000 USD.
Reasonable Accommodations:
MSI is dedicated to hiring an inclusive workforce. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations during the application process, please visit Tetra Tech’s Disability Assistance Page. Our recruitment team looks forward to engaging in an interactive process to provide reasonable accommodations for candidates.
Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.