Team Lead, El Salvador MEL
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.
Project Summary:
The USAID El Salvador Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) project provides monitoring, evaluation, learning, and knowledge management support services to USAID operating units (OUs) in the Central America region, including USAID/El Salvador, Central America and Mexico (ES-CAM) regional Mission; regional bilateral Missions in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico; and USAID/Washington-based bureaus and offices operating in Central America. These services will enhance USAID’s regional MEL capacity and evidence base to guide activity design; facilitate learning and adaptive management for USAID and its partners. This project will play a pivotal role in measuring and understanding the effectiveness and impact of USAID’s programming on the drivers and overall reduction of irregular migration to the United States. For this task under the project, this work will consist of a consultancy to conduct an analysis of the MEL system (including indicators, MEL Plan, tools, higher-level objectives, TOC) of an organization managing environmental funds in El Salvador and recommend changes to improve their MEL system. This analysis will include facilitating workshop(s) with their team to arrive at agreed higher-level objectives that can then be measured through indicators more effectively. The idea is also to help them include outcome-level measures and go beyond output measurement. This will also involve providing recommendations for other types of MEL techniques, such as effective success stories, most significant change and other potentially relevant options.
**Please note: All citizenships are eligible for this position**
Position Summary:
The Team Lead (TL) will serve as the project’s primary representative for this task with the client and report to the project Task Manager. The task is expected to begin in October with an initial kick-off in El Salvador with an organization managing environmental funds in El Salvador and USAID representatives and with the MEL Subject Matter Expert that will also be part of this two-person team, followed by remote work reviewing MEL documents, meeting with, and facilitating small group meetings with their staff to discuss and assess the organization’s MEL system. The TL would present findings and recommendations to improve their MEL system to begin to integrate outcome-level measures within its MEL system. The task is expected to last approximately two to three months, ending no later than December.
Responsibilities:
- Conduct an in-depth desk review of pertinent documents and data to gain a comprehensive understanding of the context and specific challenges within their MEL system.
- Manage the task kickoff meeting involving USAID, the environmental fund organization, and other crucial stakeholders to align expectations, objectives, and roles, ensuring effective communication from the task's outset.
- Coordinate and facilitate workshops with their team to define high-level agreed-upon objectives that can be effectively measured through indicators.
- Direct and coordinate an exhaustive analysis of their MEL system within the framework of USAID's Development Policy (ADS 201), to encompass indicators, the MEL Plan, tools employed, strategic goals, and the Theory of Change (TOC).
- Conduct working sessions with their team and other pertinent groups, utilizing participatory methodologies and efficient tools to foster collaboration and draw out the needed information.
- Propose additional MEL techniques to enhance performance measurement and review, including impactful success stories, most significant change methodologies, and other relevant strategies.
- Prepare the report that will put forward the evaluation and recommendations of the team to enhance their MEL system, including integration of outcome-level measures alongside production-level metrics.
- Conduct weekly meetings with the Task Manager to coordinate and discuss progress and challenges.
- Prepare weekly one-pager, bullet-point progress reports that will communicate progress on task implementation to the MEL Activity team and USAID.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field with minimum seven years of relevant work experience required. Master’s degree in international development, political economy, economics, quantitative methods and research, or a related field preferred.
- Minimum eight years of experience in monitoring and evaluating programs required.
- Minimum eight years of experience conducting USAID project monitoring and reporting processes required.
- Minimum five years of experience working in the Latin America region required.
- Knowledge of USAID ADS 201, the Project Cycle, the Foreign Assistance (FA) Standard Structure Definitions and related FA indicators.
- Strong communication, collaboration, interpersonal, and management skills required.
- Fluency in English and Spanish is required.
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.
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.