MECLA Director - USAID ACES

Abt Associates, a major American research, technical assistance, and international development company, seeks highly qualified candidates for the Monitoring, Evaluation, Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (MECLA) Director for the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation's Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub (DDI/ITR)'s Acceleration and Competitions Executions Support (ACES). The purpose of ACES is to provide administrative support, design assistance, and technical expertise that will bolster USAID's efforts to design, support, and implement open innovation programs, accelerate the resultant innovations for increased uptake in an appropriate market or context, and disseminate knowledge within USAID and the development community on open innovation best practices, successes, and lessons learned from both the innovations themselves and the programs supporting them. ITR/I will collaborate with USAID missions and bureaus as well as, with funders, donors, and inter-agency partners on open innovation programs and investments that achieve social rates of return.
The position will be based in Rockville, MD, and is contingent upon project award to Abt Associates.
Responsibilities
- Enhance monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning capabilities for managing open innovation programs and investments worldwide.
- Collect data on open innovation program activities, outputs, and results vis-a-vis relevant results frameworks.
- Provide robust, strategic monitoring, evaluation and learning support to address a variety of needs ranging from meta-level, whole of program, process, and grantee (innovator) level.
- Direct the Technical Directors in managing MEL activities and reporting for the project.
- Develop and manage the project's MEL structure and systems to facilitate and ensure all project programs collect and report on impact, output, outcome and program management indicators. This includes standardized reporting, performance monitoring, and evaluation for the project, and integrating performance data into program management and adaption plans.
- Advise on strategies for co-creation, ideation, and learning within the project.
- Develop and manage robust systems for collaboration, learning, and project adaptation to improve competition design and services provided to innovators.
- Regularly review data collection processes, perform data quality assessments, and make adjustments as needed.
- Lead development of the project's global learning agenda and strategy in collaboration with USAID clients.
- Analyze project M&E data across all regions for benchmarking and to identify trends and outliers.
- Guide the development and distribution of meaningful strategic communications, case studies and products, drawing from M&E data.
- Participate in strategic planning and work planning meetings.
- Manage U.S.-based MEL team.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree and 15 years of experience) or Master's and 12 years of experience or in economics, statistics, research methods, impact assessment or related field and experience in the development and implementation of M&E systems and processes for complex international development programs.
- At least 8 years of experience working on M&E methods for USAID projects; experience managing global programs highly preferred.
- Proven capacity to communicate M&E data in accessible and engaging ways - experience in innovative visualization of results highly preferred.
- Solid analytical skills and ability to use SPSS/STATA, qualitative analysis packages, and MS Excel.
- Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues from a diverse set of partners in both public and private sectors.
- Proven written and oral presentation skills in English.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree + Fifteen years of relevant experience, or Master's Degree + Twelve years of relevant experience, or PhD + Ten years of relevant experience
Abt Associates is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse workforce. Abt Associates provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits. Local candidates strongly encouraged to apply.
Disclaimer: Abt Associates will never ask candidates for money in exchange for an offer of employment.
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The International Development Division focuses on improving the lives and economic well-being of people in lower and middle-income countries. We command technical expertise in health, agriculture, climate change, food security and governance-as well as in international evaluation. Our multi-layered health portfolio includes policy, health promotion and disease prevention, health finance, and health systems management. In partnership with government clients and local experts, our high-quality programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East are known for impact and innovation.
At Abt Associates, we are committed to creating a lasting culture of equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that in order to achieve full participation, our practices must be free of prejudice, discrimination, and bias that result in inequitable outcomes. We are actively working to advance equity for everyone, and while we still have much work to do, we know that racial and cultural diversity are an asset to our business and the communities where we live and serve. Our ongoing commitment is focused on creating business practices that advance racial and social equity, investments in community impact programs for the benefit of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and expand upon project work related to racial equity and social justice.