Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Lead

Company Description

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is on a mission to create a world where no mother, child or family is devastated by HIV and AIDS. Join us on our fight for an AIDS-free generation.

Job Description

Reports To: Director Health Systems Strengthening.

Department: Technical Excellence; Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.

Location: Remote, Preferably Africa Based.

Classification: Full-time, Regular

Travel: Up to 30% International travel to EGPAF supported Countries

Position Overview

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Lead provides MEL and strategic information management technical leadership, capacity, and support for EGPAF country teams. The MEL Lead works within the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team and in collaboration with the Digital Health and Data Analytics (DHDA) team to develop, strengthen, standardize M&E systems and data governance, ensure data quality, data use for program improvement and decision-making, and integration of Foundation data systems with national health management information systems (HMIS) in EGPAF-supported countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The MEL Lead’s role will be executed in alignment with EGPAF's 2026–2028 Strategic Direction — advancing triple elimination, ending pediatric AIDS, preventing maternal morbidity and mortality, child survival, and health system sustainability. Within this broad scope, the MEL Lead will primarily support M&E activities in countries funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in addition to other responsibilities within the global MEL unit of the Technical Excellence department.

This position also supports EGPAF's adaptation to the evolving global health financing landscape, including the U.S. Department of State's America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS) and its emphasis on bilateral, co-financed country partnerships, milestone-based or performance-based funding, and transition planning to country ownership of health programs. The MEL Lead will work closely with other global SI&E/DHDA and Technical Excellence team members, country program teams, donors and national Ministries of Health and other external partners in activities aimed at sustaining progress toward 95-95-95 outcomes for pregnant women, children, and adolescents and reaching the WHO elimination milestones (mother-to-child transmission rates under 5%, fewer than 50 infections per 100,000 live births, and HBV prevalence under 0.1% in children under five), while ensuring standards and strengthening organizational and country program M&E capacity.

Key Responsibilities

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plans and Frameworks

• Lead the adaptation of MEL guidance from the America First Global Health Strategy, GHSD and CDC into the Department of State (DoS) and CDC funded projects.
• Lead the design and implementation of project monitoring and evaluation plans (PMEPs).
• Lead the refinement of project monitoring indicators, milestones and targets in collaboration with global technical leads and country technical and M&E leads.
• Contribute to building digital systems for milestone tracking and performance monitoring for the performance-based financing mechanism.   
• Contribute to designing M&E frameworks for Foundation program priorities and integrate these into DoS and CDC-funded projects.

Data System Development and Support, Data Collection and Reporting

• Provide technical leadership in designing and establishing data systems for milestone-based MEL for the DoS and CDC-funded projects.
• Define and establish Foundation systems for milestone data collection, verification and use at country and global level for performance monitoring and improvement.
• Spearhead data collection in supported countries, including data verification, cleaning and reporting in fulfilment of donor requirements and reporting milestones.  

Data Quality Assurance

• Develop guidance documents and tools for routine data quality assessments and supportive supervision for implementation across countries to ensure high-quality data is collected and used.
• Support country teams to conduct routine data quality assessments and supportive supervision activities across supported countries to ensure high-quality data is collected, used and reported.
• Review data quality on program dashboards and ensure that country teams address identified data quality issues.
• Promote a culture of data quality assurance through routine data quality checks, data quality audits, ongoing capacity building in data management, and developing and implementing data quality improvement (QI) projects using the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle.   

Data Use for Program Improvement

• Lead the design and development of data dashboards for democratization of data access and use in project implementation and performance management and improvement. 
• Regularly review and analyze program data to track progress toward deliverables, key performance targets, milestones and quality of care standards and inform technical support needs.
• Conduct and synthesize landscape assessments and outcome and impact data to generate program intelligence information for continuous program improvement.
• Support innovation efforts in MEL and the application of lessons learned to ensure evidence-based practices are translated into program implementation and improvement.

Evaluation, Research and Learning

• Contribute to evaluation planning and implementation, including baseline, midterm, outcome, and endline, and other evaluations.
• Actively contribute to documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, innovations, and best practices through technical briefs, conference abstracts, manuscripts, and other knowledge products.
• Promote systematic use of evidence from evaluations and program data to inform program adaptation and improvement to promote learning and cross-country and broader knowledge exchange from the DoS and CDC funded projects.

Donor Engagement and Proposal Development

• Collaborate with the program management team in all donor engagements for the DoS and CDC funded projects.
• Promote the active engagement of in-country MEL leadership for the DoS and CDC funded projects in M&E technical working groups and engagement with Ministries of Health and other stakeholders, including USG country offices and other partners to strengthen country HMIS.
• Contribute to new business development efforts by writing MEL and PMEP sections of new business proposals, concept notes, sole-source applications, including GHSD-funded bilateral and co-financed mechanisms.

Capacity Building and Collaboration

• Strengthen capacities of country-level technical and MEL staff through mentorship and developing and sharing MEL materials and resources and facilitating training as needed.
• Facilitate a community of practice of MEL staff for the DoS and CDC funded projects for cross-country learning exchange in Milestone-based MEL under the America First Global Health Strategy.
• Strengthen capacities and support country teams to advance the transitioning of data systems to Ministries of Health and strengthening HMIS using G2G and domestic resources.

Key Deliverables

Under GHSD-funded and related EGPAF program, the MEL Lead is expected to produce the listed deliverables, in addition to achievement of specific annual targets and milestones defined in the award's PMEP and annual workplan.

1. Final PMEPs — used for planning, managing, and documenting how performance and evaluation data are collected, managed, analyzed and used in the projects.
2. Annual targets — annual targets set, aligned with donor and country priorities, accepted and approved by the donor.
3. Project data systems — integrated and interoperable data systems developed – digital data collection tools, data quality assurance tools, cloud-based data warehouse, data access tools.
4. Data visualization and use dashboards — dynamic and up-to-date data dashboards for program performance monitoring, data quality checking and data use.
5. Progress reports and data products — data reports or data sections of progress reports produced in collaboration with TE team, donor progress reports produced by country teams reviewed and ensured to meet data presentation and visualization standards.
6. Program management tools and M&E frameworks — annual work-plans, M&E frameworks, and other documentation required under donor agreements produced.

Qualifications

To be successful, you will have:

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MPH, MSc) in Public Health, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, M&E, or other relevant fields.
• Minimum of 10 years progressive experience in M&E of HIV and AIDS, and Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health programming in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Demonstrated technical expertise in designing M&E systems, and M&E data management plans.
• Experience working with U.S. government (GHSD, CDC)-funded programs, and navigating evolving global health financing mechanisms, including bilateral, co-financed donor agreements, sole-source award mechanisms, and milestone-based or performance-based awards,
• Experience providing M&E technical assistance to country programs, including direct engagement with Ministries of Health and district-level health systems.
• Experience working on Ministry of Health in transition/sustainability planning (e.g., G2G initiatives under GHSD's America First Global Health Strategy).
• Strong technical writing skills, including writing proposals, technical briefs, and peer-reviewed literature.
• Strong data analysis and presentation skills, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in data analysis.
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across global, multi-country teams.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally.
• Fluency in English required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with digital health platforms (DHIS2, EMR systems) and AI-enabled decision-support tools, and their application to HIV, TB and MNCH programming.
• Experience facilitating technical communities of practice or cross-country learning networks.
• Experience supporting Ministry of Health-led transition plans or domestic co-financing arrangements for HIV, TB, or MNCH programs.
• Experience working in HIV, TB and MNCH programs is an advantage.
• French or Portuguese proficiency an advantage.

Additional Information

As a global, multinational, and multicultural organization, EGPAF believes that diversity in the workplace enriches our work and enhances our impact and effectiveness. We believe that employees have the right to work in a climate of mutual respect and integrity that promotes dignity and respect for all, and that enables them to reach their full potential. EGPAF is an equal opportunity employer and affords equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of race/ethnicity, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to country law requirements, EGPAF complies with US laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the Foundation has facilities.

The Foundation does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. If you are asked to pay a fee at any stage of recruitment, please contact our hotline by phone (US: dial toll free 888-225-1429; all other countries: call collect 770-776-5674), or online (English: www.reportlineweb.com/pedaids; all other languages: https://iwf.tnwgrc.com/pedaids).

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment, regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws. In addition to country law requirements, we comply with U.S. laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which we have facilities.

We do not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment or hiring process. If anyone requests payment from you in connection with your application or offer, please report it immediately via our ethics hotline — by phone at 1-888-225-1429 (toll-free, U.S.) or online at Ethics Point.