Independent Contractor, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Manager (Nigeria) at Vitamin Angels Alliance, Inc. (VA)

VA seeks a dedicated Nigeria-based Independent Contractor to support Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) needs for the country program. VA currently grants micronutrient commodities to a network of more than 150 active program partners including non-governmental organizations (NGOS) and polylateral projects. The MER Specialist will contribute to VA’s continued growth and success in Nigeria by strenthening its monitoring , evaluation and research capacity.

Key responsibilities include:

Engage in advocacy and advisory services in an effort to create an enabling environment for the introduction and implementation of VA supported interventions (as appropriate) in Nigeria among key stakeholders. Consultant will:

• Identify and engage key stakeholders, including NGOs, international NGOs, academia, local businesses/philanthropies, and government,
• Raise awareness and build consensus among key stakeholders regarding the benefits and effective use of VA supported interventions,
• Improve coordination between program partners and national and local government health authorities as it relates to VA supported interventions, and
• Explore opportunities to support partners with capacity building and program strengthening (i.e. the VA Alliance).

Provide technical assistance and follow-up support to program partners within Nigeria on an ongoing basis. Consultant will:

• Provide introduction to the Vitamin Angels tool box of training resources to ensure distribution of micronutrient products in a manner consistent with generally accepted practices,
• Promote the use of eLearning, including testing the model, developing a distribution strategy, and monitoring and encouraging uptake, and
• Support the development and field testing of technical documents and training materials.

Monitor activities of distribution partners. Consultant will:

• Conduct routine 6-month check-ins of all program partners,
• Collect annual distribution reports and provide feedback to program partners,
• Maintain all program partner records in online database (Salesforce) and Dropbox,
• Encourage distribution partners to coordinate their activities among themselves and with local government authorities to avoid duplication of services and collect documentation in support of such coordination,
• Coordinate and conduct on-site monitoring visits of a random portion of program partners throughout Nigeria consistent with targets set by headquarters,
• Submit monitoring data through a mobile technology-based application,
• Coordinate all logistics and create a budget for each monitoring trip to be approved by Africa Regional Program Officer and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit,
• Explore new monitoring, evaluation, and research initiatives in line with VA Nigeria’s Country Plan and VA’s Global Strategic Plan (i.e. Supportive Supervision, Implementation Research, Market Surveillance), and
• Support discrete monitoring, evaluation, and data collection activities designed by or in coordination with headquarters.

Support VA’s Implementation Research activities in Nigeria. Consultant will:

• Analyze monitoring data to inform program decisions and learning,
• Contribute to the documentation of best practices resulting from VA supported nutrition interventions in Nigeria,
• Identify implementation research opportunities and partners, as needed,
• Contribute to desk reviews, writing of technical reviews/policy briefs/publications.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Required:

• Bachelors of Science degree or higher in public health, community medicine or a related discipline
• Minimum five years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation and data management
• Minimum three years leading M&E in large projects, organizations or initiatives in Nigeria
• Substantial work experience work with NGOs and government in Nigeria
• Computer literacy, including experience working with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint, and able to input data to an online database after training
• Experience with data entry and analysis programs such as SPSS, Stata, CS Pro, Epi Info or similar statistical package
• Currently based in Abuja Nigeria with easy access to local/international transportation
• Willing to work from a shared office space and also has reliable telephone/internet connectivity from home
• Willing and able to travel domestically and internationally during consultancy
• Superior written and oral communications skills
• Superior organizational skills and attention to detail
• Fluent in English

Highly desirable:

• Master’s degree or higher in public health, community medicine or a related discipline
• Minimum five years’ experience providing technical assistance to NGOs
• Fluency in local language(s)
• Good grasp of Nigeria’s health system