Overview of Pathfinder International

Pathfinder International is a global leader in sexual and reproductive health. We place reproductive health care at the center of all that we do—believing that it is not only a fundamental human right, but is critical for expanding life opportunities for women, families, communities, and nations, and paving the way for transformations in environmental stewardship, decreases in population pressures, and innovations in poverty reduction. Pathfinder provides women, men, and adolescents with a range of quality health services—from contraception and maternal care to HIV prevention and AIDS care and treatment. Pathfinder strives to strengthen access to family planning, advocate for sound reproductive health policies, and, through all of our work, improve the rights and lives of the people we serve.

Project overview

Currently, Pathfinder Ethiopia is implementing a project entitled “Act With Her” aimed at supporting adolescent girls to achieve a healthy transition into an adulthood. The project is being implemented jointly by Pathfinder Ethiopia and Care Ethiopia in Amhara, Oromia, and Afar. Pathfinder has lead responsibility for activities in Amhara region, south Gondar Zone, in five woredas: Ebinat, Libo Kemkem, Tache Gayint, Lay Gayint and Simada.

Position Summary

The M&E Officer at the regional level will work under the guidance and supervision of M&E Officer at the national level and be part of an M&E team supporting the project. S/he is responsible for ensuring that high-quality data for monitoring and learning is collected at the regional level across 60 kebeles. This will include responsibility for electronic and paper-based data collection and entry, data quality control and cleaning, process documentation, and monitoring report preparation and submission. The project’s M&E system must ensure the flow of data and information from the Kebele level up through the Woreda and Zonal levels to the national and international level, and the M&E Officer plays a vital role in ensuring that this happens smoothly. The M&E Officer will also be required to attend data review meetings across the region. S/he will frequently travel to project sites to train and support front-line implementers to collect and use project data. S/he will conduct data quality checks on digital data and enter paper-based data into DHIS 2, supporting Kebele Supervisors to address any data quality concerns. S/he will conduct data quality audits (DQAs) on a quarterly basis. S/he will work closely with the Zonal Coordinator to understand and use project data to improve project implementation and conduct quarterly review meetings at the regional level.

 Duties and responsibilities

• Work under the National M&E Officer to orient project staff and volunteers in the region on their assigned M&E-related duties and train and support them as needed to successfully carry out these, in line with the project M&L/Knowledge Management (KM) strategy.
• Work in close collaboration with the Global M&L Manager to implement and monitor the M&L/KM strategy.
• Responsible for ensuring quality data is uploaded on a timely basis, which will include oversight of paper-based forms being distributed to woreda and kebele level teams and monitoring the data quality of tablet-based digital data collection via DHIS2.
• Conduct data quality audits on a regular basis and report concerns regarding data in a timely manner to M&E Officer at national level.
• Work with project staff to ensure the integrity of the research design, including documenting any deviations from implementation as planned, training project staff on the importance of implementing project arms as planned and sharing any changes with the M&E Officer.
• Run data review meetings at Woreda level, using that space as opportunity to ensure all project staff understand the importance and logistics of ensuring data fidelity.
• Work with technical and programmatic staff to promote data use and data-informed decision-making, including leading regular performance review meetings and flagging potential issues with implementation quality or project performance.
• Assist the project team in implementing effective performance indicators and reporting appropriately on them.
• Work with the National M&E Officer to manage and troubleshoot DHIS 2 database and digital data collection systems, in collaboration with the Global M&L Manager and the Digital Health Adviser
• Assist in preparing annual project work plans.
• Prepare quarterly and annual activity reports and ensure their timely submission.
• Coordinate the routine documentation of project processes, activities, practices and lessons learned across a range of project staff.
• Provide region-wide support to all project team members working in the Woredas and Kebeles.
• Coordinate with the project M&E team and Country Office staff on the implementation, analysis and dissemination of project and program reports
• Perform consistency and validation analysis of programmatic reports and facilitate improvement of record-keeping and programmatic data reporting.
• Support record-keeping, data collection, and data analysis in the field, promptly addressing any gaps or challenges that may arise.
• Carry out all other duties as required by the immediate supervisor.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Demography, Statistics, Public Health or related fields
• Three to five years of relevant work experience
• Technical knowledge, skill, and experience in research, monitoring and evaluation in the areas of adolescent health and gender-related programming
• Experience managing monitoring systems for complex projects   
• Experience in data analysis, report writing, and dissemination
• Experience conducting data quality audits
• Experience with digital data collection systems and databases, specifically DHIS2 preferred
• Experience with Qualitative monitoring
• Work effectively both as a team member and independently
• Energetic and outgoing with diplomacy
• Effective communicator in both Amharic and in English
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines
• Skills and experience in computer applications and utilization are mandatory