NPI EXPAND Overview

The New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) Expanding Health Partnerships—NPI EXPAND Project—is a cooperative global five-year (2019-2024) U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project that supports locally-driven efforts to increase the availability and utilization of high-quality health (FP/MNCH) services. NPI EXPAND invests in new and underutilized local partners (NUPs) and strengthens their capacity to strategize, plan, and implement programs with USAID funds. Enhanced participation of capable local organizations to increase demand for and to deliver high-quality, high impact services will enable governments to meet crucial goals equitably and sustainably. NPI EXPAND will also catalyze opportunities to scale up innovative interventions by strengthening the capacity of NUPs with varying levels of capabilities and exposure to USAID.

Overview of the project in Ethiopia

The USAID Ethiopia Mission is engaging the NPI EXPAND project to support their Empowered Communities for Better Health (ECBH) project, which aims to empower communities to take action and ownership over their health and nutrition and drive a cycle of responsive and accountable service delivery. Moving away from a supply/demand model of health systems development, the ECBH emphasizes the need to engage communities toward improved health services and outcomes. This involves tapping civil society organizations, networks (e.g., women, men, youth), professional associations (e.g., midwives), religious institutions, and community elders and other community structures (e.g., IDDIRs) toward better health. The project will support interventions that engage and/or leverage CSOs and community structures in social accountability interventions toward more responsive and higher quality FP/MNCH services in Amahara, SNNP, Sidama and South West Ethiopia Peoples region. 

   The NPI EXPAND project has three areas of results:

• Organizational sustainability of new/underutilized local entities or locally established partners;
• Utilization of high-quality, high-impact health services, information and supplies; and
• Scale-up of promising and innovative health approaches through new and underutilized partnerships for increased sustainability

Position Description  

The Coordinator will provide support, advice, and oversight on NPI EXPAND Ethiopia activities, particularly capacity strengthening and monitoring, evaluation, and learning efforts. This role entails coordinating and helping with capacity development assessments and action plans with the project's civil society organization grantees. Other responsibilities include implementing and updating the project's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Tracking Table, ensuring timely reporting and information sharing, and identifying and facilitating learning opportunities with grantees. This position will report to the Ethiopia Country Team Lead in Addis Ababa and will be working closely with the NPI EXPAND Ethiopia Project Manager, the Global Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning team based in Washington D.C., and the Capacity Development Director based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The key Capacity Strengthening responsibilities of the role include:

• Coordinate capacity development assessments to identify and prioritize capacity needs and co-develop capacity strengthening action plans with sub-awardees.
• Set capacity strengthening indicators and monitor changes in the capacity and performance of the organizations over time.
• Ensure CD activities are implemented based on CD plans.
• Arrange and coordinate the use of external consultants and consulting firms to provide capacity strengthening services to address the gaps prioritized.
• Organize and facilitate periodic project progress review meetings in collaboration with other NPI EXPAND staff.
• Document and disseminate best practices or project success stories across the CSO grantees and report to the NPI EXPAND team on a regular basis.

The key MEL responsibilities of the role include:

• Contribute to the development and finalization of the MEL plan and indicator framework for NPI EXPAND Ethiopia.
• Oversee monthly data collection through grantee reports to align with the overall MEL Plan.
• Liaise with EXPAND home office to provide data and lead the aggregation of data among local partners and facilitate access to the capacity development database.
• Conduct capacity strengthening in MEL functions with local partners including formal training sessions and coaching.
• Coordinate with MEL team to conduct data quality assurance for a sample of performance indicators and results reported to USAID.
• Prepare quarterly monitoring reports and synthesize data at country or program level and contribute to monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Support the team in monitoring and evaluating progress in respective areas as well as coherence with the overall strategic priorities.
• Implement MEL activities to address learning questions from EXPAND Ethiopia in alignment with NPI EXPAND learning agenda.
• Identify and formulate MEL findings, lessons learned and recommendations and avail results for decision-making processes and further project development.
• Facilitate dissemination of lessons learnt from local partners and other stakeholders as need arises.
• Facilitate information exchange and sharing among grantees through occasional learning events.
• Assist with other MEL-related duties as needed.

 Period and Location of Performance  

The period of performance is for 1 year renewable. Location for this engagement is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Only Ethiopian nationals, based in Ethiopia will be considered for this position.

Job Requirements

Qualifications and Experience 

• Master’s degree preferred in relevant academic fields such as social science, public health or development
• 8-10 years of experience in supporting monitoring, evaluation, learning and capacity strengthening efforts in an international organization and/or public health context with strong preference for prior experience in FP/MNCH or Social Accountability.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with monitoring and evaluating programs, including designing and using M&E plans, theories of change, logic models, and other MEL frameworks.
• Strong experience working with civil society organizations (e.g., NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, etc.) in Ethiopia preferred.
• Experience conducting participatory organizational assessments of local non-profit organizations, preferably using participatory capacity assessment methodologies and tools.
• Strong process facilitation, analytical, strategic thinking, and planning skills.
• Strong skills in collecting, analyzing, interpreting qualitative and quantitative data.
• Proven capacity to build the MEL skills of colleagues and/or partners.
• Strong project management, organizational, and interpersonal skills required.
• Attention to detail, ability to effectively perform multiple tasks, and balance competing priorities.
• Excellent report writing and communications skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Fluency in English preferred.
• Ethiopian nationality with residence in Addis Ababa

How to Apply

Qualified applicants are invited to apply using the following link CLICK HERE