Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Specialist (MERL Specialist)

This role was posted on July 25, 2024. Please note that we will review applications on a rolling basis.

The Role

At Last Mile Health (LMH), we work to deploy a health worker within reach of everyone, everywhere. 

The MERL Specialist will play a pivotal role in our mission to extend essential healthcare services to underserved communities in Liberia. In this capacity, the specialist will develop and implement fit-for-purpose MERL tools. These tools are designed to quickly measure progress, outcomes, and adaptive management needed across critical areas of our work to build resilient community health systems where community health workers are skilled, salaried, supervised, and supported by financing and data systems. 

This position is based in Monrovia, Liberia, and is only open to candidates who are Liberian nationals currently located in Liberia.

What You'll Do

• Support developing and implementing MERL tools for projects, including evaluation questions, research tools, methods, indicators, targets (as applicable), analytics, reporting, and dissemination.
• Develop data collection tools (e.g., surveys, essential informant interview guides (KIIs), Focus Group discussion guides (FGDs)), and project management processes. 
• Perform descriptive quantitative and qualitative analyses for projects.
• Support implementation of data management, quality assurance, and data cleaning procedures. 
• Produce learning products that summarize MERL findings from the Liberia program for internal and external audiences. Contribute to data reviews (DRs), After-Action Reviews (AAR), and internal collaborating, learning, and adaptation (CLA) initiatives. Support the implementation of program design best practices across LMH Liberia programs (e.g., logic model development, process reviews, adaptive management).
• Provide project management, deliverable tracking, reporting, and knowledge management support for the MERL team. 
• Participate in organizational-wide and Global MERL Community of Practice (COP) to learn and share best practices and program learning with MERL colleagues. 
• Travel (minimum of 25% of your time in a year) to hard-to-reach communities for residential MERL activities

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, epidemiology, health policy, health economics, demographics, or other related fields. 
• Extensive professional experience in public health and/or international development, with at least five years designing and leading MERL activities in community health programs. 
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative MERL methods.
• Experience in building data collection forms in Epi info, KoboCollect, or Open Data Kit (ODK)
• Experience in developing MERL reports, publications, whitepapers, toolkits, and factsheets using appropriate visualizations and data-related infographics.
• Demonstrated experience with stakeholder engagement and ability to collaborate with and provide technical support to internal teams, external partners, and government counterparts.

You’ll Impress Us If

• Expertise in statistical software packages such as Stata or R; expertise in designing and performing statistical tests.
• Experience collaborating with and coaching program/implementing teams to support data use.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Experience building dashboards in District Health Information Software (DHIS2)
• You have experience in geographic information systems (GIS), especially ArcGIS applications.
• You have an understanding of community health systems and how they are evaluated.
• You have experience designing evaluations for digital, educational, or health systems strengthening programs.
• You have experience living and working in remote or hard-to-reach communities, especially in Liberia.
• A master’s degree in these areas.

Compensation information

At Last Mile Health, we strive to reward our employees equitably and transparently. This means that we pay our employees based on a clear and consistent methodology and without regard to identity or personal relationships. We have made this model fully transparent so that everyone has access to all information related to compensation. We hope this helps you better 

understand Last Mile Health’s values and commitments to our employees. We look forward to answering any questions you may have during the hiring process.

Before applying to this role, please take a moment to learn more about our approach to compensation and how compensation works in each of the countries where we operate. Please find the link to our compensation model and benefits overview below:

OVERVIEW OF LAST MILE HEALTH’S COMPENSATION MODEL

Compensation for this position:

The Band for this position: LBR- 3

The salary range for this role is $20,862 - 30,135, dependent upon experience doing an equivalent role. Please note that the compensation is subject to statutory taxes.

About Last Mile Health

Last Mile Health partners with governments to design, scale, strengthen, and sustain high-quality community health systems, which empower teams of community and frontline health workers to bring life-saving primary healthcare to the world’s most remote communities. LMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at LMH. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.