Technical Advisor, Digital Solutions for Monitoring Evaluation and Learning 212 views

Technical Advisor, Digital Solutions for Monitoring Evaluation and Learning

Company Overview:

About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value.  We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.  

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com

Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

Purpose of Position:

 The Digital Solutions and Transformation
Portfolio within the Data Informatics and Analytical Solutions (DIAS) Community
of Practice is seeking a Technical Advisor for Digital Solutions for Monitoring,
Evaluation and Learning (MEL) to be based in the US. The DIAS Practice is a
dynamic and innovative group with talented and passionate members, working
together to strengthen and harness digital and data ecosystems to accelerate
development investments and outcomes.

The Technical Advisor, Digital Solutions
for MEL will provide technical leadership to Palladium projects on data
management and the use of technologies for monitoring, evaluation and learning.
Specifically, the Technical Advisor will serve as the focal point to new and
current projects on the design and implementation of data systems and
management strategies for performance management and improvement. The Technical
Advisor will work closely with Palladium project leadership including MEL staff
to identify digital data management needs across practices and to recommended
technology solutions and processes to support project MEL. On select projects,
the Technical Advisor could lead the implementation of data and project
management tools and systems, working directly with Palladium colleagues in the
field and HQ or overseeing implementation by an external vendor or partner.

 Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

The primary responsibilities of the Technical
Advisor are:

• Serve as the primary focal point advising Portfolios and projects on digital tools and data management strategies for performance management, based on each project’s specific needs such as functional requirements, available budget, and the data governance and management structure.
• Contribute to proposals on the use of technology solutions and digital data for the development and implementation of the MEL strategy.
•  Apply the Principles for Digital Development and create additional standardized tools and resources to apply to other bid and project contexts when applicable.
• Establish and maintain a database of relevant digital tools for results and project management, including relationships with partners and vendors who maintain / offer the tools.
• Serve as the product owner for Palladium’s internal results management information systems, overseeing the external vendor and engagement with project teams using the system. Contribute to the product vision and direction vis a vis other corporate information systems.
• Conduct requirements gathering with projects in order to create and adapt digital data collection systems, tools and processes for project results reporting and project management. [DNN1]
• Lead or support the implementation of digital tools for project performance monitoring including the development of associated standard operating procedures and governance processes.
• On select projects as requested by MEL leads, lead and support analyses and development of information products such as reports, PowerPoints and dashboards, liaising with relevant experts in data visualization and dashboard development.
• In collaboration with DIAS and Project MEL Advisors, train project staff on the use of selected systems or tools for MEL.
• Identify opportunities for and lead capacity building initiatives for MEL staff on the integration of digital solutions for MEL innovations and approaches that can be incorporated into project designs.
• Collaborate with the DIAS Digital and MEL Technical Excellence and Quality (TEQ) groups to refine processes for responsible data collection and use, ensuring that practices are incorporated into project MEL tools.
• Collaborate with teams and projects to create results frameworks and indicators to measure impact of digital interventions.
• Research and stay abreast of new innovations and trends in within the use of digital data and technologies for monitoring, evaluation and performance improvement, collaborating with other Digital Solutions and MEL Advisors on their possible application.

Reporting requirements:

The role reports to the Senior Technical
Advisor for Digital Solutions. Reporting requirements include:

• Provision of regular updates to the line manager, including updates on Key Result Areas (KRAs) and any other material matters and/or areas of concern.
• Attendance at all regular project team meetings and TEQ group meetings.
• Attendance at monthly DIAS Practice meetings and contributions to the DIAS Newsletter, what about corporate all staff and other types of meetings, potential project meetings as well.
•  Other reporting as requested by the line manager.
  

Relationships:

• Internally the role will be required to liaise closely with MEL Advisors within the DIAS Practice, capture managers, and MEL project leads and staff. The role will liaise with project delivery teams and other corporate functions as required.

Authority levels:

The role carries a degree of autonomy with appropriate consultation. The role is required to:

• Analyse and make sound recommendations to the line manager.
• Contribute to process improvement through innovative and cost-effective proposals/ideas/suggestions.

Key competencies & professional expertise required:

•  Experience leading MEL activities on USAID or other donor funded projects with an understanding of the USAID Program Cycle including essentials of MEL, Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) and policies for results reporting;
• Business analysis experience to elicit project reporting requirements and workflows to form functional system or tool requirements;
• Exposure to wide variety of data collection and project management technologies and platforms such as SurveyMonkey, Microsoft Forms, Kobo Toolbox, ODK, Commcare, DevResults, SmartSheets, Asana, and Trello.
• Strong business acumen with ability to analyze available open source and commercial products and solutions;
• Basic data analysis to build queries, extract data from analyses and perform indicator calculations using tools (such as SQL, Stata, SAS, R, Python, Tableau, GIS tools, etc.), including communication and visualization of descriptive statistics; working knowledge of predictive analytics use cases is an asset.
• Experience supporting the development of proposals including proposal design and technical writing, specifically related to data management and other MERL Tech approaches.
• Knowledge and experience applying the Principles for Digital Development and responsible data approaches.
• Ability to fully use the Microsoft Office Suite including: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Planner, Forms and the Teams collaboration suite; experience with Atlassian tools is a plus.
• Demonstrated curiosity, creativity, and determination to find the best solution for challenges impeding project and activity objectives;
• Experience working in low-resource settings with individuals with diversity of experiences and perspectives;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong technical writing ability, including thought leadership.
• Motivated self-starter comfortable working with many staff and colleagues working remotely;
• Working knowledge of French or language other than English is an asset.