Position overview

The Monitoring Specialist will support all work that the Monitoring & Evaluation team provides to the Department of State under its Statement of Work (SOW), to include program design, performance monitoring, and evaluation.

Primary/Major Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

• Conducting performance monitoring of projects and programs to provide routine feedback on foreign assistance programming
• Contributing to and author evaluations requested by the client on select projects, programs, or thematic issues to improve programs and to inform policy
• Contributing to efforts to improve program design for projects and programs
• Participating in field visits to collect data for both monitoring and evaluation purposes
• Identifying lessons learned to improve programming
• Working effectively and collaborating with fellow M&E team members to deliver high-quality work

• Assists the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in the development of on-going monitoring and evaluation logic

framework and serves as the expert in the content and implementation of the framework and its incorporation into

AF/SA’s awards.

• Provides support to ensure that monitoring and evaluation are incorporated into AF/SA processes and that the logic

framework is up to date and aligned to the organization’s needs.

• Provides support to ensure that project monitoring, evaluation designs, and logic models incorporate important contextual

and environmental concerns that are reflective of the project/program implementation and operating conditions.

• Provide support to conduct up to 5 annual independent evaluations and 3 internal reviews (as needed).

• Assists the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in the development of on-going monitoring and evaluation

activities. The subject matter expert serves as an expert, demonstrates proficiency and source of knowledge in any

one or more disciplines to include but not limited to culture, gender, social science, psychology, statistics, and media

and communication. The contractor shall provide support to conduct up to 5 annual independent evaluations and 3

internal reviews (as needed).

• Provide additional analytical products on best practices, known methodologies, and current data and methodological

trends on development and countries in the region.

• Develop country-specific work plans that track progress made in achieving program goals and objectives.

• Gather information, and design and organize presentations in various formats of M&E lessons learned for multiple

audiences. SME shall reach out to relevant U.S. government and non-government stakeholders to acquire information

and to arrange sessions to share lessons learned.

• Translate program objectives into measureable performance indicators and set targets, routinely collect data on these

indicators and compare actual results to targets, and report on progress to managers and alert them to problems requiring

attention and action.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs, History, Political Science, or social science discipline
• At least three (3) years of experience in the international affairs field and/or in monitoring and evaluation and/or qualitative research
• Experience conducting monitoring and evaluation of foreign assistance programs
• Team player and ability to work well collaboratively
• • The contractor shall have the following experience and qualifications:
  • A Master’s degree, preferably in one of the following fields: International relations, Political Science, Security Studies,

  or related fields.

  • 5 or more years of experience and/or knowledge of Africa with security sector reform issues
  • Collecting and presenting data to multiple audiences
  • At least 5 years of experience working with security sector and/or justice sector assistance programs.
  • Proven ability to deliver a quality written product.
  • Ability to obtain a Secret-level security clearance.
  • Demonstrated experience (at least 3 years) in the monitoring and evaluation of United States Government (USG) funded

  programmatic activities

  • Experience working with U.S. government IT computer systems.
  • Experience with Visual Studio building databases, APAN and SharePoint portals and structured data management.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of current social science, evaluation and analytical tools and methods required, including

  online web analytics and methods for the quantitative analysis of social media