Head Of Department – Program Evidence (Research, Monitoring and Evaluation)

Head of department – Program Evidence (Research, Monitoring and Evaluation)

Job Location: Kathmandu

Ipas works globally with a vision that every woman and girl has the right and ability to determine her own sexuality and reproductive health.
As part of the broader reproductive justice movement, Ipas is working to ensure that abortion and contraceptive care are essential health services and that all people can access them. Our programs use a multifaceted approach that addresses reproductive health services, access to services, and fulfillment of reproductive rights. We seek to expand the accessibility, availability, acceptability and quality of abortion and related reproductive health services, as well as improve the enabling environment for the sustainability of RH services.

Ipas Nepal’s program intervention prioritizes intersectional partnerships that integrate into broader gender equality and social justice, including gender-based violence prevention and response, women-led climate justice and disaster risk reduction.

The Head of the department – Program Evidence (Research, Monitoring and Evaluation) is responsible for providing technical and managerial leadership, and strategic insights for designing research, monitoring, and evaluation (RM&E) processes and methodology in the country office Additionally, this position manages RM&E team members in the country office and ensure that best practices are used by the in-country team in all RM&E activities. The HoD ensures accurate evidence is provided to internal and external audiences through dissemination, global conferences, and peer-reviewed articles. This position reports to the Country Director.

Detailed duties and responsibilities for the position

Research and Evidence Generation

•  Develops, implements, and manages monitoring, evaluation and research for all funded projects with analysing program plan, implementation, management and measurement of donor deliverables
• Oversees analysis plans and ensures strategic direction of projects to the Programs Improvement unit, Health Systems team, and country Director
•  Take a Lead accountability in ensuring compliance for all procedures and required governmental and organizational formalities related to research and evaluation, including mandatory adherence to formalities and standards of Ipas and Nepal Health Research Council.
• Represents Ipas in different national and international research and policy forums through presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Lead in research communication by preparing accurate evidence products such as technical and policy briefs, research briefs, reports and proceedings, and scientific papers for publication in journals
• Manage other Research, Monitoring and Evaluation effort and departmental budget

Monitoring and Evaluation

•  Implements and directs monitoring system, including routine data collections, participating in Ipas’ Management and Accountability Group, and overseeing TERRA related issues
•  Develop logical and result framework for program/project M&E Plan and guidelines
•  Coordinate with R&E team in reference to data queries, data collection/analysis, structure and provide guidance to the team.
•  Lead in production of high-quality donor reports, annual reports, and other relevant reports and ensure reporting requirements to donors, government and strategic partners are met.
•  Ensure information system for projects and routine program data is efficiently used for improving programs and achieving results
• Validates data and flags off variance from logical and results framework
•  Provides R&E analysis for donor reports and meetings
• Works with Ipas Network staff to develop monitoring tools, implement new global M&E data entry system (Bridge & Terra), and capacity building of R&E staff in country
• Support and lead the design of theory of change, result framework and other documents for new program development in close coordination with program team and program development unit.

Strategic support and Representation

• Contribute to learning and knowledge management on evidence, research and overall growth of organization and lead and support country office team to document best practices and lesson learned
• As R&E lead, proactively contribute or independently write and develop concept notes, funding proposals, and program innovations that are most applicable to IPAS Nepal;
•  Contribute actively to overall management and governance of IPAS Nepal as senior management team
• Represent IPAS Nepal in various national and international platforms in relevant business areas
•  Reports to Country Director in reference to, strategic direction and technical issues

Capacity Building and staff management

•  Plan and implement capacity strengthening efforts of Ipas Nepal and project teams on strategic evidence, monitoring & evaluation, and research.
• Provides resource management and capacity building of external research agencies to conduct research surveys for Ipas
• Supervise R&E team to manage monitoring, evaluation, and research for all projects.
• Build capacity of R&E team through conducting regular meeting, performance evaluation, capacity building exercise as well as monitoring and coaching.

Understand and comply with the organization’s policies and ethics

•  Understand and comply with the Human Resources, Procurement, Travel, Finance Policy, and other policies of the organization.
•  Commitment and adherence to the Ipas code of business ethics and conduct and safeguarding policy.
• Contribute to a safe working environment where every team member is treated equally and respectfully.
•  Live up to the Ipas core values-driven, principled, bold, and interdependent.
•  Ensure all work activities comply with the organization’s rules and regulations.
• Ensure proper documentation of memos, decisions, reports, and any official documents for record keeping hardcopy/OneDrive/Luna as appropriate.

PSEA compliance

•  As an Ipas Nepal employee read, understand, and sign the acknowledgment to comply with all aspects of the PSEA as defined by the PSEA policy.
• Contribute to a safe working environment where every team member is treated equally and respectfully.
•  Ensure Ipas representatives (including consultants, interns, volunteers, independent contractors, suppliers/vendors, board members, and sub-awardees) and government officials directly working with Ipas and its partners understand and practice the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse policy while in partnership and implement the program with Ipas.

Other responsibilities

• Engage in a learning culture and participate in and enroll in learning courses at Ipas University.
• Willing to be back up for staff and vacant positions and perform other related duties as required.

Qualification and skill requirements:

•  Master’s degree in public health, population studies, statistics or health informatics with at least 7 years’ experience, with at least 3 yrs in a senior role.
•  Experience in qualitative and quantitative methods and development of data collection instruments.
•  Knowledge of best practice research, monitoring and evaluation processes and protocols.
• Able to independently conduct studies and analyse relevant data.
• Knowledge of high-level computer software packages for data analyses as well as data interpretation and presentations.
• Working knowledge of spreadsheets, word processing and presentation software required.
• Experience with statistical analysis computer packages (STATA, SPSS or SAS).
• Experience with geographic mapping software and qualitative analysis software (NVivo, ATLAS.ti or others).
• Knowledge on logical and result framework, data management and program analytics.
• Well-organized, with ability to track multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work successfully in a cross-cultural, team-based, global environment.
• Has strong written and spoken communications skills in English and Nepali language.
• Flexible to adapt to challenging work environment.
• Willing to travel on field visits 30% to the project areas.

Qualified women candidates and candidates particularly from disadvantaged and socially excluded/marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Ipas is strongly committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequity. We recruit, employ, train, promote, and compensate our personnel without regard to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, creed, ancestry, citizenship, caste, ethnicity, regional identity, tribal identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic protected by law or outlined by Ipas policy. Ipas acknowledges that these personal characteristics may differ in different contexts.