Panagora Group is a dynamic woman- and employee-owned small business and social enterprise dedicated to providing high-quality, high-impact international health, development, and learning services. We deliver market-based, integrated, and locally led solutions that strengthen country capacity; and learning, communications, and technology solutions to accelerate and heighten impact. Using novel, innovative, and highly participatory approaches to mobilize community, civil society, and government commitment in defining and owning solutions, we promote inclusive development to benefit all groups.
Panagora seeks an experienced monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and adaptation (MERLA) Director who has demonstrated experience providing technical expertise in managing and winning USAID and other donor-funded MERLA projects. They will provide strategic leadership and oversight of USAID funded projects to ensure technical excellence in carrying out assignments and ensure responsive reporting, and ongoing learning and adapting across activities. The MERLA Director also contributes to new business development, in particular technical conceptualization and writing. This position reports to the Executive Vice President, Programs or her designee.
Responsibilities
- Support the MERLA practice by providing technical leadership and oversight of Panagora’s work in monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and adaptation
- Oversee monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) related contracts, including leading the development and implementation of annual activity work plans and budgets
- Monitor and support activity performance via regular check-in meetings, oversight of project activities, tracking of financial and programmatic reports, team performance, communications with field teams, and periodic supervisory travel
- Leads activities to ensure high quality performance and optimally manage and align activities with Panagora’s quality assurance standards
- Defines success indicators for assigned programs based on best practices and industry standards
- Conceptualizes, drafts, delivers, and presents technical products, proposals, presentations and other materials.
- Drafts and ensures all donor and activity reports are compliant and submitted on time
- Serve as liaison with clients and ensure client satisfaction
- Provide activity updates, lessons learned, and stories for marketing, communications, and learning purposes
- Ensure long- and short-term assignments are staffed and carried out as planned, including through clear scopes of work, high-quality personnel, and facilitative oversight
- Supports new business development in MERLA, providing leadership in technical conceptualization and writing, recruitment of high-quality technical personnel, and contributions to other sections. Seek new business opportunities to maximize Panagora’s impact and leverage
- Actively support and represent Panagora’s mission and values in conduct and communications
- Represent Panagora periodically at conferences, meetings, and events
- Supervise and mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity building, and teamwork
Requirements
- Master’s degree or bachelor’s degree with 12 years of experience in relevant field
- 10-15 years of relevant practical work experience including 7 years managing multiple levels of staff
- Minimum 8 years of experience in MERLA and data analysis in international development programs including knowledge of reporting procedures, best practices, guidelines, methods, and approaches for MERLA in a learning context highly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to lead design and implementation of monitoring systems, databases, and data collection tools
- Experience with collaborating, learning, and adapting and/or knowledge management desired
- Excellent understanding of USAID systems, structures, and process in particular health programming
- Ability to manage multi-cultural team with diverse skill sets to achieve results
- Demonstrated project management skills at a leadership level in a USAID context
- Strong track record to working on and contributing to winning proposals including the ability to conceptualize and write technical proposals
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
- Awareness of, sensitivity to, and experience in working with multi-cultural staff and groups, preferably having lived, and worked in one or more low resource settings
- Ability to work in complex environments charged with multiple tasks, short deadlines, and intense pressure to perform
- Proficiency in one or more foreign languages
- Willingness to travel internationally, primarily to developing countries
Reports to: Executive Vice President
No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted. Only applicants who include the required application components will be considered.
Panagora Group is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Panagora Group is currently working a hybrid work schedule, and employees are encouraged to come into the office at least once a week to foster engagement, collaboration, belonging and professional development. Departments/teams will hold in-person meetings that involve a high degree of collaboration, where ideas are generated quickly and often feed off each other, e.g., brainstorming, storyboarding, proposal development, strategic planning, and performance discussions. Staff who reside in the DC/MD/VA area are strongly encouraged to work from the office on those days.
Benefits
Panagora Group offers competitive salaries including regular performance reviews and merit increases with an excellent insurance program (health, dental and vision) paid leave, holidays, bonuses, employee assistance program, training and development assistance, commuter allowance, phone allowance, Society for International Development and Humentum Memberships, as well as employee stock ownership (ESOP) and 401K programs.
*Note: Panagora does not offer visa sponsorship at this time.
