All Applicants Must Possess a Secret Clearance for Consideration
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists I

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s Office of Global Programs (DRL/GP) at the U.S. Department of State is looking for a detail-oriented person with experience in performance monitoring, applied research, and/or program evaluation to join our Applied Learning and Evaluation (ALE) team as a monitoring and evaluation specialist. Candidates should have experience working as an internal or external researcher/evaluator, and the ability to work collaboratively with a team, as well as colleagues across multiple offices and agencies. The contractor must have a working knowledge of foreign assistance and international human rights and democracy programming. In addition, monitoring and evaluation specialist will provide technical support to inform the development of assistance awards (grants and cooperatives agreements of selected foreign assistance.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will be responsible for carrying out the office’s applied research and evaluation strategy in collaboration with members of the ALE team, for programs supported by the Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF) and other resources. The specialist also provides direction and guidance to office staff, Grant Officer Representatives (GORs), Technical Officers, and DRL grantees on applied research, performance monitoring, and program evaluation of HRDF and other DRL-funded grants, including developing and synthesizing portfolio-wide results frameworks, learning agendas, and assessing the progress of current grants. S/he assists DRL/GP with incorporating reporting, monitoring, and evaluation requirements into DRL grant agreements and facilitates learning from past DRL programs to help the office design more effective projects. The specialist will work closely with external evaluators to manage DRL-commissioned evaluations, help develop policies and frameworks for use by DRL program officers, and may conduct internal desk reviews and evaluations as time permits. 

The specialist applies internal control measures to protect organizational integrity and prevent unauthorized use or misappropriation of sensitive and classified material; reports instances of security violations/problems to the appropriate supervisory/management official; assumes full responsibility for safeguarding all classified and sensitive (but unclassified) material and equipment in assignment area(s). The position reports to the Deputy Director who reports to the Office Director. Applicants should have demonstrated experience in providing MEL guidance for implementing partners or program staff; supporting/maintaining knowledge management products or system; and/or creating effective data visualization.

Duties and Responsibilities for the M&E Specialist I:

• Assist the ALE team with ongoing research, data analysis, reporting, and evaluation, as well as the development and revision of the office’s learning agenda
• Assist the ALE team in developing and updating material for training curriculum on applied research, performance monitoring, and evaluation
• Maintain pages and create new material—including summaries, infographics, data visuals—related to applied research and evaluation on the DRL website
• Coordinate with the public diplomacy office to develop a communications and dissemination strategy for DRL applied research and evaluation to ensure products are accessible
• Maintain learning resources for DRL implementing partners
• Support the ALE team in working with DRL implementing partners, external evaluators, universities, and other stakeholders in the broader democracy and rights communities
• Assist the team lead in managing applied research and evaluation funding, including grants administered through DRL’s Evaluation Innovation Fund, and interagency agreements.
• Obtain working knowledge of 2CFR200 and ensure that applied research and evaluation grants are compliant with federal regulations

Additional responsibilities may include:

• Liaising with U.S. embassies and consulates regarding the award, management, and monitoring of grants
• Attend stakeholder workshops and conferences on topics related to their duties and responsibilities, provide program monitoring and technical assistance to grantees, while supporting the FTE
• Collaborating with M&E staff, professionals and the M&E community to enhance M&E methods.
• Drafting reports and other documents for the team and program staff;
• Drafting and clearing internal papers and memoranda regarding evaluations
• Working with external evaluators and trainers;
• Organizing meetings and/or events; and,

Requirements:

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in designing, overseeing and implementing program monitoring and evaluation; experience in the fields of democracy, governance, and/or human rights programming a plus
• Analytical skills and the ability to prepare data collection and data quality instruments, summarize data, interpret results, and effectively present information to program staff, partners, and donors
• Critical thinking skills and the ability to synthesize quantitative and qualitative data, explore trends, and present actionable recommendations
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
• Excellent inter-personal, inter-cultural and teamwork skills
• Experience with database management, online survey platforms, and data visualization techniques a plus
• Preference will be given to those with active security clearance
• Preference will be given to those with demonstrated experience in:
  • Maintaining databases
  • Creating effective data visualization, or
  • Developing knowledge platforms

Education:

• Master’s degree with 2 years of experience preferred, or a bachelor’s degree with 4 years of experience will be reviewed for this position. Candidates will also be considered if enrolled in a graduate program at the time of application