Overview

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is both a global research institute and a leading international development organization. We combine these powerful capabilities with those of our partners to co-create smart, shared solutions for a more prosperous, equitable, and resilient world. Based in North Carolina, USA, RTI is one of the top implementing partners of projects funded through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). A commitment to making meaningful change energizes our 6,000 staff who deliver results across eight international development sectors and in more than 80 countries.    

Position Description

RTI’s International Development Group (IDG) is currently seeking a Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Adapting (MERLA) Specialist to join the IDG MERLA team. The Senior MERLA Specialist will primarily support MERLA activities across a portfolio that includes a combination of the following sectors: water, environment, global health, food security and agriculture, education, governance, resilience, energy, and climate change. The Senior MERLA Specialist will be responsible for a) leading MERLA in proposals that includes one or more of the aforementioned sectors, b) providing a wide range of MERLA technical support to ongoing projects in these sectors, and c) furthering MERLA thought leadership.

The successful candidate must demonstrate through past experience, including work products and references, the following:  an exceptional ability to plan and organize work, lead MERLA in (primarily USAID-funded) proposals and projects, develop tools, prepare and summarize reports and other materials, and follow through on agreed upon actions, while maintaining a positive and productive attitude with other team members in a fast-paced and demanding environment. 

This position will report to an Associate Director of MERLA and would be based in Washington, DC, the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (RTI headquarters), or as a permanent remote employee. The position will be expected to travel internationally up to 10-15% of the time.

Responsibilities

MERLA Excellence in Business Development (20-30% LOE):

• Lead and work with other RTI staff on the MERLA components of proposal development efforts, which might include facilitating Theory of Change and program design workshops, writing proposal MEL plans, crafting indicators and measurement approaches, proposing learning agendas and/or research questions, conducting desk review, landscape analysis or research on sectoral measurement approaches.
• Assist with MERLA recruitment and hiring efforts as part of proposal development.

MERLA Excellence in Projects (40-60% LOE):

• Provide MERLA support for successful start-up and implementation of projects, ensuring appropriate MERLA data collection, management, learning, and data use systems are set up and project staff are oriented in MERLA approach.
• Lead the design and write-up of project M&E/MEL/MERLA plans, including, as relevant, results frameworks, logical frameworks, learning agendas, indicators, data collection methods, and CLA approaches.
• Lead and work with other RTI staff to conduct operations research, comparative analyses, quantitative and qualitative studies, participatory research, or acceptability studies, support project staff in conducting learning and research.
• Analyze project M&E data and generate results in easy-to-understand visual formats; work with communications team to ensure that results are captured in briefs, reports and other documentation.
• Use M&E data to further project learning, support project teams to apply learning and adapt implementation, and share learning across projects and sectors.
• Facilitate collaborative activities with project staff (workshops, interactive virtual sessions, etc.) for reflection and adaptive management.
• Carry out data quality assessments (DQAs): design and implement DQA protocols, use DQA findings to improve data collection, reporting, management and analysis.
• Support capacity building of in-country (single project) and international (cross-project) MERLA staff. 

Other MERLA Work (10-15% LOE):

• Contribute to advancing MERLA at RTI. This may include research and learning about sectoral measurement approaches, changes or advancements in USAID approaches, or contributing to publications, blogs, conference abstracts, etc.
• Work with communications experts at RTI and other team members to ensure that results, learning and adaptations are effectively used to produce communications products targeted to audiences of interest (communities we serve, country governments, donors, wider international development community, etc.).
• Support additional MERLA initiatives including cross-sectoral collaboration, developing training materials, etc.

Qualifications

Education and Experience  

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, program evaluation, or related field and 5 years of relevant experience or Master’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience 
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant MERLA experience, with large/complex donor funded international development programs (USAID preferred) 
• Experience developing MEL/MERLA plans in proposals including Theory of Change, logical frameworks, results frameworks, learning or research agendas, indicators, and targets 
• Experience supporting large international development projects with MERLA activities including data collection, analysis, and learning or research.    

• Experience collecting, analyzing, or learning from data in one or more of the following sectors: climate change, water, energy, environment or global health.  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Knowledge of project management practices and proposal development in international development. 

• Proven excellent oral and written communication skills.  
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines under pressure.  
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills (native speaker or professional-level fluency).  
• Proven ability to work effectively in a team-oriented setting while also taking the initiative to complete assigned tasks with high quality and within tight timelines. 
• High level of integrity and proven ability to communicate respectfully in a multi-cultural environment. 

• Capacity to prioritize and manage multiple tasks; strong organizational skills; and must be detail-oriented and hard-working. 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.  
• Working proficiency in French oral and written communication skills strongly preferred  
• Experience using Microsoft Excel and/or other quantitative and qualitative software for data management and analysis strongly preferred. 

• Familiarity with and/or willingness to learn new MERLA approaches, such as Open Standards, CLA Tools, Miradi, etc. a plus. 

Expected salary range for a US-based employee is indicated below. Please note, if the position is based outside of the US, the salary range would be different.   

  

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EEO & Pay Equity Statements

For San Francisco, CA USA Job Postings Only: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Further information is available here.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States.

RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.

Hiring Salary Range

$75,000-$90,000