Evidence Action's mission is to fill the gap between what is effective in global health and development and what is implemented at scale. One of our flagship programs is the Deworm the World Initiative, which envisions a world where all at-risk children have improved health, increased access to education and better livelihoods potential as a result of being free of intestinal worms.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Manager, Field Monitoring, MLE
Location: Abuja Employment Type: Full-time
About The WCA MLE - Delivery Team
The MLE-D team implements the Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) activities for Evidence Action's programs within the WCA. We are strong because of our diversity of experience, geography, and background - with over 90% of our people in the countries where our impact is focused.
The Manager, MLE - IDG Pilot will implement the Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation (MLE) activities for Evidence Action's Immunization Demand Generation (IDG) pilot in Nigeria from start to finish: co-developing the MLE design with the MLE Strategy team, then running field operations, tool digitization, data management and cleaning, analysis, reporting, and learning.
This is a hands-on manager role. The Manager will do the MLE work for the pilot directly rather than supervise others doing it: preparing and submitting IRB applications, digitizing tools, training and supervising field teams, cleaning and analyzing data, writing reports, and leading learning sessions. Reporting to the Senior Manager, MLE Delivery, West and Central Africa,
Key Responsibilities
MLE design and planning
Co-develop the IDG MLE plan with the MLE Strategy team, including indicators, sampling, survey and monitoring tools, and data analysis plans, and implement the agreed design
Prepare and submit IRB applications, amendments, and renewals for the baseline, routine monitoring, and endline, and manage correspondence with the review boards
Lead budgeting and activity planning for MLE activities, and track spending against the MLE budget
Draft the terms of reference for the independent monitoring firm, lead its recruitment, and manage its contract, deliverables, and payments
Field operations and team management
Lead day-to-day field operations for MLE activities in Nasarawa and Oyo States across the baseline (household census, caregiver survey, and health facility survey), routine monitoring, and the endline survey
Develop and maintain field plans, schedules, and logistics for data collection across pilot LGAs, wards, health facilities, and catchment communities, factoring in access and security conditions
Lead the onboarding, training, and field testing of the independent monitoring firm and/or enumerator teams, and manage their performance against agreed quality standards and deliverables
Lead enumerator training on survey content, informed consent, research ethics, and interview protocols for caregivers and health workers, including field practice and pre-testing
Supervise fieldwork through spot checks, back-checks, accompanied interviews, and daily debriefs, and resolve field challenges quickly
Ensure fieldwork complies with IRB approvals, informed consent requirements, and data protection and confidentiality protocols, including secure handling of personally identifiable information (PII) such as child date of birth and caregiver phone numbers
Coordinate with the IDG program team, including State and LGA coordinators, to align MLE activities with pilot milestones such as health worker training, enrollment, and monthly review meetings
Liaise with State Primary Health Care Development Agencies (SPHCDAs), LGA health officials, and facility in-charges to secure access and buy-in for data collection
Tool digitization and data systems
Digitize and program the caregiver survey, health facility survey, phone surveys, and other monitoring tools in SurveyCTO, including skip logic, validation rules, and local-language versions (Hausa and Yoruba)
Test and troubleshoot tools before deployment, manage form versions, and set up and maintain enumerator devices and server access
Maintain Excel-based register data extraction tools with built-in error and consistency checks
Co-design routine monitoring protocols and tools with the MLE Strategy team, including phone surveys of caregivers and ambassadors, caregiver phone number validation, vaccine stock monitoring, and use of digital reminder delivery and incentive distribution data
Document data collection protocols, codebooks, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that processes are repeatable across states and survey rounds
Data quality assurance and cleaning
Run high-frequency checks (HFCs) throughout data collection, including missing values, outliers, duplicates, interview duration, and enumerator-level patterns, and follow up on issues with field teams in a timely way
Clean and format baseline, monitoring, and endline datasets in Stata, document all cleaning steps, and maintain de-identified, analysis-ready datasets with unique identifiers
Reconcile immunization register data, DHIS2 reporting, and caregiver-reported vaccination status, and flag discrepancies
Resolve routine data quality issues independently and escalate unresolved or high-stakes issues to the Senior Manager, MLE Delivery
Routine monitoring during pilot implementation
Coordinate monthly and bi-monthly monitoring data collection, including phone surveys with caregivers and ambassadors, health facility register data, and vaccine stockout follow-ups
Track key performance indicators, such as message receipt and recall, ambassador reach, incentive receipt, and vaccination uptake, and monitor implementation fidelity at pilot facilities
Proactively flag trends, risks, and underperforming facilities or LGAs to the program team and MLE leadership, rather than waiting for review meetings to surface them
Lead routine step-back and learning sessions with the program team and MLE Strategy team that translate monitoring findings into program adjustments
Serve as the main MLE thought partner to the Nigeria country program team and the MLE Strategy team, and lead all learning activities for the pilot
Analysis and reporting
Own the analysis and interpretation of baseline, monitoring, and endline data in Stata, from descriptive and bivariate analysis to more advanced analysis where the design requires it, including vaccination coverage, prevalence of zero-dose and under-vaccinated children, caregiver knowledge and attitudes, and health facility readiness, reporting confidence intervals and documenting methods
Consult the Data Analytics & Learning (DAL) team within MLE for technical advice or a second review where needed, and coordinate with research partners
Produce the baseline report, regular monitoring dashboards and briefs, and the endline report, with clear visuals and plain-language findings
Present findings and actionable recommendations to the program and MLE Strategy teams, Evidence Action leadership, and government counterparts, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and State health authorities
Contribute to the dissemination of results and to compiling findings that update the pilot's cost-effectiveness analysis
Requirements Experience:
At least 7 years of hands-on experience implementing MLE activities, with substantial experience in each of field operations, data management, data analysis, and learning and reporting rather than in one area alone, ideally within immunization, maternal and child health, nutrition, or related public health programs
Demonstrated experience leading large-scale household and health facility surveys (baseline, endline, or routine monitoring) using digital data collection, including managing enumerator teams
Experience contributing to MLE design (indicators, sampling, and tools) and preparing and submitting IRB applications
Demonstrated experience analyzing survey and health facility data and translating findings into reports or recommendations for program, technical, and government audiences
Prior experience working with DHIS2 or similar health management information systems required
Experience supervising or coordinating data collection teams or vendors required
Experience working with an NGO and/or Ministry of Health-affiliated program in Nigeria (or a comparable West/Central African context) strongly preferred
Prior experience in a pilot, implementation research, or technical assistance program setting is an asset
Education:
Master's degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Statistics, Demography, or a related field preferred; Bachelor's degree with significant additional relevant experience will be considered in lieu of a Master's.
Specialized knowledge:
Strong understanding of Nigeria's health data systems, including DHIS2, routine immunization register and child health card structures, and government (NPHCDA, SPHCDA, and State Ministry of Health) reporting requirements Solid grounding in MLE frameworks, indicator design, survey sampling (including multi-stage cluster designs), and data quality assurance methodologies
Working knowledge of research ethics, IRB processes, informed consent, and data protection requirements for human subjects research in Nigeria
Knowledge of routine immunization, demand generation, behavior change, or related maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) programming an asset
Skills:
Proficiency in digital data collection platforms, preferably SurveyCTO (or comparable tools such as ODK, KoboToolbox, or CommCare), including form programming, testing, deployment, and server monitoring
Advanced data analytics skills, including proficiency in at least one statistical software package (Stata preferred; R or SPSS acceptable) for data cleaning and analysis; strong Excel skills (pivot tables, advanced formulas, dashboards) required
Experience with data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) is an asset.
Proven ability to design and run data quality check systems (high-frequency checks, back-checks, and register-versus-DHIS2 comparisons) at scale across multiple sites
Strong data management skills, including database structuring, cleaning large datasets, version control, and producing de-identified analysis datasets
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including report writing and presenting data to non-technical stakeholders; working knowledge of Hausa and/or Yoruba an asset
Supervisory and people management skills, including the ability to train, supervise, and evaluate enumerators and to recruit and manage a data collection vendor, including its contract and budget.