Project Research Scientist I Non Medical (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Scientist (MEAL)

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Project Research Scientist I Non Medical (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Scientist (MEAL)

Number of Vacancies: 1

Primary Location: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

What is Community Empowerment Lab?

We, at Community Empowerment Lab, love to watch our people write their own stories – stories of success and challenges, stories of connecting with communities, of serving mothers and children. Stories of serving our nation.

So, who are we exactly? We are a Not for Profit Research Organization working on the frontiers of maternal and neonatal health, serving some of the most vulnerable through innovations and leveraging cutting-edge scientific approaches in public health. We are driven by scientific evidence, national priority, and global public health challenges!

Our mission revolves around empowering communities by providing them with evidence-based solutions to address their needs, thereby bridging the gap between communities and scientific knowledge. We adopt a grounds-up approach, engaging with communities to understand their requirements and co-designing solutions with scientific rigor. These solutions undergo trials and implementation research to ensure efficacy. The insights gained are then scaled up to influence state, national, and global policies and practices. Our focus lies at the intersection of newborn survival and maternal health, health system strengthening, and early childhood development, aligning all our initiatives to tackle both local and global challenges faced by newborns and mothers.

We are Collaborative Centre of Excellence for Indian Council of Medical Research joining hands with several scientific research organizations pan-India to address numerous national priorities and build a future scientific workforce for the country! We are also an ICMR - Centre for Advanced Research for Neonatal and Maternal Health working on solutioning newborn survival! In Uttar Pradesh, we support UP National Health Mission as a newborn survival specialist through UP TSU (Uttar Pradesh Technical Support Unit).

For more information please visit our website

What defines us as a team?

We are young, collegial, committed, and sensitive - a bunch of creative people which loves to do science with a compassionate heart. We believe in human goodness, unending capacities to grow as leaders, and finding meaning through consistent efforts. We believe in learning by doing! We believe in soiling our hands, doing science in the midst of community, and keeping the community at centre! We are not mere desktop researchers. We value high-impact research publications and simultaneously bringing the solutions to the doorstep of those who need them most!

Our people drive the organization and contribute to mutual growth. Some bright public health scientists, tech talent, management mavens, community organizers, and volunteers have kept us going for over twenty years now. We are ambitious, and growing and we need many more of our tribe now. At CEL, we encourage people to pursue a career, with a passion for public health service.

What do you get? The freedom to express your talent, the joy of watching the difference your work makes to our nation, and the reward of working with a vibrant, joyful team.

Who are we looking for?

CEL is looking for a Monitoring Evaluation Accountability, and Learning Scientist who will be responsible for developing, implementing, and managing robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks to track the progress and impact of organizational programs. By systematically collecting and analyzing data, the MEAL Scientist provides critical insights to inform decision-making, improve program effectiveness, and enhance organizational learning. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the organization's initiatives are well-aligned with its mission, deliver measurable results, and contribute to positive and sustainable outcomes.

Since our study area consists of families that have Hindi as their native language - communication in Hindi and local dialect would be desirable. Proficient communication in English would be appreciated for engaging in formal communication, especially with our foreign partners, stakeholders, etc.

Scope of Work

● Elevating Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Practices

▪ Help improve how we watch, assess, and learn.

▪ Mentor team’s new skills for better monitoring and evaluation.

▪ Leverage insights derived from program results, approaches, partner feedback, and lessons learned to contribute meaningfully to the broader field and influence the design of programs.

▪ Develop and maintain a knowledge management system to document and share project achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.

● Implementing a Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

▪ Developing MEL Frameworks

▪ Make a plan to track and share our progress better.

▪ Collaborate closely with project leads, program managers and directors to analyze and synthesize impactful practices and innovative ideas derived from grassroots work.

● Building Data Infrastructure for Strategic Decision-Making

▪ Establish and maintain a robust data infrastructure to facilitate ongoing monitoring, evaluation, feedback, and learning initiatives.

▪ Use what we learn to make smarter decisions and do better projects.

▪ Elevate the ability to collect, document, and effectively communicate results and program impact to key stakeholders.

● Strategic Alignment in Proposals

▪ Collaborate on relevant sections of funding proposals, ensuring alignment between partner capabilities and project requirements.

▪ Articulate outputs, outcomes, and impact to present a compelling case for donor support.

● Guiding and Informing Evaluation Initiatives

▪ Play a key role in guiding periodic reviews and evaluations of specific grant-making initiatives.

● Capacity Development and Technical Assistance

▪ Collaborate with team to identify, adapt, and implement approaches, tools, and resources.

▪ Facilitate technical assistance to members/collaborators, empowering them to effectively demonstrate program outcomes and impact.

● Continuous Improvement and Learning

▪ Stay abreast of developments in the field of evaluation and organizational learning.

▪ Use the best ideas to make sure we're leaders in our field.

▪ Implement quality assurance and quality check measures to ensure the gold standard data collected

▪ Implement best ethical practices and follow regulatory compliance

The role will have significant responsibilities in creating data quality, knowledge management culture in the organisation.

Travel: The role will have frequent travel to field in the project areas.

Qualification and Experience

●First Class Post Graduate Degree, including the integrated PG degrees, in monitoring and evaluation, statistics/Public Health/international development/Epidemiology/Social Sciences/Engineering/ IT/ CS or a related field, with a focus on maternal, newborn, and child health with three years’ Experience OR PhD.

● ICMR age norms will apply, applicants must be age 35 years or below.

● Experience in monitoring and evaluation roles, preferably in the context of health specially in MNCH.

● Proven experience in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

● Experience in manuscript writing, publication, and dissemination of research findings in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

● Experience in large data set handling.

● Experience in the ethical use of AI tools in research (chatGPT etc.)

Necessary knowledge and skills

● Proficient in quantitative tools such as Stata, Excel, or other statistical software. Ability to interpret and present data in a clear and meaningful way.

● Desirable knowledge in qualitative data analysis software (e.g., Dedoose, NVivo, ATLAS.ti) and data visualization platforms (e.g., Tableau, Python/R).

● Considerable knowledge in data quality checks and feedback mechanisms.

● Proven experience in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation systems. Previous roles in conducting assessments, surveys, and evaluations.

● Understanding of the specific industry or sector in which the organization operates. Familiarity with international development, non-profit, or government sectors can be beneficial.

● Competence in using information technology for data collection, analysis, visualization, and reporting.

● Familiarity with various monitoring and evaluation tools and methodologies. Experience in designing and implementing MEAL frameworks.

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to convey complex findings and insights in a clear and understandable manner to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

● Strong project management skills to oversee MEAL activities effectively. Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines concurrently.

Compensation: As per ICMR norms.

Application Procedure:

If you find this opportunity aligning with your skills and passion, we welcome you to apply by following these steps:

Ø Apply on this link

Ø Craft a brief yet impactful cover letter, around 500 words, that details your motivation for applying, your interest in Maternal and Newborn Health, and your enthusiasm for contributing to the work of Community Empowerment Lab.

Ø Attach your updated resume with a recent photograph.

Ø We kindly request that you include your current and expected salary details, along with your anticipated start date, in your cover letter.

Requirements

●First Class Post Graduate Degree, including the integrated PG degrees, in monitoring and evaluation, statistics/Public Health/international development/Epidemiology/Social Sciences/Engineering/ IT/ CS or a related field, with a focus on maternal, newborn, and child health with three years’ Experience OR PhD.

● ICMR age norms will apply, applicants must be age 35 years or below