Director, Monitoring Evaluation Research & Learning (MERL) - IBTCI

International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over 100 countries and implemented over 300 projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies, and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and institutional support across many areas and sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and  governance, agriculture, economic growth, food security, education, environment, and global health.

Job Title:                          Director, Monitoring Evaluation Research & Learning (MERL) 

Department/Location:    MERL / Vienna, VA

Reports To:                      Senior Management

Type:                               Regular Full-Time

Classification:                 Exempt

Clearance Required:        N/A 

Overview: IBTCI is seeking an experienced and motivated Director, Monitoring Evaluation Research & Learning (MERL),to support its work in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Practice. This position will be based primarily in our Headquarters in Vienna, Virginia. 

This position is based in IBTCI’s home office located in Vienna, VA (currently in Hybrid mode, going to office twice a week).

Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:

Program Management responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Accountable for maintaining prescribed individual productivity targets, inclusive of minimum billable time.
•  Accountable and responsible for project implementation, management, oversight activities of assigned projects while ensuring highest level of client and corporate satisfaction as per quality, timeliness, cost control, compliance, and management.
• Serve in-home office-based roles such as Project Director and/ or Technical Advisor.
• Assume interim role (to fill temporary gaps) of team leadership/ key positions on overseas projects.
• Manage practice resources in project implementation.
• Represent IBTCI in project implementation meetings with staff, partners, or clients.
• Supervise staff in the home and field offices.
• Strategic oversight for contract implementation including overseeing technical, logistical, and operational aspects of contracts.
• Provide technical oversight on work products submitted by staff and consultants.
• Facilitate development of consultant and subcontractor contracts and purchase order agreements.
• Manage relationships with U.S. and internationally-based consultants and subcontractors.
• May serve as primary US-based point of contact for project’s clients.

Technical responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Will offer creative and technically sound solutions early in the planning stages of MERL projects and subsequently working as an integrated part of a multi-disciplinary team to engage project challenges with the end-goal of owning responsive and compliant execution.
• Taking team leadership/support roles on Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) projects.
• Creation of contractual deliverables and ensuring the quality of the final output.
• Will play a crucial role in helping teams find the best option to execute the technical work.
• Serving as a senior technical expert in multiple capacities/roles including but not limited to:
  • Developing approaches and providing assistance for Third Party Monitoring programs;
  • Designing or providing assistance in the design of performance management systems and evaluation methodologies and tools;
  • Conducting development project evaluations, assessments and related sector or policy studies;
  • Conduct analytic tasks on evaluation projects.
• Serve as Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) Expert on prime and subcontract awards.

Business Development responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Accountable for maintaining prescribed individual productivity targets, inclusive of business development time and results.
• Accountable for individual and practice/sub-practice business development and growth targets.
• Initiate and follow through on new business development opportunities.
• Shape and qualify new leads from multiple sources in collaboration with the MERL team leadership. This will involve initiating communications (including meetings and presentations) that lead to new business opportunities, gathering robust market intelligence on the opportunity, and identifying/collaborating with appropriate partners. In the longer term, this position is expected to proactively contribute to the growth of MERL Practice, aligned with its strategic vision and planning.
• Responsible for a significant level of business development activity, primarily within the MERL Practice but also ranging into cross-practice initiatives.
• Take both proactive, and responsive roles, e.g., bid/no-bid vetting, proposal development, proposal writing, and proposal management, to include all support activities through to timely submission of high-quality corporate offers. This contribution should produce well-coordinated and compelling proposals, which not only address stated needs but also clearly articulate fundamental challenges and innovation opportunities.
• Other duties as assigned. 

AdditionalDuties/Tasks and Responsibilities: 

• Represent IBTCI in industry conferences and workshops.
• Author white papers or reports to promote IBTCI's intellectual prowess in M&E.
• Provide training and mentorship to staff on MERL practices, TPM techniques, and proposal writing to enhance organizational capacity.
• Attend management meetings and contribute to strategic and business plans as needed.
• Other duties/tasks as assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

• Ten (10) years of professional work experience predominantly in international development or related work.
• At least six (6) Years of experience successfully managing MERL programs/activities, analytical research, and/or program support mechanisms.
• Five (5) Years of experience in monitoring and evaluation M&E of foreign assistance activities.
• Five (5) years of project management experience.
• Familiarity with or demonstrated experience in at least two of the following areas: Humanitarian Assistance, Conflict Assessment/ Mitigation, Disaster Assistance, Transition Initiatives.
• Expertise in one or more of the following: design of qualitative and/or quantitative tools, statistical analysis, impact analysis, performance and/or impact evaluation design, data quality assurance, etc.
• Experience in all aspects of the proposal process: technical capture management, technical writing, technical review, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to be a results oriented, flexible, team player with solid problem solving skills.
• Ability to deal sensitively in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Ability to travel to project implementation sites outside the U.S. for a period of up to 2 weeks at a time/ as needed based on project needs. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills required.
• Oral and written fluency in English required; working knowledge in another language desirable especially Arabic, French or Spanish.

Education:  

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s degree or the equivalent advanced degree in International Affairs, International Development, Policy Analysis, Economics, Public Administration, Business Administration, Statistics/Social Research, or related field, preferred.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience designing, overseeing and implementing M&E systems for international development projects overseas, preferably for USAID, US Department of State, US Department of Defense.
• Management experience of USAID Projects.
• Experience in proposal process: partnering; research; recruitment; support to costing, etc.
• Published/ developed concept papers related to MERL practice.

Working Environment:  Work is typically performed in an office environment.

Physical Requirements:  This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.

Supervisory Responsibility:  This position does have supervisory responsibilities.

Travel: Once feasible, an average of 25% to 35% travel for project implementation and/or project management of business development initiatives.  (Percentages may vary depending on portfolio of projects and IBTCI practice needs).  May include travel to fragile and/or post-conflict zones.

Work Authorization:  Candidate must be authorized to work in the U.S.A.

Pay Transparency Statement: We are dedicated to ensuring a thoughtful, compliant, and equitable approach to employment compensation. Our commitment includes conducting a comprehensive salary analysis that considers individual skill sets, qualifications, business needs, internal compensation data, and industry and labor market surveys. The anticipated pay range for this position is $137,062 to $158,562 USD annually.

Benefits (Applicable to Employees only, eligibility may vary for part-time employees):

• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• Holidays
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Educational Assistance
• Flexible Spending Account
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• 401 K Retirement Plan
• SMART Benefit
• Global Business Travel Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Voluntary Benefits: Employees have access to a variety of voluntary benefit options such as Pet, Legal Shield, ID Shield and Universal Life Insurance.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About the Organization:

IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management & Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education & human capacity development, energy & infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance. At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients' missions.

IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact the Talent Acquisition team at TalentAcquisition@ibtci.com (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page, https://careers.ibtci.com/jobs).