Senior MERLA Advisor, Africa

About the role

The Senior MERLA Advisor, Africa will steward Ipas’s global Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning and Adapting (MERLA) framework across its African network. Working remotely, the advisor will provide context‑specific technical support, mentor new MERLA staff, and strengthen capacity to ensure data‑driven program improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Onboard and mentor new MERLA hires through in‑person and remote training, ensuring adherence to Ipas Network Quality Standards.
• Provide proactive technical assistance to MERLA staff in African country nodes, including building MLE plans, developing research and evaluation protocols, and testing indicators and data collection tools.
• Adapt global tools, guidance, and processes for local data management, analytics, donor reporting, data auditing, and visualization.
• Lead or support regional research to address evidence gaps in abortion and sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR).
• Represent Ipas at regional meetings, conferences, and working groups as needed.

Required profile

• Senior‑level experience in monitoring, evaluation, research, learning, and adapting within international health programs.
• Proven ability to deliver capacity‑strengthening activities for diverse teams across multiple African countries.
• Experience mentoring and supporting staff remotely and in‑person.
• Strong understanding of SRHR and abortion‑related evidence generation.

Required skills

• Use of global databases
• Mobile data collection platforms
• Quantitative analysis software
• Qualitative analysis software
• Data visualization platforms