Job Description

MERL Lead – Triple Elimination Activity | Pact Malawi

Job Overview

Pact, a globally recognized international nonprofit organization, is inviting applications for the position of MERL Lead – Triple Elimination Activity under the ACHIEVE Project in Malawi. This opportunity is suitable for professionals seeking careers in monitoring evaluation research and learning (MERL), public health, maternal and child health, HIV programs, data analysis, health systems strengthening, implementation science, and program evaluation.

The successful candidate will support the implementation of an innovative healthcare initiative aimed at accelerating the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (eMTCT) of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B, while improving maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes in Malawi.

Candidates searching for MERL jobs in Malawi, monitoring and evaluation specialist jobs, public health research careers, NGO healthcare jobs, maternal health project vacancies, health systems strengthening jobs, and international nonprofit opportunities are highly encouraged to apply.

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Position Details

Job Title: MERL Lead – Triple Elimination Activity
Company: Pact
Location: Malawi
Job Type: Full-Time (Short-Term Position)
Project: ACHIEVE Project – Triple Elimination Activity
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of State (DoS)
Contract Duration: Up to 6 Months
Sector: Public Health / Monitoring & Evaluation / Research / Maternal and Child Health
Salary: Competitive salary package (Not publicly disclosed)
Benefits: Healthcare, retirement contribution (8.8%), paid leave, wellness programs, disability and life insurance, learning and development opportunities.

About Pact

Founded in 1971, Pact is an international nonprofit organization operating in nearly 40 countries worldwide, focused on building evidence-based, data-driven, and community-owned development solutions.

Pact partners with governments, communities, and development agencies to:

• Improve accountability and governance
• Strengthen knowledge and technical skills
• Build resilient healthcare systems
• Advance sustainable social impact initiatives
• Promote community development and public health interventions

Professionals interested in international NGO jobs, global health careers, research and evaluation jobs, and development sector employment will find this opportunity rewarding.

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About the ACHIEVE Triple Elimination Activity

The ACHIEVE Project in Malawi is designed to accelerate the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B, particularly among mothers and infants, while reducing maternal and child mortality.

The project integrates healthcare interventions into:

• Antenatal care services
• Labor and delivery systems
• Post-natal healthcare programs
• Community-based case management systems

Core Service Areas Include:

• HIV testing and treatment
• Syphilis screening and treatment
• Hepatitis B testing and management
• HIV self-testing programs
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services
• Maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) interventions
• Community healthcare systems strengthening

The MERL Lead will play a critical role in generating operational insights and evidence to guide future scale-up of integrated healthcare models.

Purpose of the Role

The MERL Lead will oversee the implementation of the project’s:

• Monitoring
• Evaluation
• Research
• Learning (MERL) agenda

The role allocation includes:

• 25% Performance Monitoring
• 75% Evaluation and Learning

The selected candidate will focus on:

• Measuring implementation effectiveness
• Evaluating integrated healthcare delivery systems
• Improving early testing and treatment uptake
• Enhancing patient retention and prevention services
• Strengthening routine health information systems
• Supporting data-driven healthcare decision-making

This role is ideal for professionals specializing in healthcare monitoring and evaluation, implementation science, public health analytics, epidemiology, or health research management.

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Key Job Responsibilities

1. Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL)

The successful candidate will:

• Lead operationalization of the evaluation and learning plan
• Develop:
  • Evaluation tools
  • Research protocols
  • Data collection timelines
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research activities
• Coordinate:
  • Key informant interviews (KIIs)
  • Supervision debriefs
  • Routine data reviews
• Analyze implementation effectiveness and operational performance

Applicants with expertise in monitoring and evaluation frameworks, research methodologies, or implementation science are strongly encouraged to apply.

Data Collection & Analysis

The MERL Lead will coordinate robust data systems and evidence generation.

Responsibilities Include:

• Conduct qualitative and quantitative data collection
• Analyze healthcare implementation data
• Assess:
  • Feasibility
  • Service adoption
  • Program acceptability
  • Fidelity of implementation
  • Health system outcomes
• Support mixed-method and comparative research studies
• Triangulate routine program data with qualitative insights

Candidates with experience in public health research, data analytics, health information systems, or program evaluation are preferred.

Health Information Systems Strengthening

The MERL Lead will support data quality improvement and reporting systems.

Key Duties:

• Collaborate with the ACHIEVE Malawi MEL Team
• Improve quality and completeness of routine data
• Support integration of:
  • HIV indicators
  • Syphilis indicators
  • Hepatitis B indicators
    into reporting systems
• Strengthen healthcare information systems including DHIS2
• Monitor performance indicators related to triple elimination targets
• Conduct data quality reviews and validation exercises

Experience working with Malawi HMIS systems, DHIS2, or health information management systems is highly desirable.

Learning Documentation & Knowledge Sharing

The selected candidate will support evidence dissemination.

Responsibilities Include:

• Produce:
  • Technical briefs
  • Learning summaries
  • Case studies
  • Program reports
• Document operational learning and best practices
• Coordinate stakeholder learning sessions
• Facilitate collaborative performance review meetings
• Present findings to district and national stakeholders

Professionals with strong technical writing, knowledge management, or research communication skills are encouraged to apply.

Capacity Building & Stakeholder Engagement

The MERL Lead will support technical capacity strengthening.

Key Responsibilities:

• Train district and facility-level staff on:
  • Data use
  • Data quality improvement
  • Monitoring systems
• Strengthen performance monitoring practices
• Collaborate with:
  • Government health institutions
  • Community stakeholders
  • Implementing partners
  • Pact global MEL experts

Strong experience in stakeholder engagement, training facilitation, or health systems strengthening is an added advantage.

Education Requirements

Minimum Qualification

Applicants must possess:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field

Preferred areas include:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Health Informatics
• Statistics
• Social Sciences
• Biostatistics
• Health Systems Management

Advanced certifications in monitoring and evaluation, research, or data analytics are advantageous.

Experience Requirements

Applicants should have:

• Bachelor’s degree plus 9+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in:
  • Research
  • Monitoring & Evaluation
  • Learning systems
  • Health program implementation

Preferred Experience

Experience in:

• Government health systems support
• District and sub-national healthcare programs
• Malawi HMIS systems
• IRB approval processes in Malawi
• USAID or U.S. Department of State-funded projects
• HIV, maternal health, or health systems strengthening initiatives

is strongly preferred.

Required Technical Skills

Successful candidates should demonstrate:

Research & Evaluation Skills

• Qualitative research methodologies
• Quantitative data analysis
• Mixed-methods evaluation
• Comparative studies
• Operational learning frameworks

Software Proficiency

Experience using:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Excel
• SPSS
• STATA
• NVivo
• Dedoose

Communication Skills

Applicants must have:

• Excellent report writing skills
• Strong presentation abilities
• Analytical thinking and evidence interpretation skills
• Ability to translate findings into practical recommendations

Language Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate fluency in:

• English
• Chichewa

Salary & Employee Benefits

Pact offers a competitive compensation package, including:

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage
• 8.8% retirement contribution plan
• Paid leave entitlements
• Wellness support programs
• Disability and life insurance coverage
• Learning and career development opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer

Pact is committed to:

• Diversity and inclusion
• Equal employment opportunities
• Ethical research practices
• Respectful and inclusive workplace engagement

The organization does not discriminate based on:

• Gender
• Disability
• Race
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• National origin
• Marital status
• Political affiliation or protected characteristics.