Management Systems International (MSI), a Tetra Tech Company, is a Washington, D.C. metro area management consultancy with a 40-year history of delivering results for our clients. Our expertise is in the fields of monitoring and evaluation; democracy and governance; peace and stability; rule of law and accountability; education; gender and inclusion; strategic communications; and leadership and organizational development. MSI has implemented projects in 90 countries around the world such as Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria and Ukraine, and works domestically. We support clients ranging from the U.S. Government (e.g., the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Departments of State and Labor, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation) to large bilateral and multilateral donors (e.g., the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program). We also work with national and local governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks, foundations and universities. For more information, please visit our website at www.msiworldwide.com.
Project Summary:
Our Strategy, Evaluation and Analysis (SEA) practice area oversees all monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) projects. It is a dynamic unit within the company that strives for excellence and innovation across all activities, encompassing a range of sectors, including security cooperation, education, health, economics, democracy and governance, gender, capacity building and policy reform. SEA has 20 MEL specialists in the U.S. and more than three dozen in our field-based projects overseas.
**Please note: Only U.S. citizens are eligible for this position.**
Position Summary:
The Technical Manager will work in MSI's SEA practice area and will work collaboratively with the team's Technical Directors, Managers, and Associates. The selected candidate will also liaise with MSI's Operations Division, Business Development Unit (BDU), and other practice areas. The Manager will report directly to the Practice Area Lead.
As part of their portfolio of work, this position will dedicate 50 percent of their time to MSI Assessments, Monitoring & Evaluation (AM&E) project - a five-year effort to build a culture of AM&E for security cooperation at the US Department of Defense (DOD). The position will provide technical AME guidance to specialists at DOD's Geographic Combatant Commands (GCCs), in such areas as; partner nation (PN) assessments; the development of program monitoring plans (PMPs) and indicators; the design of research methods, data collection plans, and analytic methods; and training MSI specialists and GCC staff at GCCs on above matters.
The Technical Manager will proactively, persistently, and effectively engage and communicate with MSI teams to build the AM&E culture and establish an AM&E program and achieve high-quality AM&E products.
The Technical Manager role is a unique opportunity for professional growth and learning, with potential for increased responsibility over time. The successful candidate should be results-driven, have strong analytical skills, demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills and work effectively in a team environment. The Technical Manager plays a key role in technical assignments, business development, and thought leadership. MSI prefers candidates with an ardent desire to learn and explore new evaluation/research and learning techniques. The Technical Manager will be expected to travel to domestic and international locations (including possible travel to security-challenged countries) from 2 to 4 trips per year (most trips average between 1 and 3 weeks).
Responsibilities:
Technical
Collect and analyze AM&E best practices from Department of State and other non-DoD environments and adapt the AM&E best practices into a DoD environment and more specifically into the GCC environment.
Advise assigned GCCs including on assessments, proposal writing, data collection including indicator development and tool construction, report writing, and presentations with an understanding that the outcome of such advice may remain unknown or not be taken on board.
Review AM&E documents including SSCI IDDs, PMPs, tools, reports including Annual Monitoring Reports (AMRs), and presentations.
Support quality assurance in order that AM&E products meet high-quality standards.
Manage M&E work, including designing scopes of work, preparing evaluation/research designs and work plans, and developing data collection and analysis plans.
Design instruments for qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed-method evaluation/research.
Coordinate strategic planning sessions based on best practices.
Develop country and/or project strategies.
Develop results frameworks, logic models or log frames.
Prepare literature reviews and final reports.
Support global tasks of the project such as tool and training curriculum development that benefit the whole of the program.
Provide training and facilitation on strategic planning, assessments, M&E, or Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) topics.
Coach GCC staff in AM&E topics such assessments, data collection including indicators, and tool construction.
Management and Consulting
Maintain effective client relations and coordination.
Manage or participate as a member of a team.
Attend regular DOD TA AM&E meetings and weekly GCC meetings/synchs and any other meetings that support the GCC's AM&E program.
Review and prepare scopes of work for assignments.
Write high quality reports designed to effectively respond to client needs.
Review draft deliverables and provide constructive feedback.
Business Development
Contribute to and lead planning and proposal writing efforts for new business development opportunities and liaise with BDU to produce technically sound and compliant proposals.
Contribute to the design, writing, and review of proposals.
Conduct reconnaissance trips for upcoming proposals to meet with funding agencies, government officials, and potential partner organizations.
Qualifications:
Master's degree in international development, political science, economics or similar fields required.
Minimum five years' of demonstrated experience in M&E and/or social science research required. Including a minimum of three years training experience.
Familiarity with MEL tools, including qualitative or quantitative methodologies required.
Experience working with DOD, USAID or other international development organizations preferred.
Experience working on a GCC or other senior-level DoD staff component and demonstrated ability to produce high-level planning documents for senior leaders preferred.
Experience with basic project management practices and standards preferred.
Working knowledge of SPSS or STATA preferred.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required.
Familiarity with Tableau or other data visualization software preferred.
Experience with third party monitoring, learning, and security cooperation programs preferred.
Strong written and oral communication skills required.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain strong client relations required.
Ability to work effectively as a team leader or member required.
Experience with quality assurance required.
Ability to obtain a secret level security clearance required. Current active secret level security clearance preferred.
Ability to travel 10-15% of time required.
Fluency in English required. Fluency in a second language like French, Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese preferred.
At MSI Tetra Tech, health and safety play a vital role in our success. MSI Tetra Tech's employees work together to comply with all applicable health & safety practices and protocols, including health orders and regulations related to COVID-19 that are mandated by local, state and federal authorities.
MSI is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We strive to develop and maintain a culture that honors the perspectives and identities of our employees, our communities and those impacted by our work.
We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
MSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities/Veterans Employer.
Reasonable Accommodations:
MSI is dedicated to hiring an inclusive workforce. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations during t he application process, please visit Tetra Tech's Disability Assistance Page. Our recruitment team looks forward to engaging in an interactive process to provide reasonable accommodations for candidates.
Only candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please.
Additional Information
Organization: 216 MSI
