Associate Director: Strategic Information

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About the Organization

India HIV/AIDS Alliance (Alliance India) is a diverse partnership that brings together committed organisations and communities to support sustained responses to HIV in India. Complementing the Indian national programme, we work through capacity building, knowledge sharing, technical support, and advocacy. Through our network of partners, we support the delivery of effective, innovative, community-based HIV programmes to key populations affected by the epidemic.

Alliance India works through NGO and CBO partners to support efforts that sustainably impact HIV. We place communities at the center and work to ensure that vulnerable and marginalised people are meaningfully involved in all aspects of our response, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, transgender individuals, and people living with HIV. Our programming and policy efforts are driven by evidence of what works; quality and accountability are core priorities in our interventions, technical support and grant management.

Job Description

The Associate Director plays a pivotal role in nurturing Alliance India's strategic information portfolio, which encompasses Programme(s) Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning. Actively leveraging the vast source of data, the Associate Director contributes to shaping program implementation, advocacy, and planning and resource mobilization. 

Key responsibilities include spearheading planning, research, evaluation, monitoring, and reporting within the strategic information domain. Overseeing Alliance India's systems for capturing and analysing program results and using information to improve program performance. The position aims to enhance understanding of organizational outcomes, impact, and visibility. 

The role entails the creation of systems to enhance information flow and data utilization, providing analysis of Alliance India's performance in the national HIV response context. The Associate Director actively seeks innovative opportunities in strategic information, collaborating closely on leveraging information technology to enhance overall quality and impact. The person will implement and manage the Client Management Information System (CMIS) and other technology-driven solutions for data collection, monitoring, evaluation, analysis, interpretation, and application of the information in program interventions. 

The Associate Director assumes responsibility for overseeing and providing technical support to Alliance India's partner organizations (Sub Recipients) and implementing organizations at the community level. This includes developing a robust Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system and ensuring the quality of data and information at the field level. 

With autonomy over team results, the Associate Director of Strategic Information supports the Director of Programs in fostering overall welfare and success for Alliance India. This involves fostering inter and intra-team collaboration, managing task forces, contributing to working groups, and actively participating in management meetings to enhance organizational effectiveness. 

Specific responsibilities of the position are outlined below: 

Strategic Information

• Provide overall leadership of strategic information and improved data demand and use, including analysis of Alliance India’s contribution to the impact on the national HIV response.
• Foster collaboration and information sharing among the programmes and strategic information teams and align the programme requirements and priorities within the Strategic Information team.
• Lead, support, and manage the development and implementation of M&E plans and budgets of various programmes within Alliance India.
• Provide monitoring and reporting tools, guidance, and written analysis to inform future programme delivery, management decision making and strategic planning.
• Develop evaluation framework and carry out programme impact evaluation for various programmes.
• Provide inputs to use data for the organization's operational planning processes.
• Develop innovative strategies to strengthen data collection, monitoring, evaluation, analysis, use, and reporting for various programmes being implemented by Alliance India.
• Develop and implement a Data Quality Assurance plan for Alliance India programmes.
• Develop and monitor an effective target management system for Alliance India programmes.
• Promote organizational learning arising from Alliance’s evaluation and research efforts.
• Provide leadership in developing CMIS and newer technology-based innovations (mobile applications, GIS, artificial intelligence) for effective programme monitoring, data prediction, analysis, and interpretation.
• Lead the strategic Information and program team in preparing various donor reports, ensuring high quality and timeliness in reporting and actively contributing to the report finalization for various donors. 

Research & Evidence

• Lead the research and evaluation activities of Alliance India by generating and providing evidence in priority areas to support improved programme implementation and advocacy.
• Identify areas of collaboration with various institutions, donor agencies, etc. and generate resources for the implementation of research projects.
• Conduct innovative/ operation research in relevant thematic areas, prepare reports such as cost-effectiveness/ efficiency analysis, etc., and disseminate the learning through presentations and publications.
• Disseminate research and programme learning through presentations and publications at national, regional, and global levels, enabling enhanced visibility for the organization.
• Where possible, collaborate in research initiatives into M&E with other Alliance programmes and/or external organizations. This may include operations research projects and multi-sectoral seminars to share experiences.
• Contribute programme learning to Alliance India communications and knowledge management initiatives, ensuring the communication of best practice recommendations are promoted within Alliance India and to external organizations.
• Complement other departments in analysing and documenting the progress, impact, challenges, and lessons learned from programmes. 

Capacity Building and Technical Support

• In collaboration with the programme team, review partners’ internal control systems relating to programme data and identify the areas for improvement.
• Lead the team to map the needs of the partner organizations and develop a technical support plan and curriculum on M&E tailor-made to the requirements.
• Provide guidance to Technical Officers: M&E to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance and capacity-building support for strengthening M&E programmes and developing partner organizations.
• Measure the impact of technical support imparted to partner organizations to ensure the learnings are translated into high-quality monitoring and evaluation systems and address gaps in technical support as and when required.  

Organisational Sustainability & New Business Development

• Identify innovative areas for fundraising and new business developments for the organisation, especially in research funding.
• Work closely with other senior team members and formulate and further develop a long-term fundraising and new business development strategy that is consistent with the current strategies and programmatic priorities of Alliance India.
• Actively involved in developing concept notes, proposals, and M&E frameworks for major bilateral/multilateral donors, private foundations, and trusts.
• Cultivate and maintain long-term relationships with various external partners and leverage those relationships to create new opportunities to deliver on Alliance India’s mission. 

Other Management Responsibilities

• Build strong relations and nurture a positive working environment with various stakeholders, including partners, donor agencies and government.
• In collaboration with the Finance & Operations Team, ensure funds are effectively utilized for strategic information activities against programme deliverables.
• Coordinate with Technical Officers: M&E to review, analyse and provide timely feedback on programme reports and other documents relating to programmes and implementing partners.
• Ensure proactive management of risk within areas of responsibility, including regular risk assessment, designing and implementing actions to manage risk and escalating critical risks, as necessary.
• Work closely with the senior management team to establish, maintain, and strengthen effective relationships between Alliance India and external institutions involved in HIV/AIDS programmes, particularly those working in M&E, including key government agencies, donor agencies, NGO/civil society partners and research institutions.
• Lead the program and strategic information team through continuous encouragement, setting clear work /activity plans and close monitoring of the quality aspects of the deliverability through a lead-by-example approach.
• Participate, as requested by the Director: participate in relevant external committees, partnerships, and consortia which involve Alliance India as a member.
• Strictly follow the organizational work plan and individual activity plan and proactively contribute to achieving the organization's strategic directions, ensuring adherence to quality and timeliness of the deliverables. 

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

• Doctorate / Master’s degree in statistics, population studies, public health or social science (or equivalent)
• An additional professional qualification in IT, with knowledge/experience in technology-oriented systems development or project management, will be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 10 to 12 years of relevant monitoring and evaluation programme implementation experience in the overall health or HIV/ AIDS sector closely working with marginalised and vulnerable communities.
• At least five years of progressive management experience and proven ability to manage a team of professionals with diversified skills.
• Research and evaluation experience, including the ability to analyze research and evaluation findings and other information for the benefit of practitioners.

Essential requirements:

• Demonstrated experience in developing M&E strategies and systems development.
• A technology-oriented mind with a good understanding of newer technology developments in the IT sector and the technical awareness/knowledge to integrate technology in the monitoring and evaluating data and its analysis and presentation.
• High level of commitment to PLHIV, FSW, LGBT, IDU rights and inclusion and rights-based responses to HIV and generally to the key populations affected by the epidemic.
• Hands-on experience managing partnerships.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of donor environment, donor relations and donor M&E and reporting systems.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and verbal communication skills.
• Working experience on analytical software packages (SPSS/ STATA, R, Tableau, etc.)
• Experience working with multiple civil society and government stakeholders at different levels.
• Experience in providing technical support to and capacity building of organizations in M&E, especially those working at the community or grassroots level.
• Ability to work effectively in teams as well as independently.
• Ability and willingness to undertake extensive travel, primarily within India.
• Emotionally mature, patient, persevering, diplomatic, tactful, and discreet.
• Experience in developing and managing teams.
• Strong commitment to HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
• Fluent in English and Hindi.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively within India and abroad.

Desirable qualities/experience/skills:

• Sound knowledge of donor strategies and policies.
• Understanding of Global Fund and other donors’ reporting procedures and knowledge of strategies and policies.
• Knowledge of other Indian regional languages.

Email: recruit@allianceindia.org                                        

The closing date for receipt of complete applications is 31 October 2024. Please note that we will not be able to notify all applicants.  Only short-listed candidates will be notified about subsequent selection procedures.

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