MEL Associate, Program Analytics and Learning Unit (PALU), Remote within United States (Maine, United States)

MCD Global Health is a non-profit organization, premier partner, and recognized leader in healthcare and public health program development, implementation, and evaluation. MCD aspires to improve the health and well-being of people worldwide through enduring, high-quality, cost-effective, and universally accessible public health solutions across the U.S. and internationally.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Associate supports the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the PALU framework across MCD International’s portfolio. Reporting directly to the PALU Senior Program Manager (SPM), this is a hands-on builder role focused on writing reliable, replicable code to automate data workflows, build ETL pipelines, convert raw field data into usable outputs, create dashboards, and support digital data collection tools.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS & DUTIES

• Data Automation & Analytics: Analyze and transform program data using R and/or Python to generate actionable insights and support evidence-based decision-making.
• ETL & Visualization Pipelines: Develop and maintain ETL pipelines, automated reporting workflows, and interactive dashboards in collaboration with the Digital Health and Technical Information Systems (DHTIS) Lead.
• Digital Tool Design: Design, build, test, and maintain digital data collection tools, including ODK/XLSForms and DHIS2 forms.
• Quality Assurance & MEL Support: Monitor data quality, conduct data validation, troubleshoot data systems, and ensure compliance with MCD MEL standards and donor requirements.
• Technical Assistance & Capacity Building: Support field teams through technical guidance, training, and documentation to strengthen field-level data use and collection quality.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with project implementation, technical advisor, and business development units to integrate evidence-based insights into project strategy and proposal development.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Public Health, Epidemiology, Data Science, Statistics) or related discipline required.
• Master’s degree preferred (e.g., MPH, MSc in Biostatistics, or similar) with coursework in research methods and advanced analytics.

Experience:

• 1–3 years of practical experience in MEL, data analysis, or related roles in global health or international development (internships/volunteer roles considered).
• Demonstrated, hands-on coding proficiency in R and/or Python to automate data workflows, build ETL pipelines, and transform raw data (candidates must provide working code samples or portfolio).
• Demonstrated ability to build and deploy digital data collection forms using ODK (XLSForm) is required.

Technical & Soft Skills:

• Basic knowledge of data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau) and familiarity with MEL frameworks (logframes, theory of change).
• Knowledge of JIRA, Confluence, or statistical analysis (regression, modeling) is a plus.
• Strong detail orientation, communication, adaptability, and cross-cultural sensitivity.
• Working knowledge of additional languages (e.g., French or Spanish) is an asset.
• Operational Readiness: Ability to travel internationally (up to 5–10%) to remote or resource-limited settings and work flexibly across global time zones.

Interested candidates should apply online through the official MCD Global Health careers site or via linked application platforms: https://mcdglobalhealth.recruitee.com/o/mel-associate-program-analytics-and-learning-unit-palu?source=planetvagas