Technical Manager, MERL

Job Description

Job Description

Position Title: Technical Manager, MERL

Position Type: Regular Full-Time

Department: COO's Office (MOMENTUM)

Location: Washington, DC - Hybrid

Salary Range: $71,000 - $92,500 - $114,000

Note: The posted salary range reflects the full range of Corus' Manager pay grade and does not represent the anticipated hiring salary for this position. The target hiring range for the Technical Manager, MERL is expected to fall between the minimum and midpoint of the pay grade, based on program budget, internal equity and experience.

Corus International provides a competitive, growth-oriented, yet fiscally responsible compensation program.

Additionally, Corus provides a comprehensive and competitive employee benefit package to protect our valued and dedicated staff and their families. Our benefits include three medical plan options with comprehensive prescription drug coverage, low-cost dental coverage with 100% paid vision insurance. Corus also provides a generous retirement plan and PTO to include vacation, sick, holiday, parental, jury, international travel, and bereavement leave; employer-sponsored basic life/AD&D insurance; employee wellness incentives, and employee work/life balance and assistance programs.

Position Summary:

Corus International is seeking a Technical Manager, MERL to join the MOMENTUM team in the Washington, DC office. This hybrid position is based at our headquarters in Washington, DC, with in-office days on Tuesday and Wednesday each week.

The Technical Manager, MERL reports to the Senior Director, Technical Services, MERL and ensures the quality and consistency of data collection instruments and data cleaning across the portfolio, leads literature and assessment tool synthesis to inform technical approaches, and manages day-to-day coordination for the portfolio, including workstream scheduling, RACIs, consultant SOWs and invoicing, and tracking expenditures against activity budgets. The Technical Manager manages data collection tool design and evidence synthesis as a core technical component within the broader Lifesaving Health Assistance (LHA) portfolio, which spans the Core team and all four country programs (DRC, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan). The Technical Manager serves as the team's day-to-day point of contact for MERL coordination and technical questions across the portfolio, flagging issues and proposing solutions to the Senior Director.

This position is funded through a specific project and is subject to the continued availability of funding.

Responsibilities:

MERL Coordination and Project Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for day-to-day coordination across the LHA portfolio, including the Core team and country teams in in DRC, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan.
• Manage schedules and coordinate MERL team meetings, deliverables, and activities.
• Maintain tracking systems for MERL activities and deliverables, ensuring status information is accurate, current and available to the team.
• Lead the development and maintenance of RACIs for MERL workstreams and deliverables.
• Coordinate with the Core Program Team to maintain activity progress dashboards.
• Draft statements of work (SOWs) for MERL consultants.
• Manage consultant invoicing and track expenditures against MERL activity budgets, escalating variances and potential risks to the Senior Director for budget decisions.
• Coordinate logistics for MERL trainings.
• Develop presentations and related materials for external audiences.
• Maintain MERL folders and documents in SharePoint, ensuring an organized, current and accessible file structure.

MERL Technical Management

• Manage the design, deployment, and quality assurance of MERL data collection tools and templates across the LHA portfolio in collaboration with HQ- and country-based MERL teams.
• Lead data cleaning, organization, and basic analysis in Excel to ensure accurate and reliable data for reporting and decision-making.
• Lead literature reviews and assessment-tool searches, synthesizing findings into clear technical recommendations that inform portfolio-level MERL tools and approaches.
• Serve as the primary technical resource for questions from country MERL teams regarding the design of data collection instruments.
• Provide data-entry support to country MERL teams as needed.

Supervisory:

• This role has no direct reports.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in public health, international development, statistics, or a related field and a minimum of 5+ years of relevant MERL experience; or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in program management, designing or managing data collection tools and instruments, and conducting literature or desk reviews.
• Experience working on USG-funded (USAID, DoS, CDC) programs.
• Experience with project tracking and collaboration tools (Smartsheet or similar) desired.
• Experience drafting SOWs, managing consultant contracts, or processing invoicing desired.
• Strong Excel skills, including data cleaning, organization, and basic analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to solve administrative, technical, or operational problems in a timely and successful manner.
• Ability to synthesize literature or assessment findings into clear, concise written summaries.
• Strong presentation and technical writing skills, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines simultaneously.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and develop positive working relationships across teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Strong accuracy and attention to detail in project tracking, writing, editing, and document management.
• Must have authorization to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree desired.
• French language proficiency highly desirable.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• The physical requirements that may be needed to execute responsibilities may include bending, standing, and walking, etc.
• The mental requirements that are essential to satisfactorily executing the responsibilities outlined in this job description include, but are not limited to: learning new tasks, comprehending, and retaining information, completing tasks independently, effectively communicating verbally and in writing, demonstrating proficiency in using computer software to perform assigned tasks.

Other Duties:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. Global positions that are bound by contracts will not be changed without notice and approval.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• Corus has a hybrid work policy, allowing work to be done remotely; two days per week (Tuesday and Wednesday) in the office is required.  The employee must be available to work outside normal office hours or weekends as required.
• This position must be able to travel as required for standard domestic business purposes.

As a member of the Corus Family, each employee is expected to:

• Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
• Support employees' evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Corus family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve.
• Follow Corus Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
• Adhere to the Organizational Core Values.

Corus International is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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