The Senior Technical Director (TD) will work collaboratively with the SEA Headquarters and field team colleagues to deliver complex strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning on behalf of MSI’s international development clients. The Senior TD will also liaise with MSI’s Operations Division, Business Development Unit (BDU), and other practice areas, as required, to deliver SEA’s key business objectives. The Senior TD will play a key role in technical assignments, business development, and thought stewardship. The Senior TD will be expected to travel to international locations from three to six trips per year, where most trips average between two and three weeks. This role could possibly have longer term assignments, including travel to security-challenged countries. The successful candidate would be at the senior director level in the Strategic, Evaluation and Analysis practice area. The preferred location for this role is in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.
Responsibilities:
Technical Leadership
- Serve as MSI Headquarters technical leadership on long-term MEL projects. This could include:
- Meet regularly with clients and project teams to ensure assignments are implemented properly.
- Develop and implement quality assurance mechanisms to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and validity of project data and reports.
- Conduct regular reviews and audits of project deliverables to maintain high standards and compliance with good practice.
- Troubleshoot technical issues, as required.
- Serve as a point of contact for key clients, establish strong relationships and understand their evolving requirements.
- Collaborate with clients to identify opportunities for expanding services and provide advice on leveraging research products to inform decision-making and program improvement.
- Provide strategic guidance and technical leadership to Headquarters and field project assignments to ensure the implementation of effective MEL frameworks.
- Stay abreast of emerging trends, methodologies, and tools in the field of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and guide the team in adopting innovative approaches.
- Lead the design and planning of MEL activities, work closely with clients to understand their needs, develop responsive project scopes, and apply appropriate planning, research and learning methodologies including performance and impact evaluations, contextual research and assessments, economic studies, population-based surveys, strategic planning exercises, pause and reflect sessions, organizational capacity assessments, third party monitoring, and training on topics related to these areas.
- Contribute to the development of knowledge products, research papers, and thought leadership initiatives.
- Share lessons learned and best practices internally and externally through publications, conferences, and professional networks.
- Assess the training needs of the home office and project teams and develop capacity-building initiatives to enhance their technical skills and knowledge.
- Provide mentorship and guidance to junior staff members, foster their professional growth and development.
Business Development
- Oversee 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, sociology, statistics, economics, or similar fields required.
- Minimum ten years of relevant experience encompassing international development, evaluation and research, and program management required. Minimum 15 years of experience preferred.
- Experience working with the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Departments of State, World Bank, or other international development organizations required.
- Experience building and maintaining positive relationships with clients, including demonstrated instances of responding to clients’ needs or working collaboratively required.
- Experience heading task teams to deliver client deliverables in evaluation, assessment, research, performance management, strategic planning, third party monitoring, or scaling required.
- Experience spearheading business development initiatives, such as directing a bid opportunity or serving as the primary technical writer for a bid required.
- Experience designing and leading rigorous, counter-factually based, evaluation studies preferred.
- Experience designing and leading rigorous research studies using advanced analytical methods, such as machine learning, natural language processing, spatial analyses, social network analysis and/or econometrics preferred.
- Strong familiarity with MEL and collaboration, learning and adaption (CLA) tools and methods required.
- Proficiency in statistical analysis software such as Stata and/or R preferred.
- Proficiency in data visualization theory and practice through R, Tableau, or Power BI preferred.
- Ability to convey information clearly, listen actively, and foster effective communication within the team and with external stakeholders required.
- Ability to work well in a team environment, actively participate in group projects, and contribute to achieving common goals required.
- Ability to adapt to changing circumstances, learn new skills, and adjust to evolving priorities and work environments required.
- Fluency in English required. Fluency in 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.
Pay Transparency Statement:
We are committed to taking a thoughtful, compliant, and equitable approach to employment compensation. We commit to providing a holistic comprehensive salary analysis, including reviews of individual skill sets and compensable factors related to qualifications, business needs, internal compensation data, and industry and labor market surveys. The anticipated pay range for this position is $165,000 to $190,000 USD.
Reasonable Accommodations:
MSI is dedicated to hiring an inclusive workforce. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations during the 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.