Ramesh

Senior Program Design and Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Impact Assessment (MELIA) professional with 17+ years of experience in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating social-sector programs and development initiatives. Extensive expertise in Program M&E, data management, MIS and performance management, with proven capabilities in MEL strategy and framework development, Theory of Change, Log frame development, Performance Monitoring Plans (PMPs), data quality assurance, KPI analysis, dashboards and knowledge management. Strong cross-sector experience in agriculture, health and education, with exposure to national and international organizations, implementing partners, government stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams.

Proven ability to translate program data and evidence into actionable insights for strategic decision-making, strengthen M&E systems, improve data quality and reporting processes, and build the technical capacity of implementing partners and program teams. Strong communication, collaboration, stakeholder engagement and team-building skills, with demonstrated ability to quickly understand and apply new technical concepts, manage multiple priorities and deliver effectively in challenging, fast-paced environments.

Senior Specialist – Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning - PRI-ESTPLUS - ISAT, Hyderabad

(2017-07)

• Lead country-level MEL strategy and systems, align organizational priorities with global standards and translating strategic objectives into practical monitoring, evaluation, learning and performance frameworks across projects.
• Drive program/project design and results frameworks, leading the development of Log frames, Theory of Change, Strategic Frameworks, MEL Plans and Performance Monitoring Plans (PMPs), including indicators, targets, data requirements and reporting mechanisms.
• Lead end-to-end monitoring and evaluation, overseeing routine monitoring, project evaluations, outcome/output assessments, surveys, needs assessments and other evidence-generation activities to assess program performance, effectiveness and results.
• Strengthen data quality, integrity and evidence systems, leading Data Quality Assessments (DQA), data audits, validation, data cleaning, analysis and interpretation to ensure reliable information for program management and decision-making.
• Translate program data into actionable insights, analyzing KPIs, performance trends and variances; facilitating regular performance reviews and providing evidence-based recommendations to improve implementation, results and strategic decisions.
• Lead MEL information systems, dashboards and digital solutions, managing MEL databases and data platforms while designing project/country dashboards, digital data-collection processes and reporting tools to improve data accessibility, visualization and performance tracking.
• Build capacity and strengthen partner performance, providing technical guidance, training and mentoring to MEL teams and implementing partners on M&E systems, data management, record keeping, data quality and effective use of evidence.
• Drive organizational learning, knowledge management and stakeholder engagement, translating monitoring and evaluation findings into lessons learned, best practices, case studies and learning-to-action initiatives; coordinating with donors, headquarters, government agencies, development organizations and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

Regional Monitoring & Evaluation Officer - HS (Health Services) - Chennai/ARE India

(2014-07 - 2017-06)

The position is responsible for providing technical support to ACO (AIDS Control Organization) for effective Monitoring and Evaluation functions of HIV/AIDS program

• Provide technical assistance to district level health facilities in data management in terms of entry, analysis and reporting received through Strategic Information Management System
• Plan program data needs and manage data for effective management and oversight of the program
• Ensure periodic review of data and generate reports and trend sheets to brief the program leadership
• Coordinate with ACO SIMU in strategic program and data management
• Support ACO in carrying out HIV program activities to plan for HIV prevention, treatment and resource allocation
• Responsible for effective review of program data, its analysis and interpretation and for conducting need-based field reviews to understand the field realities and provide timely and quality support to the team for effective program implementation
• Responsible for periodic analysis of project data, reporting and ensuring data quality by strengthening reporting mechanisms and familiar with PEPFAR reporting
• Analyse Reports for timeliness, completeness and correctness
• Continuous monitoring of key performance indicators and generate reports
• Create Score Card and other tools to score the program performance
• Validate data and flag issues and prioritize need-based field visits to initiate corrective actions
• Compile program data, its analysis for preparing periodic reports and project updates
• Administer developed tools periodically, collaborate with the team for preparing district, state and/or national reports
• Strengthen reporting and data validation mechanisms by assessing reports for timeliness, completeness and accuracy; validate data, identify gaps and prioritize need-based field reviews and corrective actions
• Develop program performance scorecards and monitoring tools to assess and track performance
• Coordinate with ACO Strategic Information Management Unit (SIMU) on strategic program and data management and support HIV prevention, treatment and resource-allocation planning through evidence-based program information
• Provide technical oversight and supportive supervision to district teams, including development of spatial maps and district epidemiological profiles
• Identify capacity-building needs and facilitate induction/refresher training to strengthen staff capabilities in data management, program oversight and data-driven decision-making
• Lead compilation and analysis of program data for periodic reports, project updates and consolidated reporting
• Document good practices and success stories
• Ensure secure storage, backup, archiving and retrieval of MIS, field monitoring, project, HR, supply-chain and other program information, while supporting teams in troubleshooting data validation issues

Data Manager - Health Foundation of India (HFI)/DC - New Delhi

(2012-07 - 2014-06)

Responsible for overall data management activities of ongoing research projects in the company

• Manage end-to-end data management activities for multiple clinical research, clinical trial and surveillance projects, ensuring accurate, timely and effective collection, compilation and maintenance of study data.
• Design, develop, test and maintain clinical study databases in accordance with project protocols, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and study-specific requirements, including database applications and Case Report Form (CRF) design.
• Coordinate with study centers to ensure timely data entry and submission of daily, weekly and monthly reports
• Monitor data collection processes and follow up on data completeness and quality.
• Develop and implement data-cleaning approaches, review and validate clinical trial and epidemiological study data, identify inconsistencies and resolve data-quality issues to ensure accuracy, consistency and integrity.
• Prepare analysis-ready datasets using statistical software and generate data retrievals, summaries and computerized reports using STATA to support research analysis and project reporting.
• Conduct database testing, query management and validation of data against study protocols and project-specific guidelines, contributing to robust and reliable clinical research databases.

State M&E (Monitoring & Evaluation) Associate - ACS (AIDS Control Society), ACO

(2008-03 - 2012-06)

Responsible for providing programmatic, technical

Implementation/Quality Coordinator of RAMCO ERP - Itiana Tec Pvt. Ltd. - Hyderabad

(2004-12 - 2008-02)

Divisional Assistant - ACS (AIDS Control Society), ACO - Hyderabad

(2001-10 - 2004-11)