Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Coordinator, Garissa at Mercy Corps

Position Summary

The Monitoring Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Coordinator is a key position within the program and is responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that information collected is reflected upon, used to improve ongoing programs, and is incorporated into consistently high quality reports and program adaptations. The MEL Coordinator will support the program team in planning and execution of monitoring and evaluation activities, ensuring quality in accordance with accepted standards, providing essential feedback for learning, accountability and decision making. The Coordinator ensures that key research findings and learnings are effectively integrated and used for program improvement and learning. S/He will oversee and support the development and or revision of a harmonized MEL Plan and manage day-to-day implementation of MEL activities as highlighted in the MEL Plan. The Coordinator will work closely with a diversity of internal and external stakeholders, including county government officials in support of program implementation and learning.

Essential Responsibilities

MEAL SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

•  Lead efforts to establish a MEL function that will facilitate MEL activities for the program and collaborate closely with County Governments and local partners to ensure operational success.
•  Lead and develop a MEL plan/process to maintain and utilize a system that improves the program's ability to analyze and represent impact to donors, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.
•  Design/Review and maintain an MEL system with program quality in mind, providing the program team and partners with real time information that can steer program implementation as well as informing donors and strategic program direction and that helps strategize future program interventions.
•  Work with senior management and other agency stakeholders to address shortfalls in MEL that affect program implementation and conduct internal standards.

MONITORING, EVALUATION, ADAPTATION AND LEARNING

•  Work with the country MEL team to ensure the program is in line with all applicable Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
•  Assist in designing MEL interventions that incorporate Mercy Corps' standards on design, monitoring, and evaluation.
•  Coordinate and play a role in program and country assessments as requested. Provide input as to MEL systems and act as a link to HQ MEL technical staff.
•  Regularly conduct project site visits to provide hands-on training to field staff on how to capture and organize information for accurate documentation and reporting.
•  Assist the program implementation team in timely and accurate reporting to donors.
•  Plan and lead all MEL activities including the baseline, midterm and final evaluations (and others as needed), and develop standards for data collection
•  Supervise all sub grantees and partners involved in data collection activities including the baseline, midterm and final evaluation teams, and review their standards for data collection.
•  Update MEL and project management systems to reflect program progress and needs; enforce proper usage of these systems by program staff.
•  Analyze and validate information and data on the performance indicators
•  Present data analysis and periodic reporting in consultation with technical staff
•  Ensure that lessons learned throughout the project are captured and communicated to internal and external stakeholders through appropriate channels.
•  Take on overall responsibility for providing data for project reporting including any required Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annual, Final and ad-hoc reports in close coordination with the Director of Programs.
•  Critically analyze data and create, and or collect case studies, success stories shareable with internal and external audiences.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

•  Support drafting of all narrative reports and or related concept/proposal development
•  Use existing MC resources to train relevant MEL, program teams and partners around monitoring and evaluation and report writing, as required.
•  Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain an excellent MEL system, including periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring data to disseminate learning.
•  Develop plans to mentor and coach staff to build their capacity to enable them to develop excellent reports and other documents.
•  Liaise with various stakeholders and project-related donors on relevant program MEAL concerns.

TEAM ENGAGEMENT

•  Assist team members and other relevant partners with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives; Train project team members and partners on their applicable MEL responsibilities.
•  Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
•  Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly to: Program Manager

Works Directly with: Country-level MEL Coordinator, Performance and Quality Manager,

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

•  BA/S or equivalent, preferable in social work, MEL, business administration, public administration or international development. MA/S in similar relevant fields preferred.
•  4-6 years of experience in the areas of program development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, including relevant experience building and managing an MEL system, designing and implementing MEL Tools, and managing MEL team, relevant experience super
•  Demonstrated experience in experimental design of evaluations; ability to utilize statistical software for both quantitative and qualitative data analysis; experience with quantitative and qualitative research methods, fielding surveys and leading primary data collection exercises is critical
•  High degree of computer literacy; Excel, SPSS, PowerPoint and Word skills are essential.
•  Excellent Communication and organizational skills; ability to manage and meet deadlines
•  Fluency in written and oral English and Swahili; Must be able to read and interpret documents, prepare clear and concise reports and communicate with others as necessary to perform job duties effectively; other applicable languages would be beneficial
•  Strong research, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies;
•  Excellent creative and conceptual skills;
•  Track record of strong commitment to sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, supporting creative initiatives and working as a team.