Openings at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

Under the direct supervision of the GIRL-H Program Manager and GIRL-H Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Manager, the GIRL-H Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Accountability (MEAL) Officer will support the program team with technical oversight and direction on all monitoring and evaluation needs across implementing areas. S/he will support the GIRL-H Program Manager in ensuring timely and quality reporting. The MEAL Officer will support the provision of program staff with the information and training to capture monitoring metrics regularly and efficiently. S/he will coordinate and support quality data collection and analysis of activities and regularly provide technical oversight, problem-solving, and support to the GIRL-H activities in Kenya.

The MEAL Officer will work directly with MEAL Officers of the local partner organizations in Wajir, Turkana, Garissa, and Isiolo counties of Kenya, ensure quality assurance of GIRL-H program implementation. S/he will contribute to the monitoring and evaluation functions related to tracking GIRL-H program progress and quality through program logframe, which provides an overview of a program's goal, activities, and anticipated results while identifying how results will be monitored. S/he will be responsible for collecting useful, timely, and actionable information for management, and contribute to the frequent review, reflection, and key learning process to improve performance.

The GIRL-H MEAL Officer will oversee and ensure the collection of quality M&E data for the GIRL-H program, document M&E plans for the program, and develop the data management systems. S/he will assist in implementing review and learning processes (e.g., complaints mechanisms, feedback loops, lessons learned documentation and sharing, etc.). S/he will work closely with the local implementing partners and other stakeholders involved in program implementation in order to ensure a coherent and comprehensive program is implemented, lessons are learned and experiences are shared across the various sectors and program teams. The GIRL-H MEAL Officer will support the activities of the external evaluator in the review of tools which will form the basis of program monitoring and on-the-job assistance for local implementing partners.

Additionally, the position requires management and analysis of cloud-based datasets for timely, and often real-time, visualization and utilization. The GIRL-H MEAL Officer will work with the GIRL-H Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Manager to continue to develop an end-to-end standard for mobile data, which includes building and maintaining dashboards of program progress and performance, linkages of CommCare data to other efficient platforms. Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) is key to Mercy Corps programs, therefore the MEAL Officer is required to own this component and ensure GESI sensitivity is integrated into his/her work area.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Accountability, and Learning

•  The GIRL-H MEAL Officer will work with the GIRL-H Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Manager to develop appropriate monitoring, tracking, and reporting systems, tools, and templates (including an M&E plan) that enhance monitoring of program outputs and quality, generate quality evidence on program impact, and promote and ensure the use of data for decision-making processes.
•  Work with the GIRL-H Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Manager to develop, manage, and maintain up-to-date GIRL-H Program databases that reflect progress through Monitoring, including Sex and Age Disaggregated Data (SADD) participants counts, and facilitate timely information updates, data quality assurance, sharing of information and learning, etc, while ensuring consistent and accurate transfer of data from both physical and virtual assessments and monitoring tools to internal databases.
•  S/He will carry out regular monitoring and field visits to all counties of Marsabit, Wajir, Turkana, Garissa, and Isiolo program communities for spot checks, data collection and validation through post-distribution monitoring, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, including data validation, assuring quality control measures, timely data submission in coordination with the local partners MEL Officers.
•  S/He is responsible for data indicator tracking and analysis, linking it with evidence on a regular basis, and ensuring that data and metrics in field reports are accurate.
•  Remain updated with developments among the Mercy Corps GIRL-H community and agency-wide MEAL trends and resources, and ensure that the local implementing partners MEAL team are applying Mercy Corps guidance and policies appropriately and in a timely manner.
•  Play a key role in the development and leading in the review of result chains, intervention strategies, M&E frameworks, and document changes to generate learnings and ideas for the GIRL-H programs.
•  While ensuring quality data collection for program activities, and monitoring the quality and completeness of data sets, the GIRL-H MEAL Officer will further ensure the timely preparation of data analysis at the area level and share with the Research and Evidence Director for consolidation of internal and external quality and informative monthly and quarterly reports.
•  S/He will lead and also participate in the development and implementation of assessments, studies, surveys, and data collection methodologies.
•  S/He will work with the local implementing partners MEAL Officers and Program teams to integrate M&E into the GIRL-H program planning and implementation systems and ensure adherence to Mercy Corps M&E minimum standards.
•  Coordinate with the MEAL Officers of the local implementing partners in Wajir, Turkana, Garissa, and Isiolo counties to ensure timely quality data collection and entry.
•  Support use of digital data collection for M&E needs wherever possible.
•  Support documentation of program progress through tracking attendance sheets, photos, etc.
•  Lead in the development of reports on monitoring findings and program participants' stories.
•  In conjunction with the GIRL-H Program Manager, lead in Lessons Learned sessions and disseminate results across the teams.

Data Analysis and Reporting

•  Support the program team in data collection and data analysis.
•  Liaise with other program teams and M&E staff as required to ensure that the program databases complement and align with each other. This will ensure that data on program outputs and program impacts are aligned and reported together.
•  Coordinate with the GIRL-H program team and the local implementing partners team to review indicator updates on a monthly basis.
•  Generate and integrate data reports in the form of tables, graphs, charts, narratives, and appealing visuals from the program databases at regular intervals, ensuring reports/information are available for program implementation staff as required, and to fulfill internal and external reporting requirements.
•  Facilitate data analysis with the program implementation team as requested, while reviewing and editing data in reports as requested and required.
•  Contribute to program achievement reporting on Power Bi, Activity Info, and other relevant reporting mechanisms.
•  Support in the intra-agency referral mechanism.

Capacity Building

•  The MEAL Officer will strengthen the capacities of all relevant team members to develop and maintain a robust M&E system, and to implement program-monitoring tools, accurately enter program data into relevant databases, and enable them to develop excellent reports and other documents
•  S/He will strengthen the capacity of local implementing partners in the area of M&E and reporting.
•  Support timely production of weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual donor reports based on agreed performance indicators.
•  Adapt existing protocols and plans to mentor and coach colleagues to enable them to develop high-quality reports.
•  Facilitate periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring information that feeds into programming and learning

Accountability to Program Participants

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

The GIRL-H MEAL Officer will ensure that Mercy Corps' Community Feedback and Accountability Mechanism is clearly communicated to program participants and that the hotline numbers are visible to end participants throughout the program. S/He will ensure all activities are gender-sensitive and follow Mercy Corps' Gender Equity Policy, apply Do No Harm standards to ensure activities do not have detrimental effects on vulnerable communities.

Influence and Representation

•  Support and coordinate field learning visits to counties, communities, partners, and external visitors, such as donors and media, in collaboration with GIRL-H Program Manager.
•  Support the GIRL-H Program Manager in coordination and communication of field activities with other non-governmental organizations, and government partners for effective synergy, thereby avoiding service duplication, but enhancing support for an enabling environment for GIRL-H program interventions.
•  Establish and maintain a productive working relationship with the GIRL-H Program Manager, local implementing partners, and stakeholders, and work in unison to develop complementary joint monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive management structures where possible.

Ethics and Integrity

All Mercy Corps staff are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate the highest integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero-tolerance for any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment, or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action or may lead to termination.

Security

Ensure data protection policies are adhered to, establishing security controls for software, hardware, and archive beneficiary databases.

Organization Learning

As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Supervisory Responsibility: None.

Reports Directly To: GIRL-H Program Manager with strong dotted lines to the PMU Manager, Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Manager.

Works Directly with: Program Officers, local implementing partners field team (Program, MEAL, Finance, HR, Operations), and global GIRL-H technical team.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

•  Must hold at least a bachelor's degree in social science, Statistics, Business administration or relevant field
•  At least 4-5 years of program monitoring and evaluation experience
•  Should understand concepts and demonstrate skills in monitoring and evaluation, project cycle, results chain and frameworks, participatory monitoring
•  Should be able to design and implement surveys, have knowledge of commonly used probability and purposive sampling techniques
•  Must have good writing and analytical skills
•  Should have knowledge of quantitative and qualitative data collection, reporting techniques. S/he should understand and be able to apply basic measures of central tendency and spread
•  In addition to Microsoft Excel, the incumbent should demonstrate fluency in use of at least one data management software including MS Access, SPSS, and STATA.
•  Knowledge about CommCare and PowerBi is required.
•  Must be fluent both spoken and written English.

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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.