Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer

Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer

Requisition Number: SENIO005312

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps (MC) is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps has been operating in Nepal since 2005, implementing programs in food security, agriculture, market development, financial services, girl’s education, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. We take a systems-based approach in our programming, with the aim of improving the lives and potential of vulnerable individuals and communities across Nepal.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps believes that strong monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) contributes to improved program quality, performance, results and impact; advances Mercy Corps’ mission; and increases accountability to program stakeholders. Mercy Corps has a standard Monitoring Evaluation and Learning policy that includes MEL minimum standards that need to be followed by all relevant projects and programs in Country Offices. To ensure this, Mercy Corps Nepal requires Senior MEL officer who will be Country Office MEL and Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) focal.

General Position Summary

The Sr. MEL Officer will work under the supervision of the Director of Programs and in close coordination with the Program Managers, Inclusion and Accountability Advisor, Senior Technical Officers, and local implementing partners.

The general duties and responsibilities of the Sr. MEL Officer are to provide overall leadership to all program-level MEL and CARM activities including both development and emergency response programs. This includes setting up and rolling out MEL systems ensuring MC minimum standards, assisting with various planned and ad-hoc research/surveys and periodically updating indicator tracking tables. He/she will also be involved in database development and management, including assigning and encrypting unique IDs for tracking, and conducting training to MC staff and partners on data analysis and interpretation. The Senior M&E Officer will provide accurate, current and timely information to support department/program requirements and be responsible for generating reports and organizing and summarizing data received from various sources.

As gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), safeguarding, governance, and environmental sensitivity are cross-cutting and core components of all MC programs, the Sr. MEL Officer is required to own these components and ensure these components are integrated into his/her work area.

Essential Job Responsibilities

The specific duties and responsibilities of the Sr. MEL Officer include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Set-up the MEL and CARM system, including all tools and data collection processes using CommCare, that Mercy Corps will be using to track beneficiaries and other data.
• Lead the development of the program’s MEL and CARM Plan, with the implementing partners.
• Contribute to program implementation to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps, donor and international standards, including the use of standardized indicators and documentation methodologies.
• Build capacity of all relevant program team members and partners on the MEL and CARM. Facilitate trainings and regular coaching sessions to ensure all program staff are concurrent with MEL systems, tools and methodologies.
• Design, participate, lead, coordination and/or implementation of assessments, evaluations and research initiatives, working closely with the regional and HQ team. This includes leading or providing assistance to designing research (one-off efficacy evaluation/assessment/studies) and Baseline, Mid-term, endline survey and case studies.
• Collaborate, analyze and validate information and data received from assessment, evaluations and regular monitoring activities.
• Coordinate closely with Regional CARM Advisor to collate and analyze CARM data received from the system and present pattern analysis and recommendations back to the program.
• Ensure that lessons learned throughout the program are captured and communicated to internal and external stakeholders through appropriate channels.
• Develop and manage a clear system for tracking and reporting against deliverables; and support in ensuring timely submission of high-quality donor reports.
• Work closely with the business development team and contribute to the development of relevant section of the proposal.
• Review and ensure the emergency MEL practices in the startup discussion and work with HQ for technical support.
• Coordinate and play a role in emergency response and assessment as requested.
• Rollout MEL policy Standard and follow up with country programs for the compliance of MEL standards.
• Contribute to program implementation to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps, donor and international standards, including the use of standardized indicators and documentation methodologies.
• Ensure the Team Leader/Program Manager has sufficient data and analytical narrative to include in donor reports.
• Lead the institutionalization of learning in the program structure by supporting the program team to develop and understand the programs results/monitoring framework, monitoring systems and feedback loops that enable learning and adaptive management.
• Ensure that the MEL and CARM data trends is presented in a report and shared with the program team regularly to ensure timely integration of learning into activity adaptation and identify program priority.
• Review and internalize Mercy Corps MEL minimum standardsand coordinate Participant count for all program.
• Support the MEL Tech Suite rollout and play a role in signing off MEL technology plans for all the Mercy Corps Nepal Programs.
• Represent MC Nepal in regional MEL community of Practice meeting and share the information with the rest of the country MEL team.
• Conduct Regular MEL meetings with Nepal MEL team and organize capacity building events consulting with SMT and programs for the budget considerations.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure adherence to program management minimum standards in carrying out his/her duties, advising and supporting other staff in the same as required.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.

Others

• Ensure proper integration of safeguarding and GESI aspects into sector specific program planning and implementation.
• Mercy Corps as a humanitarian agency is expected to respond as and when crisis and humanitarian situation engulfs. As MC employees all staff are expected to be part of humanitarian and emergency response in addition to their regular roles and responsibilities.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not to jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned by his/her supervisor and or Country Director.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: Program Managers, Program MEL and CARM focal, Regional and HQ CARM Advisors, Inclusion and Accountability Advisor, Mercy Corps Global Technical Support Unit (TSU) team members as required.

Knowledge and Experience

• Preferably Master degree or Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Information technology, International Development, Program management or any other relevant field.
• 5- 8 years of relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation with positions of progressively greater responsibilities.
• Qualitative and quantitative data collection, management and analysis skills are essential for the ideal candidate.
• Experience working with Microsoft Office computer packages including Microsoft Excel and familiarity with Tableau, Google data studio & Power BI.
• Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of office applications. Experience skills at data management and data analysis using different software.
• Strong track record of training and building capacity of local staff in remote areas.
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action so as to not delay program activities.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Willingness to travel domestically across program districts as needed.
• Excellent spoken and written English and Nepali language skills and ability to interact effectively with international and national staff.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have the ability to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment with a capacity to spark innovative approaches to programming and inspire groups to collaborate closely to implement high-quality programs. S/he will have proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results, with an ability and willingness to remain mobile for short-term and/or long-term as necessary within the region, based on programmatic needs. An ability to work independently and as part of a team, with curiosity about and sensitivity to new cultures, a desire and ability to learn and grow, both personally and professionally, and a great sense of humor.

The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short-term assignment to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme — SCHR We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members must complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and annually.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).

Organizational 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.

Travel Required

Yes. Frequent travel to Project Working Areas