Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager

General Position Summary
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager is responsible for leading the overall integration of monitoring, evaluation & learning in Mercy Corps’ Activity. S/he is responsible for facilitating a participatory process in order to develop Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning strategies and frameworks tailored to this Activity.
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager shall closely work with Mercy Corps’ Program Performance and Quality Team during the first year of the program. S/he shall support the different Managers of the Activity to develop workplans with clear targets and timeframes including defined roles and responsibilities.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Contribute to program-level M&E planning and system development at program start-up. Facilitate indicator planning, design and negotiation with USAID on the M&E systems and development; define with the team, program indicators and targets for all program years, based on the USAID guidance of standard required and applicable indicators; where applicable and desirable, include Mercy Corps Alpha Indicators.
Lead the Activity in the design of the detailed M&E plan, including design of data collection tools and methodologies, M&E workflow, data flow, data integrity, data quality assurance, database design and protocols, secondary research to inform baseline assessments and measurement frameworks, and ensuring alignment with Mercy Corps and Industry standards.
Champion the inclusion of qualitative data collection and analysis for both direct and supplemental measurements of program performance. Train teams in appropriate methods for focus group discussion and key informant interviews and lead field-based qualitative data collection as needed.
In coordination with MEL team, drive the capacity building of program staff on design and M&E concepts through trainings and new hire orientation, including designing and delivering formal trainings. Design comprehensive orientation for all new staff.
Work closely with the Activity’s research partners to define and execute a research strategy including overseeing this partnership and its work.
Contribute to program visibility and advocacy work by assisting in dissemination of program research and learning information.
Coordinate closely and the Leader with Associate agency to ensure our activities and data are shared and synced up together and tell one cohesive story.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Understand, maintain and innovate the technical components (including hardware, software, database, etc.) MEL information and data management system that improves MC’s ability to implement quality programs through better collection, management, analysis and presentation of data, and represent impact to donor, government bodies, peer organizations and communities using standard technologies.
Serve as technical advisor for technology for data management systems and real-time data flow, utilizing appropriate software platforms for cloud aggregation, data processing and manipulation, and data visualization and utilization. This includes learning and testing new software platforms, as well as working with tech partners, to develop both project and country level information management systems.
Assist teams in setting up appropriate summary statistics and relational calculations in program databases and link them to tracking dashboards. Help develop the appropriate workflow.
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.
Accountability to Beneficiaries
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specificallyto 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.
Supervisory Responsibility
Program M&E team
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Chief of Party
Works Directly With: Activity component leads, Activity field teams, coordination with other MEL teams in-country
Knowledge and Experience
MA/S or equivalent experience in international development, economics, agricultural economics, statistics, bio-statistics, nutrition or other relevant subject with strong quantitative background, and at least six years of experience in progressively increasing M&E responsibility in international development projects. The candidate must have experience in leading the M&E of a large project.
Strong conceptual knowledge about theories of change, logic model, food and nutrition security indicators, M&E plan, data quality assurance, data utilization, and gender integration into M&E.
Demonstrated experience and expertise in developing and operationalizing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan.
Demonstrated expertise and experience in developing and operationalizing routine monitoring system designed to track both output and outcome indicators.
Strong quantitative background and demonstrated expertise in designing annual monitoring surveys including probabilistic sampling strategy and estimating sample size, developing appropriate weights, and analyze quantitative data.
Demonstrated expertise in designing qualitative studies, in-depth knowledge about qualitative sampling, and experienced in using interview and interactive tools to generate qualitative information and analysis.
Experienced in developing data quality assurance strategies, data management, and data visualization.
Demonstrated expertise and experience in data utilization strategies and can creatively think about active data sharing techniques.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and other language(s), as required.
Success Factors
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Strong facilitation skills.
Ability and willingness to both lead and follow as appropriate.
Has an internal and external network of experts to draw upon as needed.