PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has been operating in Kenya since 2008, focusing its interventions around four objectives: 1) Peace and Conflict Management; 2) Livelihood/Market Systems; 3) Governance (particularly at the county level); and 4) Youth Employment/Employability (including the social and economic development of adolescents). The four objectives serve to increase community resilience to drought and other shocks and stresses, and to decrease fragility with a particular focus on Kenya’s Arid Lands. Mercy Corps’ vision for change requires the private sector, government and civil society to work together to create meaningful and sustainable change.
Mercy Corps seeks to implement a multi-year, 12 million GBP program funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). Building Resilience in Civil Society (BRICS II) will engage local and national government, local civil society organizations and communities to mitigate the drivers, enablers and narratives of violent extremism in East Africa through support to policy initiatives, community engagement, and support to national civil society organizations in order to prevent the recruitment of vulnerable individuals by violent extremist organizations. The program will work in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Uganda, through strategies adapted to the context and opportunities in each country to advance research, legislation and field implementation of activities.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager is responsible for leading the overall integration of monitoring, evaluation & learning for the program. S/he is responsible for facilitating a participatory process in order to develop Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning strategies and frameworks tailored to the program.
The MEL Manager shall work closely with the program’s Research and Learning team, ensuring that the program has a robust system in place to measure program results, has a rigorous monitoring system that is regularly collecting performance data, that partners have the skills to collect and report relevant data, and that monitoring and evaluation data is being used to inform research priorities and programmatic decision-making.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Contribute to program-level M&E planning and system development at program start-up.
Facilitate indicator planning, design and negotiation with CSSF on the M&E system development.
Work with the program team to define program indicators and targets for all program years, based on CSSF guidance of standard required and applicable indicators; where applicable and desirable, include Mercy Corps Alpha Indicators or other innovative indicators to measure program impact.
Lead the program 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.
Coordinate assessments, evaluations and monitoring surveys in areas of operation. This will entail development of Scopes of Work, development of survey tools, training’s and management of data collectors, report write and facilitating results discussion.
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.
Work with partners to develop individualized M&E plans that feed into the program’s overarching M&E plan, and train and coach partners on data collection, reporting and using M&E tools.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT & LEARNING
Build a collaborative network of relationships with implementing partners and other stakeholders to encourage learning networks that promote shared learning, aligned approaches, and mutual accountability to quality data collection and programming
Contribute to the development and implementation of knowledge management to further stimulate use of evidence for learning, strategic adaptive management, and high-impact programming.
Work closely with the program’s research partners to define and execute a research strategy, and ensure that M&E data is available to feed into research activities.
Contribute to program visibility and advocacy work by assisting in dissemination of program results and learning information.
Coordinate closely with implementing partners to ensure our activities and data are shared and synced up together and tell one cohesive story.
Connect best practices and learning from within the program and across Mercy Corps countries to ensure an evolving and effective learning system for improving program implementation.
Work with country program team to capture lessons learned during program implementation, and feed this information into thought leadership and research opportunities and into ongoing program management and program design.
Collect and compile impact stories and evidence from the program on a regular basis.
In coordination with program 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.INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
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.
· Understand, maintain and innovate the technical components (including hardware, software, database, etc.) of the 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.
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, 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.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Program M&E team
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Research and Learning Manager
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Team Lead, Research Team, Policy Team, Program Team, Implementing Partners.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
MA/S or equivalent experience in international development, economics, statistics, peace and conflict studies, or other relevant subject with strong quantitative background, and at least four 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. Previous experience working on Conflict or Peacebuilding program is an added advantage.
Strong conceptual knowledge about theories of change, logic model, peace and 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.
Experience 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.
