Position: Regional Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor-ESA – Mercy Corps (Deadline June 2024)
Position: Regional Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor-ESA – Mercy Corps (Deadline June 2024)
Detailed Job Information for Regional Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor-ESA at Mercy Corps
Position: Regional Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor-ESA
Locations: Nairobi, Kenya; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Kampala, Uganda; or other countries within the East & Southern Africa region where Mercy Corps maintains a registered presence.
Reports To: Deputy Regional Director, Programs (DRD-P), Senior Director, Monitoring Evaluation & Learning
Job Posting Date: May 26, 2024
Application Deadline: Check the original job post for specific application deadlines.
Position Summary
Mercy Corps operates in the East & Southern Africa region, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The organization addresses various factors that drive vulnerability while promoting good governance, conflict resolution, resilience, market systems, access to energy and finance, economic opportunities, and youth employment and empowerment.
The Regional MEL (Senior) Advisor provides strategic support and guidance to the countries in the region, ensuring the quality of MEL systems, supporting the implementation of MEL standards, and fostering the use of data for decision-making and evidence generation. Enhancing MEL capacity of the country teams is a key focus, linking country MEL teams through an effective community of practice and driving learning across the region.
Essential Responsibilities
Strategy and Vision:
- Develop and implement a regional MEL Plan aligned with the P2P framework, reflecting both short-term and long-term priorities.
- Lead regional analyses and the development of indicators and metrics to inform and assess progress against the regional strategy.
- Support country counterparts in conducting analyses for country strategy development and in developing systems to track progress.
- Roll out the global Mercy Corps MEL Policy in the region, recommending improvements in alignment with global standards.
- Develop regional research priorities, evidence products, and program learning plans in coordination with global and regional teams.
You may also be eligible for
Team Management and Guidance:
- Supervise regional evidence & learning personnel, including firms, consultants, or project/program teams.
- Advise country and program teams on the structure and areas of expertise needed within MEL functions.
- Support recruitment and onboarding of new MEL team members.
- Foster a culture of adaptive management and strong MEL capacity within each country team.
- Collaborate with global counterparts to provide training and professional development opportunities for MEL team members.
- Provide surge support for strategically important programs, design efforts, or portfolios, mobilizing global E&L team support as needed.
MEL Practice, Project, and Systems Support:
- Assess the status of programs and portfolios compared to MEL requirements and develop action plans for improvement.
- Integrate strong MEL principles and resources into program design, ensuring sound logic models and evidence-based approaches.
- Lead MEL sections of large proposals, including writing narratives, plans, and budgeting.
- Coordinate with global counterparts to address support requests from programs and countries in a timely and accurate manner.
- Ensure new programs quickly adopt recommended data, evidence, and learning systems and tools.
- Participate in the conceptualization and development of standalone evidence projects or programs in the region.
- Oversee or coordinate regional MEL Communities of Practice for knowledge sharing.
Adaptive Management and Program Learning:
- Develop regional dashboards on program performance and provide visibility to country and regional leadership.
- Ensure the uptake and use of MEL and mobile technologies, identifying training needs.
- Facilitate evidence-based learning across the region and link regional learning initiatives to global efforts.
- Organize regional MEL Communities of Practice and learning events.
- Support knowledge management efforts and the use of evidence and learning for adaptive management.
- Assist country teams in recruiting external consultants or firms with relevant expertise.
- Provide technical inputs and oversight on program reviews, evaluations, and studies.
Influence and Representation:
- Present evidence to donors and host governments, highlighting Mercy Corps’ impact and learning.
- Represent Mercy Corps and the region’s evidence and learning functions at internal and external events.
- Develop relationships with regionally based evidence-related partners.
- Actively participate in evidence-driven workstreams at regional, global, and country levels.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
- Ability to design and facilitate training, workshops, and learning events.
Required Education and Experience
- BA/BS or equivalent in MEL, economics, statistics, data science, research methods, political science, or a related field.
- At least 7 years of field experience in MEL roles in both humanitarian and development contexts.
- At least 5 years of field experience in management roles.
- Experience in writing MEL sections of proposals, including narratives, plans, and budgeting.
- Knowledge of program evaluation, design, methodologies, and data collection and analysis tools.
- Experience in designing practical monitoring systems and database management.
- Training and capacity-building experience in person and remotely.
- Proficiency with data management, analysis, and visualization.
- Understanding of humanitarian and development issues in East and Southern Africa.
- Fluency in written and spoken English; additional relevant languages are advantageous.
Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions
- Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kampala, Uganda, or other MC registered locations.
- Requires up to 30% travel to support country programs, including potentially insecure locations.
- Housing is individual, with access to good medical services and a high living standard.
Safeguarding and Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to respectful and dignified treatment of all individuals, adhering to core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Team members must conduct themselves professionally, respect local laws, customs, and Mercy Corps’ policies and values.
Application Process
To apply, visit the Mercy Corps website or the specific job post on the recruitment platform.
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