Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer at Mercy Corps

Reference Number: ABV/DEVPRGGM/2018/00007
Location: Abuja
Position Status: Full-time

Programme / Department Summary

• The second phase of the Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE II) Programme is an initiative to improve the learning outcomes and economic status of marginalised adolescent girls aged 17 - 23 years old in the Northern Nigerian states of Kano and Kaduna, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria.
• ENGINE through funding from the UK Department for International Development’s Girls Education Challenge, the Coca-Cola Company and other stakeholders supported over 18,000 marginalised girls to reduce education and financial barriers in its first implementation phase. In its second phase, ENGINE II is facilitating the transition of these girls into functional literacy, numeracy and scale up their business opportunities and linkages.
• ENGINE II will further increase the access of these girls and young women to (1) financial education and life skills; (2) peer to peer networks and mentoring; and (3) direct assets (materials and savings).
• Beneficiaries will be integrated into value chains and other market-driven employment opportunities.
• ENGINE II will also work with girls in formal and informal education to increase their learning opportunities and outcomes to prepare them for future economic activities and work in the policy environment and in this way, provide an enabling environment for girls to flourish in their chosen pathways.
• Mercy Corps Nigeria is leading the implementation of the ENGINE II programme with new and innovative solutions to scale up existing interventions aimed at delivering quality education and skills to the hardest to reach girls.
• Mercy Corps will collaborate with other stakeholders for the implementation of the ENGINE II programme, including the Nigerian Ministry of Education, Central Bank, National Youth Service Corps and as well as private sector actors.

General Position Summary

• The Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Officer will support the ENGINE II programme team with technical oversight and direction on all monitoring and evaluation needs across implementing areas. Specifically, s/he will support the MEL Advisor in ensuring timely and quality reporting.
• The Senior MEL Officer will also support the provision of programme staff with the information and training to capture monitoring metrics efficiently. S/he will support data collection and analysis activities facilitated by MEL Assistants based on the coordination of the MEL Advisor, regularly providing technical oversight, problem-solving and support.
• The Senior MEL Officer will co-ordinate closely with the M&E officers and MEL assistants to ensure timely upload of data collected by primary data collectors to the designated server in the states where the ENGINE II programme is implemented.
• The Senior MEL Officer will be responsible for biweekly analysis and presentation of priority data sets to the programme implementation team in a format that can be easily understood.
• The Senior MEL Officer will be responsible monthly analysis of field data and the drafting of a monthly report to support decision making and for programme implementation.
• The Senior MEL Officer, coordinate closely with the MEL Advisor and other team members to plan and conduct the scheduled monitoring of implementation partner activities and in this way ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ and DFID standards, including the contribution of activities to standardised indicators and documentation methodologies.
• S/he will have support the MEL Advisor in implementing research efforts, networking with research agencies, documenting project impacts, and overseeing field-based M&E staff.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision:

• Recognise opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcome.
• Contribute to developing and organising activities to secure resources for programmes and convince stakeholders to provide support.

Technical Functions:

• Contribute to adapting existing M&E systems to monitor and evaluate programme activities and impact, in accordance with existing Mercy Corps DM&E guidelines.
• Lead back end input and modifications on the agency’s data collection software – CommCare by utilising standard Mercy Corps assessment tools and help in developing new tools.
• Lead pre- and post- activity monitoring, needs assessments, surveys, qualitative assessments and verification as well as support the activities of the programme’s External Evaluator.
• Conduct regular field visits to meet beneficiaries, coordinate with project and M&E officers, to ensure the correct and efficient capture of data correctly efficiently for regular and accurate information.
• Oversee data tracking and analysis on regular basis and ensure that data and metrics in field reports are accurate and in this way, support digital data capture across programme intervention states
• Maintain an up to date database that reflects progress (including disaggregated beneficiary counts) and donor indicators.
• Analyse and present data collected during monitoring and evaluation activities in a format that is relevant to non M&E professionals.
• Write, edit, and summarise Monitoring and Evaluation reports to develop quality and informative monthly and quarterly reports for donors and internal teams.
• Provide input on the design, implementation and reporting of mid-term and final evaluations.

Communication and Capacity Building:

• Work closely with the programme team for filing/archiving documentation both softcopies and hardcopies.
• Lead in the development of other reports as requested by the MEL Advisor (this may include research for new projects or programmes or information requested by the donors, among other things)
• Actively participate in meetings and processes to promote effective programme management (through strong MEL practices) across the entire country portfolio.
• Strengthen staff capacity in qualitative and quantitative monitoring and evaluation tools through comprehensive training and coaching.
• Problem-solve with others to address shortfalls in monitoring, evaluation and information management that affect programme implementation.
• Utilise internal Mercy Corps global online information-sharing resources to enhance organisational learning.
• Participate in M&E-related working groups and maintain close working relationships with MEL counterparts in other relevant international NGOs, local NGOs, and associations in Nigeria.
• Work with communications team to Track and report lessons learned, prepare data driven success stories about the programme and share with MEL Advisor and communication team for further action.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall programme targets and donor obligations are met.

Research Coordination:

• Contribute to the effective management of the longitudinal research methods adopted by the ENGINE II programme to accurately track beneficiaries over the life of the project.
• Maintain regular contact with relevant research agencies, including through relevant research partnerships, and help to increase the skills and product quality of these organisations.
• Coordinate with Mercy Corps’ HQ-based Technical Support Unit (TSU) to guide process of exante, ex-post and midterm evaluation from the design, implementation and documentation phases using the TolaData platform.

Team Management:

• Promote a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Ensure accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.
• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organisational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organisational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organisations 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:

• MEL Officer and MEL Assistants

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: MEL Advisor, ENGINE II
• Works Directly With: ENGINE II Teams: Programme Implementation, Communications, Public-Private Partnerships and Policy and Governance Teams. Operations department, Finance and Compliance department and other relevant MC staff, members of MC’s global TSU and MEL staff.

Knowledge and Experience

• A strong foundation in research methods, statistics, measurement, and evaluation is a key requirement for this position. Demonstrated understanding of intermediate and advanced statistics and the ability to summarise generalise, and make predictions from large data sets are non-negotiable skills required for this role. Key considerations are for:
• Postgraduate degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Demography or Computer Science Candidates with a research, or M&E background and postgraduate qualifications in Development, Education, Social Sciences, or Public health will also be considered
• Minimum of 5 progressive years of Monitoring, Evaluation and/or Research work with skills in information dissemination evidenced by demonstrated use of ICT4D in monitoring and reporting. Experience in international development is required; ideal candidate will have both theoretical and practical background in M&E, communication experience and skilled in qualitative and quantitative M&E methodologies and techniques.
• Experience or in-depth knowledge of monitoring and evaluating randomised Controlled Trials is a plus. Excellent computer skills, including experience with: Excel, PowerPoint, SPSS or STATA.
• Experience supervising M&E teams and building team capacity to deliver high-quality results.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to conceptualise, plan and implement monitoring activities creatively, the ideal candidate should also possess the ability to utilise lessons learned for the continuous improvement of programme implementation and to promote a culture of learning.
• Familiarity and experience with large-scale evaluations or programme monitoring (preferably secondary education or school to work) and especially targeting marginalised girls or young women programmes is preferred.
• Experience working in the Northern States of Nigeria.
• Fluency in English Language (written and oral) required.
• Fluency in Hausa Language and/or Yoruba language will be favourably considered.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will combine technical skills (field work and analytical components) with a focus on innovative interventions to engage adolescent girls in informal education and skills building linked with private sector entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in a culturally and religiously conservative environment. S/he will have an outstanding ability to implement and manage innovative and complex monitoring approaches within the current and future programme structure of Mercy Corps in the region. Multi-tasking, prioritising, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.
• The most successful Mercy Corps staff 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 work hours. 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.