Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer at Mercy Corps

Location: Potiskum, Yobe, Nigeria
Travel: with 50% travel
Position Status Full-time; Regular
Supervisory Responsibility: MEL Assistant(s)
Reports Directly To: Field Manager
Works Directly With: Northeast PAQ Unit, Northeast Program teams, Field Program Team, Field Operations team

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, and conflict mitigation. With the ongoing insurgency in Northeast Nigeria causing the displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs.
• As the crisis has persisted, Mercy Corps’ strategy has also expanded to address the root causes of the conflict and seek to build the long term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on governance, the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, youth empowerment, and local conflict management.

General Position Summary

• The Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Officer will support the planning and execution of monitoring and evaluation, ensuring quality in accordance with accepted standards, providing essential feedback for learning, accountability and decision-making.
• S/he will be responsible for providing internal capacity building for program staff on monitoring and evaluation activities as well as review and develop the tools and reports necessary to meet Mercy Corps and donor reporting requirements.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy and Design:

• Ensure that the MEL systems for the field location comply with Mercy Corps’ global, regional and country policies, procedures, standards and strategic initiatives.
• As needed, assist in the coordination of consortium MEL activities.
• Assist in program strategy design, planning and implementation to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ Minimum Standards, including the use of standardized tools and indicators and documentation methodologies.
• Lead and support the design and implementation of assessments and other pre, ex-ante and post data collection and analysis.
• Support learning-to-action events, reflection session to analyze data for programmatic use and to document and incorporate lessons learned into program design, planning and implementation.

Data Management and Quality Controls:

• Assist program teams to develop and maintain knowledge and Information management system to support data collection, reflection, analysis and reporting needs.
• Ensure quality control procedures and accuracy of entered data and comparing it with the existing filing system to make sure all records are consistent and aligned.
• Provide support for the development of MEL Plans, tools, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other services as may be required for program monitoring and evaluation.
• Ensure program teams (including partners) are compliant with donor monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements (adhere to donor MEL guidelines)

Technical Support:

• Play a key role in the development and review of program, sector intervention strategies and MEL frameworks and document changes to generate learnings and ideas for programs.
• Maintain an up to date database that reflects progress on indicators (including disaggregated beneficiary counts).
• Coordinate assessments, evaluations and monitoring surveys in the area of operation. This will entail the development of Scopes of Work, development of survey tools, training and management of data collectors, report writing and facilitating discussion on the results.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Regularly document lessons learned best practices, program data analysis, summaries, and evaluations and provide evidence-based information, success stories, case studies and other high quality, results-based documentation.
• Produce quality program reports and support program teams to review and improve on the quality of reporting.
• Visit sites and partners to collect supplementary data, stories and conduct qualitative research both independently and in teams and support partner-organizations with proper documentation and report generation.

Leadership and Capacity Building:

• Build the capacity of all relevant team members (including partner staffs) to develop and maintain an excellent MEL system and facilitate periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring information that feeds into programming and learning.
• As needed, support in the training and oversight of enumerators for data-collection.

Additional Tasks:

• Maintain professional relationships with local government officials, private sector partners, NGOs, other development organizations, and civil society organizations.
• Maintain an active advisory role with the program and MEL team to help guide them towards robust and relevant data collection.
• Work with MEL and IT staff to maximize the value and utility of technology initiatives for effective MEL for the Northeast.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to credit Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its mission.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by his/her supervisor or representatives.

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.

Knowledge and Experience

• Must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agriculture, Demography, Statistics, Business Administration or relevant field (MA/MSc/MBA or equivalent preferred).
• Three years of MEL experience (or similar) – preferably in Yobe state.
• Should understand concepts and demonstrate skills in monitoring and evaluation, results frameworks/program logic, and participatory monitoring.
• Experience with both quantitative and qualitative data collection and reporting techniques.
• Should be able to design and implement surveys, have knowledge of commonly used sampling techniques.
• Experience with facilitation, capacity building, formal and informal knowledge transfer, partnership strengthening, and empowering staff through opportunities for growth and development.
• Experience leading learning extraction, development and sharing as part of the monitoring and evaluation feedback process.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis software such as SPSS, EPI Info and mobile data collection platforms preferable.
• Experience with market price monitoring and analysis.
• Experience with digital or technology platforms for program and MEL related activities
• Strong ability to work for teams
• Communicates well with remote collaborators
• Manages multiple priorities and deadlines
• Excellent oral and written English skills (demonstrate good writing skills)
• Fluency in Hausa is strongly preferred.
• Past experience with Mercy Corps is an asset, but not a requirement.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment

Success Factors:

• S/he will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive communication skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.
• Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

• The position is based in Potiskum, Yobe State and it requires up to 50 % travel to field offices in and around Potiskum.