Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Officer at Mercy Corps

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
MC Nigeria anticipates starting a new emergency response program in Gombe state. This one year program will incorporate relief work and livelihood in order to address to support displaced people and host communities in Gome State.

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer will be responsible for supporting the Humanitarian Director to ensure that MEL systems, procedures, performance monitoring and results reporting are in place, effectively implemented and well synchronized. The MEL Officer could travel frequently and will be based in Gombe

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

•     MEL System Development and Maintenance – Collaborate closely with colleagues and partners in developing and establishing the MEL system serving the needs of the overall program.  The system must be designed and maintained to harmonize MC Nigeria and partner project approaches with utility and program quality in mind, providing managers and their team’s real time information that can steer program implementation as well as improves our ability to analyze and represent impact to donors, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.
•     Staff Training and Capacity Building- Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain an excellent MEL system and enable them to develop excellent reports and other documents
•     Monitoring and Evaluation Assessments - Assist in designing programs that incorporate Mercy Corps’ and MC Nigeria’s standards on design, monitoring, evaluation and learning. Ensure that monitoring systems meet donor requirements.

Grants and Reports Management
·         Developing appropriate documentation to track grants to local partners.
·         Assist to conduct assessments of local capacity.
·         Provide training and support to local partners in administering and reporting.
·         Regularly conduct project site visits in order to maintain current information for accurate documentation and reporting.
·         Assist in training colleagues and partner teams, as necessary.
·         Any other duties related to grants and program reports.
·         Assist the program implementation team in timely and accurate reporting to donors.

Organizational Learning
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.

Accountability to Beneficiaries
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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:
University degree in Social Science or equivalent work experience in monitoring, evaluating and learning (MEL) through direct program implementation. Minimum 4 years direct work experience in project implementation and/or MEL systems. Work experience in relevant field is required.  Prior experience of carrying out surveys, conducting interviews, and undertaking assessments are essential.  Understanding of qualitative and quantitative indicators.  Creative and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking. Analytical and report writing skills are necessary.  Computers skills – word-processing and spreadsheets experience required.  Computer database experience preferred. Experience in the development of Logical Framework Analyses and in the conducting of Participatory Rural Appraisal is extremely desirable.

SUCCESS FACTORS:
·         Conscientious, with excellent judgment.
·         Display an entrepreneurial spirit that is both creative and flexible. S/he will combine strong communication skills, creativity, initiative, participatory leadership and tactful decisiveness to assist in the development and implementation of MC Nigeria’s programming strategy.
·         Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.
·         S/he must have the confidence, and humility, to work effectively with a large variety of people who will be diverse culturally, economically and in social status.
·         S/he must be sensitive to political and cultural nuance and able to consistently apply excellent judgment to a variety of demanding and fast-changing situations.
·         Ability to foster solid working relationships with government counterparts, teammates, local partners and others.
·         Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with project personnel.
·         Strong organizational skills.
·         S/he will have the ability to comfortably adapt to a quickly changing environment with a sense of urgency, humor, and curiosity.