Monitoring And Evaluation Advisor at Mercy Corps

 Conflict Management Portfolio Summary
Mercy Corps Nigeria conflict management portfolio currently includes three projects: (1) UKAID funded North East Conflict Management and Stabilisation (NE CMS) consortium program aimed at preventing participation in violent extremism through increased cohesion within and between communities, increased confidence in governance and security institutions in Borno State; and improved access to financial services; (2) USAID funded Engaging Communities for Peace in Nigeria (ECPN) aimed at reducing violence in the Middle Belt states by peacefully preventing and resolving farmer-pastoralist conflicts, and building the capacity of influential local CSOs with mandates in peacebuilding and conflict management/mitigation; and (3) GHR funded Harmonious Association, Religious Participation and Engagement for Northern Nigeria (TARE) aimed at reducing participation in violence in three Northern States of Nigeria through engagement of religious leaders and institutions in inter-faith mediation, peacebuilding initiatives and dialogue with State government.

General Position Summary
The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist is a key position in the Mercy Corps Nigeria Conflict Management Portfolio. S/he is responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, and data analysis to improve ongoing programs and deliver high quality reports and proposals. The M&E Specialist is responsible for developing, with program teams, strong M&E systems and building the capacity of program teams and partners to ensure quality data collection and the integration of evidence within current programming. Additionally, s/he is responsible for ensuring that necessary M&E systems meet internal and donor compliance requirements and that information is provided to program managers and field offices to assist them in generating reports that are timely and high quality.

Essential Job ResponsibilitiesGeneral position description

• Collaborate with Program Managers and country M&E staff to develop and establish M&E systems that serve the needs of the Conflict Management Portfolio, including the development and implementation of mobile data collection tools.
• Review and develop M&E plans for each program within the Conflict Management Portfolio.
• Lead the development of M&E plans, tools, survey designs, methodologies, data analysis and other services that may be required for program monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Ensure that M&E activities take place in line with M&E plans and supervise each stage of the process (design, implementation, analysis, feedback mechanisms, report writing).
• Address shortfalls in monitoring, evaluation and information management that impact quality and affect program implementation.
• Provide leadership in designing individual program-level logical frameworks and M&E systems that inform and improve each program, guide strategy and ensure compliance with Mercy Corps and donor standards.
• Advise logical framework and M&E plan development for grant proposals.
• Establish standard mechanisms for ensuring M&E quality (e.g., spot checks).
• Coordinate with Mercy Corps HQ Technical Support Unit to guide research studies, ex-ante, ex-post and midterm evaluations (including design, implementation and documentation).
• Coordinate internal and external review and lead the analysis of findings, with a strong emphasis on learning.

M&E System development and technical oversight

• Run quantitative data collection exercises using ODK Collect, ONA, CommCare or other open source or digital mobile data tools.
• Conduct project site visits to provide hands-on training to field staff and partners on how to capture and organize information for accurate documentation, analysis and reporting.
• Explore possibilities for use of alternative qualitative of quantitative data collection software or methodologies and applying them as required.
• Ensure that all Conflict Management Portfolio M&E data is stored according to standards outlined in the M&E plan and Mercy Corps minimum standards, including linking data to TolaData.
• Ensure that gender considerations are effectively integrated at design, implementation, analysis and report writing stages for all M&E products.
• Ensure that all data collected is sex and age disaggregated in line with Mercy Corps minimum standards.
• Adapt the M&E data collection and reporting to specific donor requirements as needed.

REporting

• Take the lead in aligning, collecting and reporting on relevant program indicators to the agency-wide M&E system, TolaData.
• Coordinate the production of high-level reports that aligns with donor standards.
• Evaluate and report on potential partners M&E data and planning.
• Produce all required M&E reports for the Conflict Management Portfolio.

COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION

• Actively participate in Conflict Management Portfolio coordination meetings.
• Represent the Conflict Management team at donor M&E inquiries and with partner organizations.
• Participate in cross component M&E meetings to share and document best practices.
• Participate in external M&E forums to share best practices.

Capacity development

• Conduct project site visits to provide hands-on training to field staff on how to capture and organize information for accurate documentation and reporting.
• Assist the program implementation team in collection and analysis of quality information in order to facilitate their timely and accurate reporting to donors.
• Develop a comprehensive staff and partners training series to build team capacities in the area of monitoring and evaluation and other key programmatic skills.

OTHER
Other duties as assigned.

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
None.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Conflict Management Programs
Works Directly With: Country MEL Manager, Mercy Corps Conflict Management program team (with a specific focus on M&E staff), partner organizations, TSU and other Mercy Corps staff.

Knowledge and Experience

• Masters degree or equivalent in social science, statistics, management, international development or other relevant field.
• A minimum of 3 to 5 years of experience in international relief and development, preferably in Africa.
• Experience with mobile-based M&E systems (e.g., ONA, CommCare).
• Experience in staff development and training.
• Excellent computer skills, including experience with Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, SPSS, Access, ODK Collect and other statistical packages.
• Demonstrated ability as a collaborator, achieving results from M&E teams reporting through consortium members.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Strong understanding of donor compliance issues. Experience with USAID and DFID preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English required, including report development, writing and editing.

Success Factors

• A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols.
• The most successful Mercy Corps team 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position will be based in Abuja. Security in Abuja is generally good, although there are times when security is an issue. Housing, health care, water, electricity and consumer goods are all reasonably accessible and there are good international and domestic travel options from Abuja Airport.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment to a field posting. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.