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

Requisition Number: MELOF002881
Location: Owerri, Imo
Employment Type: Full-time

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps is currently implementing the STWASH activity in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states as well as moving into Abia, Delta and Imo State under the E-WASH program.
• The activity was awarded on March 20, 2020. STWASH is expanding access to improved water resources by increasing the supply and maintenance of key water distribution infrastructure (including piping systems/reticulation, water storage tanks, and tap stands for public use towns) that will provide access to safe, reliable, and inclusive water sources for at least 140,000 people. Its approach to reaching the target population is to focus on rehabilitation, improvement, and repair of existing water points that serve the communities most in need of water and sites that have the potential for the highest increase in water yield.
• STWASH is also strengthening the WASH service authorities, management entities, and service providers, as well as the civil society actors who hold them accountable. This is critical to expanding WASH access and ensuring the overall sustainability of services.

General Position Summary

• The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer will work with the Mercy Corps program team as well as partner organizations in Abia, Delta and Imo States to oversee and ensure the collection of quality MEL data for the program.
• The MEL Officer will be responsible for supporting the MEL Advisor to oversee the monitoring and data collection of programs, lead baseline, midterm, and end-line surveys, analyze data to provide insight to project team, and contribute to report writing.
• S/he will ensure that performance monitoring and results reporting tools and processes across the entire program are in place, effectively implemented and well synchronized between the three program states.
• The MEL officer will be an integral member of the program team's learning and reflection processes, leading discussions on participant feedback.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy and Vision:

• Develop MEL Plan(s) for programs and
• Develop a system for reporting and validating program data (Excel, Tola, Access)
• Work closely with the program teams and local partners, to ensure effective monitoring, evaluation and reporting of program activities and results.
• Coordinate reporting with partners, specifically tracking deadlines, ensuring adherence to monitoring formats and requirements, ensuring reporting quality and accuracy, and periodic report writing, editing, and
• Compile progress against indicators and report back to the team according to the monitoring
• Develop Data Quality Assessment
• Perform spot checks on the team’s data collection and reports each
• Actively participate in any additional evaluation MEL activities including but not limited to baseline surveys, mid-term, end-line surveys, evaluations, and household surveys.

MEL Technical Support:

• Develop and adopt M&E tools with approval from the MEL Lead for measuring and reporting indicators performance.
• Provide technical support in developing baseline surveys, assessments, and studies.
• Contribute to updating the log frame and results against program indicators with more detailed input for preparing monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Develop questionnaires and conduct field interviews of the various stakeholders involved in the project
• Visit project sites for monitoring and quality assurance of water point construction and repairs.
• Monitoring and data checks on urban water supply activities to ensure reporting compliance.
• Capacity building of partners and state government authorities.
• To undertake regular data collection through state partners and ensure the quality of the data by verifications and validations.
• Provide feedback to state partners and staff on project performance based on data collected and findings, and lead state partner staff in reviewing project plans as part of the learning and sharing process.

Program Management:

• Contribute to learning/research
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to implement program monitoring tools, accurately enter program data into relevant databases, and enable them to develop excellent reports and other documents.
• Build the capacity of our local partner organizations through ongoing training and support on monitoring tools, entering program data into databases, the development of reports and other documents.
• Document lessons learned and success stories on the project.
• Ensure adherence to program management minimum standards in carrying out his/her duties,advising and supporting other staff in the same as required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Security:

• 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.

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.
• With the support of the MEL Advisor set up the Program Monitoring & Evaluation and learning system while ensuring adequate technical capacity to enhance the system's performance to achieve optimal program reporting.
• Targeted analysis and information gathering on the WASH sector in the southern aspect of the STWASH Activity.
• Participate in regular meetings with key stakeholders at the state Government level, ensuring a common understanding of the project's objectives and outcomes.

Reporting:

• Provide weekly and monthly updates reports as per the approved format, summarizing the progress made in project implementation, lessons learned, recommendations for improvement, and case studies.

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:

• Partner and ad-hoc staff

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: MEL Advisor
• Works Directly With: MEL, Programs, Finance, and Operations

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent, preferable in Economics, Statistics, Business Administration, Public Administration, International Development or similar field.
• 1 - 3 years MEL experience.
• Fluent in both spoken and written English with a good knowledge of Igbo.
• Previous experience working on USAID-funded programs is preferred.
• Relevant experience in field survey/data collection techniques, data entry, data verification, analysis, and reporting.
• Good understanding and skills in data management.
• Strong computer literacy with full knowledge of MS Office applications; knowledge of data science and programming is plus but not required.
• Strong team coordination, listening, and consensus-building skills.

Success Factors:

• A strong team member will be conscientious, with excellent judgement, capable of multi-tasking, prioritising, problem-solving and attention to detail with strategic vision.
• 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, as well as the ability to foster solid working relationships with Mercy Corps staff and CBOs.
• Working as part of a team and coordinating with project personnel, as well as strong organizational skills, are essential to this position.