Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer at Mercy Corps

Reference Number: ABV/PRO/2020/27
Location: Yola, Adamawa

Program / Department Summary

• In 2020, Mercy Corps was awarded a five-year, $8 million USAID-funded Small Town WASH (STW) Activity in Nigeria's northeast.
• The goal of the Activity is to facilitate the economic recovery of selected crisis-affected communities by bolstering the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) to create and sustain enabling environments for Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Agencies (STWSSAs) and Water Consumer Associations (WCAs) operators to increase their capacities to sustainably provide essential WASH services.
• The Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning Officer is a key team member of Mercy Corps' Program Performance and Quality (PaQ) unit.
• The unit exists to support program design, implementation and utilization of information collected at different stages.
• The position holder will support program in planning and execution of monitoring and evaluation activities, 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 development of necessary tools that feed into needs of Mercy Corps and donor reporting requirements.

General Position Summary

• The Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Officer will support the program teams with technical oversight and direction on all monitoring and evaluation needs across implementing area.
• S/he will support the MEL Specialist in ensuring timely and quality reporting.
• The MEL Officer will support the provision of program staff with the information and training to capture monitoring metrics regularly and efficiently.
• S/he will coordinate and support data collection and analysis activities facilitated by MEL Assistants and regularly providing technical oversight, problem-solving and support. S/he will report to the MEL Specialist.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Contribute to adapting existing M&E systems to monitor and evaluate project activities and impact, in accordance with existing Mercy Corps DM&E guidelines.
• Support data capture across program interventions and analyze data collected during monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Oversee data indicator tracking and analysis, linking it with evidence regularly and ensure that data and metrics in field reports are accurate.
• Maintain an up to date database that reflects progress through TolaData (including disaggregated beneficiary counts) and donor indicators
• Remain updated with developments among the Mercy Corps Nigeria MEL community and agency-wide MEL trends and resources, and ensure that the MEL team are applying MC guidance and policies appropriate and promptly
• Play a key role in the development and leading in the review of result chains, sector intervention strategies and M&E frameworks and document changes to generate learnings and ideas for programs
• Write, edit, and summarize field reports to develop quality and informative monthly and quarterly reports for donors and internal teams.
• Work with the program team to identify opportunities to innovate M&E systems (particularly digital enhancement, data visualization).
• Support sector-specific market analysis, documenting market system behaviour changes, as well as other case studies at the project and program levels - data quality controls as integral of maintaining a systematic MEL process.
• Tracking and documenting key aspects of pilot projects for iterative adaptive learning and scale of proven models
• Coordinate assessments, evaluations and monitoring surveys in the area of operation.
• Provide input on the design and implementation of baseline studies, mid-term evaluations and final evaluations.
• Visit project sites and partners to collect supplementary data, stories and conduct qualitative research both independently and in teams to ensure regular and accurate information.
• Work closely with program teams for filing/archiving documentation both softcopies and hard copies.

Learning:

• Support learning-to-action events, reflections session to systematically analyze data for programmatic use and to document and incorporate lessons learned into program design, planning and implementation.
• Leverage lessons learned, best practices, program data, evaluations and provide evidence-based information, proposal annexes, success stories, case studies and other high quality, results-based documentation.
• Work closely with Learning and Communication officer to identify and document different case stories and communications points and process across programs

Additional Tasks:

• Support with other tasks as needed.

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.

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: CLA Advisor
• Works Directly With: MEL Manager, Technical Sector Advisors, All MEL Officers, MEL  Advisor, and Program Team

Knowledge and Experience

• At least 2 years of experience in development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation or other learning efforts is required.
• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Agriculture, Demography, Statistics, Business Administration or relevant field (Essential).
• Should understand concepts and demonstrate skills in monitoring and evaluation, project cycle, results chain and frameworks, participatory monitoring and or Market facilitation
• Capacity to produce high-quality briefs and reports
• Demonstrated ability to train and build the capacity of others, including private small/medium micro-enterprises on the essence of data for decision.
• Should be able to design and implement surveys, have knowledge of commonly used probability and purposive sampling techniques
• Should know quantitative and qualitative data collection, reporting techniques. S/he should understand and be able to apply basic measures of central tendency and spread
• Experience developing and disseminating regular communication materials and updates
• Experience representing the organization and its interests to a diverse range of local and international government officials, private sector, local civil society organizations, other international organizations, the media and the public.
• Proficiency with digital platforms for MEL (e.g Commcare, Ona/Kobo) – including familiarity with other technology platforms to support programs and MEL related activities
• Ability to demonstrate innovative and adaptive management skills
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing
• Demonstrate strong emotional intelligence
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
• Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa and Fulani are required.

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 Yola, Adamawa State and it requires up to 60 % travel between field offices in Northeast Nigeria.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.