TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP 

• Provide leadership, training and mentoring in the development of a CLA Strategy, CLA tools, M&E systems, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other skills required for assessing the impact of the program, and in particular of resilience building efforts within the program.
• Lead the program resilience learning agenda and technical contributions to resilience measurement
• Lead external evaluators on the design and roll out of the program baseline and evaluations, while setting up effective systems for learning.
• Ensures programs use the necessary CLA systems and tools, to inform and improve each individual program, as well as feed into the broader country-level CLA system and country strategy.
• Provide leadership and support to the MEL Manager in the set-up of the MEL system, including all tools and data collection processes for program activities. Develop and review frequently the Project’s MEL Plan including Data Management Plan.
• Oversee the implementation of the MEL System including rollout of TolaData, automated Institutional Performance Systems (IPTS) and Concept Note Management System (CNMS) and the periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring data to disseminate learning.
• Update and manage HRA Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation system providing the program leadership and teams real time information that can steer program implementation and maximize team’s ability to analyze and represent impact to donor, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.
• Provide leadership and training to ensure HRA meets Mercy Corps minimum standards, use necessary PM@MC systems and tools to inform and improve HRA quality and performance.
• Take the lead on aligning, collecting and reporting on relevant resilience measurement and CLA indicators to the organizational-wide M&E systems, and other external systems as relevant.
• Support teams in collecting sex and age disaggregated data and using gender sensitive data collection methods in order to understand and respond to program results with diverse participants.
• Participates in the facilitation of country and sector-level strategic planning sessions.
• Support HRA programs comply with Gender Equality, Diversity and Social inclusion (GEDSI) and Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) policy and standards including training the program staff and facilitating data driven reflection meetings.
• Support teams to capture success stories, learning briefs, lessons learned during program implementation, and feed this information into thought leadership and research opportunities and into ongoing program management and program design.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

• Provides guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that the MEL systems meet the data, evidence, and learning needs of the program, including the sharing of information internally and externally, and help address shortfalls in MER, CLA, and data management that affect program implementation.
• Ensures HRA adheres to Mercy Corps’ MEL Policy, including the use of TolaData, adherence to Mercy Corps’ Program Record Retention Policy and Responsible Data Policy, and regular Data Quality Assessments (DQAs).
• Develop program and operational reporting templates that facilitate the acquisition, aggregation and flow of information and learning within the program as well as externally.
• Maintain a comprehensive reporting and accountability schedule as well as review program reports to ensure that reports contain accurate, clear, and high-quality data and presented in the proper format.

MANAGEMENT, CAPACITY BUILDING AND MENTORING

• Oversee the HRA MEL & CLA team, Partners MEL and CLA team and sub-contractors, like external evaluators and enumerators.
• Build the capacity of all relevant program and partner team members to develop and maintain an excellent MEL system and CLA practice, including regular reflection and analysis of program quantitative and qualitative data.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION

• Active contributor and collaborator with regional and global counterparts to promote the use of MEL best practices and lessons learned.
• Strengthen linkages with other internal resources, including the Digital Library, Hub, and Workplace, to enhance organizational learning where relevant to MEL.
• Present program M&E, research, and learning to external stakeholders and the program team in a way that influences decision-makers and promotes adaptations from learning.

 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.

 Supervisory Responsibility: MEL Manager, Communications Manager, Economic Inclusion MEL specialist, Safeguarding and Accountability Advisor & CLA team members

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S degree in development studies, research methods, statistics, economics, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, project management or other relevant field required. Postgraduate degree preferred.
• 5 years of managing MEL work at a program or country level, including supervising staff. Proven use of program technology in an MEL function required.
• Experience with CLA approaches and promoting a culture of CLA including a track record in strategic systems, and holistic thinking, managing resistance to change, and understanding of organizational culture, learning, and change management.
• Proven experience with systems thinking or systems approaches to programming
• Proven experience developing iterative learning systems or ‘feedback loops’ within development programs or organizational learning contexts
• Knowledge of resilience in development programs a plus
• Excellent computer skills (especially Microsoft office applications) and ability to use information technology as a tool and resource
• Demonstrated experience in training and capacity building across diverse teams and partners
• Strong writing, editing, public speaking skill and good leadership skills
• Ability to summarize and simplify complex information and communicate it to the targeted groups
• Excellent stakeholder management skills
• Experience of working on USAID programs preferred
• Previous experience living and working in challenging or insecure environments;
• Strong command of English verbal and written skills
• Knowledge of local dialects is preferred.