Monitoring, Evaluation And Learning Manager

Position Description

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Position Status Full-time, Regular

Salary Level: 6

About Mercy Corps

Since 1979, we have helped people grappling with the toughest hardships survive – and then thrive. That’s the heart of our approach: We help communities turn crisis into opportunity. Throughout our history, Mercy Corps has demonstrated innovation, timeliness and the ability to adapt quickly to changing realities.

Programme / Department

Funded by the UK Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), the anticipated Building Resilience against Violent Extremism programme in the Tanzania-Mozambique borderlands, will work with communities, national and sub-national government representatives and international partners to counter violence extremism. The Programme will:

Strengthen understanding of drivers and dynamics of violent extremism in the region;
Strengthen community resilience against violent extremist influence and narratives;
Promote dialogue within communities and between public authorities and citizens in order to increase trust and reduce tensions;
Work with security and justice actors on community-centred and human rights compliant approaches; and
Support mechanisms for conflict management and improved coordination with international partners.

General Position Summary

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager is responsible for leading the overall integration of monitoring, evaluation & learning for the program. S/he is responsible for facilitating a participatory process in order to develop Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning strategies and frameworks tailored to the program.

The MEL Manager shall work closely with the program’s Research and Learning team, ensuring that the program has a robust system in place to measure program results, has a rigorous monitoring system that is regularly collecting performance data, that partners have the skills to collect and report relevant data, and that monitoring and evaluation data is being used to inform research priorities and programmatic decision-making.

Essential Job Responsibilities

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Contribute to program-level M&E planning and system development at program start-up.
Facilitate indicator planning, design and negotiation with CSSF on the M&E system development.
Work with the programme team to define program indicators and targets for all programme years, based on CSSF guidance of standard required and applicable indicators; where applicable and desirable, include Mercy Corps Alpha Indicators or other innovative indicators to measure program impact.
Lead the program in the design of the detailed M&E plan, including design of data collection tools and methodologies, M&E workflow, data flow, data integrity, data quality assurance, database design and protocols, secondary research to inform baseline assessments and measurement frameworks, and ensuring alignment with Mercy Corps and Industry standards.
Coordinate assessments, evaluations and monitoring surveys in areas of operation. This will entail development of Scopes of Work, development of survey tools, trainings and management of data collectors, report write and facilitating results discussion.
Champion the inclusion of qualitative data collection and analysis for both direct and supplemental measurements of program performance. Train teams in appropriate methods for focus group discussion and key informant interviews and lead field-based qualitative data collection as needed.
Work with partners to develop individualized M&E plans that feed into the program’s overarching M&E plan, and train and coach partners on data collection, reporting and using M&E tools.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT & LEARNING

Build a collaborative network of relationships with implementing partners and other stakeholders to encourage learning networks that promote shared learning, aligned approaches, and mutual accountability to quality data collection and programming.
Contribute to the development and implementation of knowledge management to further stimulate use of evidence for learning, strategic adaptive management, and high-impact programming.
Work closely with the program’s research partners to define and execute a research strategy, and ensure that M&E data is available to feed into research activities.
Contribute to program visibility and advocacy work by assisting in dissemination of program results and learning information.
Coordinate closely with implementing partners to ensure our activities and data are shared and synced up together and tell one cohesive story.
Connect best practices and learning from within the program and across Mercy Corps countries to ensure an evolving and effective learning system for improving program implementation.
Work with country program team to capture lessons learned during program implementation, and feed this information into thought leadership and research opportunities and into ongoing program management and program design.
Collect and compile impact stories and evidence from the program on a regular basis.
In coordination with program team, drive the capacity building of program staff on design and M&E concepts through trainings and new hire orientation, including designing and delivering formal trainings. Design comprehensive orientation for all new staff.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Serve as technical advisor for technology for data management systems and real-time data flow, utilizing appropriate software platforms for cloud aggregation, data processing and manipulation, and data visualization and utilization. This includes learning and testing new software platforms, as well as working with tech partners to develop both project and country level information management systems.
Assist teams in setting up appropriate summary statistics and relational calculations in program databases and link them to tracking dashboards. Help develop the appropriate workflow.
Understand, maintain and innovate the technical components (including hardware, software, database, etc.) of the MEL information and data management system that improves MC’s ability to implement quality programs through better collection, management, analysis and presentation of data, and represent impact to donor, government bodies, peer organizations and communities using standard technologies.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage M&E staff within the field offices.

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

Program M&E team

Accountability Reports Directly To: Team Lead

Works Directly With: Team Lead, Deputy Team Lead, Research Team, Policy Team, Program Team, Implementing Partners.

Knowledge and Experience

MA/S or equivalent experience in international development, economics, statistics, peace and conflict studies, or other relevant subject with strong quantitative background, and at least four years of experience in progressively increasing M&E responsibility in international development projects. The candidate must have experience in leading the M&E of a large project. Previous experience working on Conflict or Peacebuilding program is an added advantage.
Strong conceptual knowledge about theories of change, logic model, peace and security indicators, M&E plan, data quality assurance, data utilization, and gender integration into M&E.
Demonstrated experience and expertise in developing and operationalizing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan.
Demonstrated expertise and experience in developing and operationalizing routine monitoring system designed to track both output and outcome indicators.
Strong quantitative background and demonstrated expertise in designing annual monitoring surveys including probabilistic sampling strategy and estimating sample size, developing appropriate weights, and analyze quantitative data.
Demonstrated expertise in designing qualitative studies, in-depth knowledge about qualitative sampling, and experienced in using interview and interactive tools to generate qualitative information and analysis.
Experience in developing data quality assurance strategies, data management, and data visualization.
Demonstrated expertise and experience in data utilization strategies and can creatively think about active data sharing techniques.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and other language(s), as required.
Portuguese language skills – oral and written of added value

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have a meticulous eye for data rigor, a commitment to program learning and adaptation, and a curiosity to drive for deeper understanding of the dynamics driving VE recruitment in East Africa. S/he will be a team player and able to work comfortably in a matrix management structure, where flexibility and collaboration across partners will be essential. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to think critically across sectors and to understand how complex systems work to drive vulnerabilities. S/he will have strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to distill complex ideas into tangible and understandable data points and narratives to effectively tell the story of program impact. Above all, the ideal candidate will demonstrate an exceptional commitment to programmatic excellence, thrive in a team setting and have a good sense of humor to contribute to a dynamic working environment.

How to Apply:

All Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience should submit a cover letter, detailed curriculum vitae (CV) listing three professional referees (including a recent supervisor) to tz-recruitment@mercycorps.org on or before Monday the 23^rd January,2023 by 6.00pm.

The email subject line must clearly show the job title. Please do not attach any certificates.

(Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We will only get in touch with shortlisted candidates)

NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process

WE ENCOURAGE QUALIFIED CANDIDATES TO APPLY.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Monitoring, Evaluation And Learning Manager at Mercy Corps January, 2023