Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor
Position Title: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor, (MEL) Positive Youth Engagement Program
Duty Station: Jerusalem, West Bank
Position Category: Full-time ☒ Part-time ☐ AND Regular ☒ Temporary ☐
Salary Level: Field 6
Closing Date: 22-May-2021
E-mail: [email protected]
Start Date: Mid July 2021
Description
This position is contingent on funding and will based in either Jerusalem or Ramallah
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps has been working in the Palestine since the 1980s. We aim to empower Palestinian communities to direct their own path toward self-sufficiency, a thriving economy, and inclusive opportunities for all. Youth are a core focus of our work; in particular, we support the next generation of leadership and help youth develop career pathways.
General Position Summary
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor for Positive Youth Engagement – a five-year, multi-million dollar youth development program funded by USAID – will work closely with the COP and USAID to monitor activity progress and findings to improve activity performance. The MEL Advisor will have a major focus on promoting achieving results in all areas ensuring that responsible staff of key activity results are poised to deliver planned results/deliverables on schedule. This will include providing technical leadership to advance Mercy Corps’ principles, policies and best practices in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), through the provision of guidance, tools, resources, capacity building and technology. S/he will be responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that information collected is reflected upon, used to improve ongoing programs, and is incorporated into consistently high quality reports and proposal development. In coordination with sector managers and team members, s/he will be responsible for developing, coordinating, maintaining and constantly improving the MEL systems, as well as implementing an internal M&E and ICT capacity building strategy that trains and mentors M&E staff and promotes a culture of learning.
This is an accompanied post residing in Jerusalem with regular travel to the West Bank and Gaza. The position will be based in Jerusalem. It requires frequent visits to the West Bank and Gaza.
Essential Job Responsibilities
TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
- Contribute to program design to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ Program Management at Mercy Corps (PM@MC) standards, including reviewing lessons learned from past programming, development of logical frameworks, use of standardized indicators and documentation methodologies.
- Provide leadership and training in the development of M&E Plans, M&E tools, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other services as may be required for program monitoring and evaluation.
- Support research and learning initiatives in partnership with the program sector teams.
- Assist in the recruitment of competent M&E program staff and organize the program teams to perform M&E activities. Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain an excellent M&E system, including the periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring data.
- Provide guidance, recommendations, supervision, and leadership to ensure that the MEL systems meet the needs of programs and managers.
- Address shortfalls in monitoring, evaluation and information management that affect program implementation, to ensure MEL systems meet reporting requirements and have feedback loops for learning.
- Ensure MEL and program teams use the necessary M&E systems and tools to inform and improve each individual program, as well as feed into a broader data management system.
MANAGEMENT OF DATA AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
- Work with the program and M&E teams to adopt holistic M&E systems for youth programs to more accurately collect, monitor and verify program activities, facilitate using programming data for decision making.
- Provide guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that the M&E systems meet the needs of Programs Managers and help address shortfalls in M&E and data management that affect program implementation.
- Review project/program reports to ensure that reports contain accurate, clear, and high-quality data.
- Refine program and operational reporting templates to facilitate the acquisition, aggregation and flow of information in programs.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Develops and oversees implementation of the M&E staff and partner capacity-building strategy that promotes a culture of learning.
- Build the capacity of all relevant team members, including partner staff, to develop and maintain an excellent M&E system, including regular reflection and analysis of program monitoring data for real time decision making.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews. Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COORDINATION
- Maintain linkages with HQ and regional PAQ teams, participate in relevant internal working groups, and strengthen linkages with other Mercy Corps programs and resources.
- Participate in M&E-related working groups and maintain close working relationships with MEL counterparts in other relevant international NGOs, and local NGOs and associations in the West Bank and Gaza.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES
- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.
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.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Program MEL Staff
Accountability: N/A
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Deputy Chief of Party
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: MEL Team, Gaza Director of Programs, PYE Program Team, Finance, and Operations teams.
Jobs.ps, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge and Experience
- A Master’s Degree with coursework in fields related to project monitoring, evaluation and adaptation from lessons learned of development activities, such as statistics, international development, anthropology, applied research or field methods;
- 5-7 years of relevant monitoring and evaluation experience, demonstrating increased level of responsibility;
- Experience managing a team and remote management experience beneficial.
- Previous experience living and working in challenging or insecure environments.
- Proven ability to work productively with a variety of stakeholders to run participatory processes and meet tight deadlines with an emphasis on producing quality products.
- Excellent computer skills, including experience with: Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, NViVO, SPSS, Access, SQL, and any other statistical packages.
- Proven ability to articulate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences;
- Demonstrated experience in successfully translating data and findings into activity recommendations;
- Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills;
- Full professional proficiency in spoken and written English is required. Must be able to use the language fluently and accurately, and be able to read all styles and forms on all levels pertinent to professional needs;
- Professional proficiency in spoken and written Modern Standard Arabic is desired, but not required.
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have an ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a technical advisory and training capacity and will also have an ability to support programmatic objectives with timely and meaningful information. A demonstrated ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities is essential, as is an impeccable, professional standard of M&E and reporting and a willingness and ability to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures. The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor must be willing to travel regularly to Mercy Corps project sites.
The most successful Mercy Corps staff 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.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Given the nature of the context, working hours require flexibility and working through weekends/evenings might be necessary.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
Interested Candidates are encouraged to submit their Curriculum Vitae a one-page Cover letter that explains their related experience, skills, and
accomplishments with three references, to this E-mail: [email protected] no later than May 22 nd 2021 midnight.
Gaza Strip, 16-Jan
Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, 16-Jan
Ramallah, 16-Jan
