Monitoring , Evaluation & Learning (MEAL) Manager

Position Title : Monitoring , Evaluation & Learning (MEAL)   Manager   
Primary Location : Gaza   
Position Status : Full time, Permanent   

This position is dependent upon funding and the donor’s approval of the proposed MEAL Manager. Mercy Corps anticipates program start date of January 2016. The applicant must be willing to commit to an assignment of five years.

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has been present in the West Bank and Gaza since the 1980s, helping Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to work toward building a more productive and hopeful future. The organization works to meet basic needs while looking towards long-term opportunities to empower youth, mitigate conflict, stimulate a participatory economy using technology to transcend borders and checkpoints.
Through Mercy Corps programs, the organization reached over one million Gazans, with home rehabilitation, employment and skills training programs, and education and psychosocial support services for children and youth. Mercy Corps programs focuses on recovery from the devastating conflict of summer 2014 to enhance food security, improve psychosocial resilience, and stimulate early economic recovery through cash for work projects and internships.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Monitoring and Evaluation Manager will be a key position in the $50 million, 5-year USAID-funded “Envision Gaza 2020” Program, a program that will meet the basic needs of Palestinians living in Gaza by creating employment and opportunities (e.g. cash/voucher-for-work activities); supporting the food security needs of vulnerable households (e.g. small subsistence farming); distribution of basic commodities of NFIs and supporting community-based organizations to lead post-conflict and emergency response. The M&E Specialist is responsible for playing a lead role in strategy discussions, program design during the first phase and providing technical assistance on M&E to each program component.  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 activities, and is incorporated into consistently high quality reports. More than just measuring results, the program’s M&E system will be an integral part of project planning and allow strategic and informed management of interventions. The individual filling this position will have responsibility for monitoring and evaluation not only of direct implementation programs, but also of sub-grants and, therefore, will work closely with local and international recipient organizations to ensure a unified results management system.  The Monitoring and Evaluation manager also will ensure that HCS’ performance management systems are synchronized with USAID’s Geographic Management Information System (Geo-MIS).  

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Technical Leadership of Design, Monitoring & Evaluation
-Contribute to program design to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps, donor and international standards, including the use of standardized indicators and documentation methodologies.
-Lead the institutionalization of learning in the program structure by supporting the program team to develop results chains, monitoring systems and feedback loops that enable frequent and regular learning sessions and periodic activity redesigns.
-Provide leadership and training in the development of the M&E Plan, M&E tools, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other services as may be required for program monitoring and evaluation.
-Assist in the recruitment of competent M&E program staff and organize the program team to perform M&E activities.
-Provide guidance, recommendations, supervision, and leadership to ensure that the M&E systems meet the needs of programs, managers, and senior leadership.
-Address shortfalls in monitoring, evaluation and information management that affect program implementation.
-Support the design and ensure the quality of the program evaluation, whether conducted in-house or outsourced, including tool development, field logistics, data analysis, and report writing, in partnership with program teams and Mercy Corps’ HQ-based Technical Support Unit (TSU).

Monitoring & Evaluation System Development
-Establish an M&E system serving the needs of the overall program - both for portions implemented by Mercy Corps and for sub-grantees. The system must be designed and maintained to harmonize project approaches of all GHS implementers with utility and program quality in mind, providing managers and their teams real time information that can steer program implementation as well as improves our ability to analyze and represent impact to USAID, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.  The system must include a variety of methodologies (both quantitative and qualitative) and also must engage communities.
-Create effective and easy to use tools and processes to facilitate project monitoring, and train Mercy Corps and partner staff on M&E tools and procedures.  
-Conduct assessments of partner capacity vis-à-vis monitoring and evaluation.
-Work with Program team and partners to ensure monitoring and evaluation instruments, e.g., OCI, are effective and being used appropriately.
-Play a central role in supporting the baseline, external mid-term evaluation and final evaluation as well as lead the design, field-testing, data collection and analysis of any additional evaluation initiatives required.

Information Management
-Develop a coordinated data management system/structure to facilitate timely information updates, data quality assurance, sharing of information and learning, etc.;
-Work with IT professionals to develop and implement plans for further integration of information management systems and learning platforms within Mercy Corps and across partner agencies;
-Manage the institutional knowledge within the individual response programs and contribute to wider knowledge management across the earthquake response.

Learning
-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;
-Support and inculcate a culture of learning across programs through consistent sharing of M&E processes and systems;
-Work with the Team Leader to strengthen linkages with other actors to enhance organizational learning which directly impacts staff performance and productivity.

Grants and Report Management
-Build the capacity of field staff on how to capture and organize information for accurate documentation and reporting;
-Develop program reporting templates that facilitate the acquisition and aggregation of information in programs and assist the program implementation team in timely and accurate reporting to donors;
-Coordinate with a variety of teams, HQ, Finance, and Program Directors to ensure that reports are timely, high quality, and responsive to donors. The focus of this function will be team capacity building through coaching in report writing and quality control of final written products.

Representation
-Provide leadership to ensure that monitoring and evaluation systems amongst all implementers are well coordinated, allowing for comparison of data across individual sub-grants and compilation of data for the program as a whole. 
-Ensure that the partnership of program agencies can conduct meaningful analysis of collected data and incorporate findings into implementation.
-Document and disseminate key findings from program studies and evaluations in accessible forms that can influence program design and donor and policy makers’ priorities.
-Participate in program planning and review workshops and meetings.

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 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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:  Monitoring and Evaluation staff

ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO:  Chief of Party
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH:  The entire MC implementation team as well as numerous local and international sub-grant recipients.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
-This position requires an MA/S or equivalent in International Development or a related field; Coursework in research and evaluation methodologies and statistical analysis is preferred
-At least seven years relevant field or management experience of complex, multi-dimensional programming;
-Relevant M&E experience as follows:
 -At least five years experience in designing and implementing practical monitoring and evaluation systems. Experience within an umbrella mechanism is a plus.
 -Demonstrated skill in training and M&E capacity development of field staff.
 -Proven experience in designing and implementing M&E activities and indicators using both qualitative and quantitative methods and techniques, as well as analyzing the data collected. 
 -Demonstrated skills in analyzing data, both qualitative and quantitative.
 -Proficiency using one of the common statistical analysis software packages is required (SPSS, Stata, SAS or EpiInfo).
-Previous experience working on USAID funded programs strongly preferred
-Previous management experience preferred
-Demonstrated experience and ability to professionally and appropriately represent the organization and negotiate with a diverse range of officials, local organizations, donors and other groups for outcomes in the best interest of program implementation
-Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and non-formal methods.
-Demonstrated awareness and responsiveness to gender and social issues in cross-cultural contexts and gender integration programming.
-Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills are necessary
-Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required
-Experience developing and working with GIS and MIS
-Experience living and working in the Palestinian Territories preferred
-Interest and willingness to learn about the Middle East region

SUCCESS FACTORS:
A successful candidate will be conscientious, with excellent judgment and will display an entrepreneurial spirit that is both creative and flexible. S/he will combine strong communication skills, creativity, initiative, participatory leadership and tactful decisiveness to assist in the development and implementation of Mercy Corps’ M&E strategy. S/he will ensure products are on time and of the highest standard. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential. 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 – as well as be sensitive to political and cultural nuance - be able to consistently apply excellent judgment to a variety of demanding and fast-changing situations while working as part of a team and coordinate with project personnel.

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
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 Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

-The position will be based in Gaza, and frequent travel will be required to project sites in Gaza with regular travel to Jerusalem and occasional travel to the West Bank
-Strict adherence to Mercy Corps security policies and procedures will be required as will respect for local cultural norms and traditions.

لتصلك اخر برامج التشغيل والوظائف في قطاع غزة على جوالك وبدون رسوم  ارسل حرف  غ  للرقم 37953

Qualified persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit a one page cover letter and their CV by e-mail to      

[email protected]

no later than Wednesday, September 30, 2015.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Please indicate in the email subject; Monitoring and Evaluation Manager.
No application will be accepted if the email subject is not mentioned in the email subject line.
Please apply separate application for each position you are interested in.

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