MEL MANAGER/ILA

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Position Status: Full-time

Salary Level: 8

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program

Mercy Corps Liberia began operations in 2002 in response to the humanitarian crisis brought about by the two Liberian civil wars that ended in 2003. Mercy Corps’ interventions have evolved based on the context and needs of the Liberian people. With funding from the European Commission, French Development Agency, Irish Aid, the Embassy of Sweden and US Department of Agriculture, among others, Mercy Corps Liberia focuses on Food Security, Peace and Good Governance and Economic Opportunity. Mercy Corps Liberia works closely with the Government of Liberia (especially the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Health, Labor and Education), the private sector, civil society, international and local NGOs to implement its programs from three offices/sub-offices (Monrovia, Buchanan, and Rivercess). Mercy Corps is one of the foremost development actors in Liberia implementing strategic and systems driven programming in youth employment and entrepreneurship, market systems development and good governance. This role is contingent on funding.

The Position

The MEL Manager is a key position on the Mercy Corps Liberia team. They will oversee MEL on the anticipated $20 mil USAID Incentivize Learning Activity (ILA) and the USDA-funded Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading and Nutrition (LEARN) II programs. They are responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that high quality information is collected, reflected on, used to improve ongoing programs, and is incorporated into consistently high-quality reports and proposal development. They are responsible for developing, coordinating, maintaining and continually improving the MEL systems on the two programs as well as continuously mentoring and training their team to strengthen their capacity in MEL.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PLANNING

• Support the setup of the program’s CommCare digital data collection platform, data flow matrix, tool updates and requests, mobile worker assignment tracker, mobile worker reports, data pipelines, and analysis syntax (led by the MEL System Startup Coordinator)
• Support the setup of the program’s PowerBi dashboard (led by the MEL System Startup Coordinator)
• Conduct MEL/program performance gap assessments covering specific M&E activities, processes and tools in Liberia. Based on assessment findings, begin development of a long-term rollout/training plan and strategy in coordination with country leadership.
• Lead the TolaData rollout and adoption in Liberia, which includes: program identification and selection; program readiness assessment and support; training and capacity building; and post training user support and adoption/institutionalization;
• Ensure that appropriate and adequate reporting and accountability mechanisms are in place at all levels within the country to ensure long-term, sustainable adoption and usage of TolaData.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

• Oversee the collection of data, ensuring quality and relevant data is collected and adequately reported on.
• Work with field-based MEL Officers to strengthen links and coordination between Monrovia and field-based MEL teams, working to ensure that all MEL team members understand the roles and responsibilities of M&E and can carry out their duties effectively.
• Coordinate and lead assessments as needed, including coordination of the internal baseline for ILA.
• Lead the compliance with Mercy Corps Global MEL Policy across the two programs, tracking adherence and ensuring processes are fully executed.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Hire, orient, mentor and supervise a high performing MEL team for ILA and LEARN II including approximately 10 staff.
• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Lead and develop a country M&E team and also assist the M&E officers assigned to each program in developing and maintaining a system that improves the country’s ability to analyze and represent impact to donors, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Work with all MEL Officers/Assistants to develop and implement individualized Professional Development Plans to ensure more systematic data collection, management and analysis. ● Conduct field-based training and capacity assessments in the individual sub-offices alongside the field-based MEL Officers, working to strengthen the implementation of sound M&E systems across all areas of intervention.
• Develop the capacity of team members to conduct internal evaluations including data quality assessments and final internal performance reviews.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.

Supervisory Responsibility

Senior MEAL Officer (LEARN II), 3 ILA MEL Officers

Accountability

Reports Directly To: CLA/MEL Lead

Works Directly With: MEL and Program Teams

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• At least 5 years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation; education, food security and USAID experience are preferred.
• Experience using CommCare, ODK and PowerBi are essential, formal training in this software is strongly desired.
• Excellent and demonstrated data management, analysis and visualization skills using MS Excel required.
• Demonstrated competencies in effective data communication, critical thinking, training and coaching required. Strong team coordination, listening and consensus building competencies required.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Fluent in both spoken and written English.

Success Factors

The ideal candidate will have an intense curiosity for understanding and working effectively within complex operating environments. They will be an excellent communicator, multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations. They will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures. The successful candidate will be focused on team-building and capacity-building of their team; be a strategic thinker, have strong skills in design monitoring and evaluation of development programs and excellent writing skills.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Monrovia, Liberia and it requires up to 20% travel to field locations.

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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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.