Background:
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. Mercy Corps has been working in Liberia since 2002.

Purpose / Project Description:
The Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition (LEARN II) program is a key initiative focused on improving educational outcomes through enhanced attendance, reading proficiency, and nutrition in schools across Liberia. The program aims to address barriers to education by integrating holistic approaches that support the well-being of students, thereby fostering better learning environments. The Program is a United States Department for Agriculture (USDA) McGovern Dole Food for Education (FFE) Fund implemented by Save the Children (Prime) along with Mercy Corps (Sub-grantee) and Kawadah Farms. Mercy Corps is leading the Program in Grand Bassa and River Cess with 138 schools.

To ensure the program’s success and effectiveness, Mercy Corps seeks to hire a consultant who will lead the implementation, and management of robust M&E systems tailored to the specific needs of LEARN II. This role will be critical in tracking the progress of the program, evaluating its impact, and ensuring that lessons learned are incorporated into ongoing and future initiatives.

Consultant Objectives:
The Consultant will be responsible for the overall monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework of the LEARN II program. The consultant will implement M&E plans that align with program goals, ensuring that data collection and analysis provide valuable insights into the program’s effectiveness. The role will involve collaborating with program teams, partners, and stakeholders to facilitate data-driven decision-making and adaptive management throughout his/her tenure.

Consultant Activities:
The Consultant will do the following:
• Collaborate with the team to submit a monthly workplan.
• Support the writing of Semi-Annual Reports and provide achievements for all indicators.
• Conduct Beneficiaries’ Registration
• Conduct Attendance tracking
• Ensure M&E tools and materials for data collection are available for use in the field by staff.
• Train and build relevant staff capacity in the use of tools and materials as needed
• Supervise and manage monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning data collection, and data delivery to the
Program Manager
• Assist in compiling and analyzing data to measure the progress and impact of projects’ activities.
• Participate in and coordinate the timely collection and analysis of all program performance data and success stories.
• Develop and maintain database backup and filing systems.
• Undertake visits to the field throughout the project, as needed to support data collection or verify data quality.
• Prepare periodic updates and presentations on program performance against set indicators.
• Prepare reports of project data, as required for reporting.
• Contribute to the documentation of program events such as meetings, events and workshops.
• Provide supervision and support to M&E Assistants, who will be based in River Cess and Grand Bassa, in all M&E activities.
• Facilitate regular learning sessions or reflection meetings with program teams to reflect on M&E findings and adapt program strategies as necessary.
• Document and share lessons learned and best practices from the LEARN II program to inform future programming.
• Support the preparation of LEARN II final report
• Perform other tasks as required.

Consultant Deliverables:
The Consultant will:
1. Submit a monthly consolidated workplan on the 28th of each month.
2. Submit a monthly report on all activities including staff capacity building, post distribution monitoring, attendance tracking.
3. Contribute to project reporting including providing all necessary data (including for enrollment, attendance and community contributions) in October 2024 and March 2025.
4. Submit 2 quarterly success stories.
5. Conduct and report on a quarterly DQA per Mercy Corps guidance.
6. Submit a quarterly reflection meeting report.
7. Submit a final lesson learned report for the life of the program (March 2025).

Timeframe / Schedule:
This consultancy is anticipated from October 2024 – March 2025. The consultant will be based in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County and will be expected to work from the Mercy Corps offices four days per week. The consultant will be paid a daily rate on a monthly basis, based on the successful delivery of the deliverables as indicated above.

The Consultant will report to:
George Wyne/ LEARN II Program Manager

The Consultant will work closely with:
Lead and ESHN Mobilizers, MEAL Assistants, Save the Children MEAL Manager, DCOP Programs

Required Experience & Skills:
• Bachelor’s degree
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in M&E, preferably in education or public health programs.
• Proven expertise in designing and implementing M&E systems for large-scale, multi-sectoral programs.
• Experience with donor-funded programs, particularly those funded by USAID, is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in excel and data visualization tools.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with experience in report writing and presenting findings to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work in complex environments, with a track record of producing results under tight deadlines.
• Experience working in West Africa or similar contexts is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of local languages is an advantage.
• Financial proposal with details budget

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

Document Submission:
All interested Individual consultants should kindly submit their Cv, cover letter via email in one Portable Document Format, PDF, and with the subject line “Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Consultant” to lr-tenders@mercycorps.org Monrovia, Liberia before 4:30 pm Local time on September 26, 2024: