Ethiopia: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager - Ethiopia

This position is pending funding.

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.

We help people overcome poverty and conflict. Working with communities, we leverage local logic to help people transform their lives. To grow more food, earn higher incomes and ultimately advocate for their needs. We see global challenges as an invitation to pioneer innovative, sustainable solutions. During our 34-year history, our work has improved more than 170 million lives in more than 115 countries around the world.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004, and acts on behalf of people who have become disenfranchised and poor. We stand with Ethiopia to find and access opportunities, and to be part of lasting and meaningful transformation in the country. Mercy Corps seeks to be influential with government and development actors towards a more resilient country where poverty is tackled through the eyes of those who understand it best. This translates into ensuring that the population is financially stable, healthy & nourished, educated & unformed, and that natural resources are accessible, shared and utilized sustainably.

Mercy Corps anticipates a multi-year, multi-million dollar USAID funded initiative focused on: stimulating increased production, productivity and marketing through more competitive livestock and livestock products markets; increasing communities' resilience; improving alternative livelihood options through essential skills transfer; improving food security and nutrition, and contributing to the wider knowledge on pastoral development. The program will operate in multiple pastoral regions across Ethiopia.

General Position Summary

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager will lead all M&E functions for the program, provide technical assistance on M&E and develop successful mechanisms for learning and adaptive management. S/he will be responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that information collected is reliable, valid, documented, reflected upon, used to improve ongoing programs, and is incorporated into consistently high quality reports. In coordination with the Chief of Party and other program staff, s/he will be responsible for developing, coordinating, maintaining and constantly improving the M&E system, as well as implementing an internal M&E capacity building strategy that trains and mentors M&E staff and promotes a culture of learning among all program staff.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Provide leadership, training and mentoring in the development of program-level M&E planning and system development. This includes leading the design/development of data collection tools and methodologies, M&E workflow, data flow, data integrity, data quality assurance, and protocols, secondary data analysis, and information synthesis to inform assessments and measurement frameworks, and ensuring alignment with Mercy Corps and USAID standards.
• Lead and/or collaborate with consultants/partners on the design and roll out of the program surveys and evaluations, while setting up effective systems for learning. This includes conducting periodic learning sessions to interpret and discuss trends, patterns, associations identified from the analysis of monitoring data, from evaluation findings, and from regularly assessing the program's work plan completion as well as its' performance via its' adopted indicators, targets and achievements.,.
• Facilitate indicator identification and adoption and negotiation with USAID; with the team, define program indicators and set targets for all program years, based on the USAID guidance and, where applicable and desirable, Mercy Corps' guidance.
• Support teams in the analysis and interpretation of sex and age disaggregated data and using gender-sensitive data collection methods to understand and respond to program results with diverse participants.
• With COP, develop culture and systems to collaborate, learn, adapt (CLA) and ensure that evidence-based decision-making is embedded into the program at all levels. Be a champion of, and visionary for, making program data accessible to and applicable for learning and adaptive management.
• Champion the inclusion of qualitative data collection and analysis and learning tools for both direct and supplemental measurements of program performance.

Information Technology

• Work with the program's IT and Data Management teams to establish and maintain a MEL information and data management system that improves Mercy Corps' ability to implement quality programs through better mobile data collection, information management, analysis and presentation of data, and represent impact to donor, government bodies, peer organizations and communities using standard technologies.
• Serve as technical advisor for data processing and manipulation, and data visualization and utilization.
• Promote responsible data practices and comply with Mercy Corps (and industry) data collection, file storage, and information sharing standards.
• Assist the program team to integrate and use Mercy Corps' agency-wide indicator tracking database (Tola) for project management.
• Assist teams in setting up appropriate summary statistics and relational calculations for program databases and dashboards. Help develop the appropriate workflow and standard operating procedures (SOP) for these systems.

Team Management

• Recruit and train a team capable of supporting the data and information collection, management, and analysis, as well as the learning and adapting needs of the program.
• Develop and oversee implementation of capacity building strategy for M&E and partner staff, that promotes a culture of learning through systematic analysis and reflection of program data. Design comprehensive orientation for all new program staff.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.

Internal and External Coordination

• Contribute to program visibility and advocacy work by assisting in dissemination of program research and learning information. Represent Mercy Corps in M&E and research forums with the broader humanitarian and development community.
• Active contributor and collaborator with regional and global counterparts to promote the use of M&E best practices.
• Actively and routinely work with program managers and technical specialists to integrate M&E into program design and management.

Security

• Work closely with the country team's security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members and beneficiaries especially with regard to the protection of their personal information.
• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

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, number of direct reports is to be determined.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Chief of Party

Works Directly With: Sector leads/program managers, field teams, coordination with other MEL teams in-country, finance and operations team, partner organizations**,** Mercy Corps HQ Research & Learning and Performance and Program Quality Teams

Knowledge and Experience

• MA/S or equivalent experience in development studies, international relations, economics, statistics or other relevant field.
• At least seven years of relevant M&E experience with positions of progressively greater responsibilities and at least two years of experience working in the field in low or middle income countries. The candidate must have experience leading the M&E of a large development project.
• Strong conceptual knowledge about theories of change, logic model, indicators, M&E plan, data quality assurance, mobile data collection, 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 and mixed methods studies including a through grounding in qualitative research sampling, methods and analysis and experienced in using interview and interactive tools to generate qualitative information and analysis.
• Experienced in developing data quality assurance strategies, data management, and data visualization.
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in building a culture of learning and using and sharing data, evidence, and information across program staff, departments, and sectors and leading to adaptive management and program improvement.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate research to multiple audiences, including policy makers, practitioners and academics.
• Experience working with host governments, national and international NGOs.
• Preference given to candidates with prior experience in Ethiopia
• Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager will be based in the capital city – Addis Ababa. The location is accompanied and secure. Housing is family accommodation with good freedom of movement beyond the house/office. There are several international schools in Addis Ababa, British systems exist for children up to 11 years old. The US school takes students to pre-university levels. Staff have access to basic services (electricity, water, sporadic internet etc). Medical facilities are basic with international clinics able to provide emergency services. This position requires 35% travel by road and air to field offices in often insecure environments. Addis Ababa is host to many international organizations including the OAU, the Economic Commission for Africa and other multi-national bodies, many of which have their headquarters based in the capital city.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside 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.

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