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 is seeking candidates for the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager who will lead the M&E functions of expected five-year USAID-supported Feed the Future (FtF) Livestock Market Systems Development Activity that will support a livestock and market systems program in Kenya’s Arid Lands.
Mercy Corps has been present in Kenya since 2009, focusing its interventions around four objectives: 1) peace and conflict management; 2) livelihood/market systems; 3) governance (particularly at the county level) and 4) youth employment/employability (including the social and economic development of adolescents). The four objectives serve to increase community resilience to drought and other shocks and stresses, and to decrease fragility with a particular focus on Kenya’s Arid Lands. Mercy Corps’ vision for change requires the private sector, government and civil society to work together to create meaningful and sustainable change.
The Livestock Market Systems Development Activity will support USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative and specifically will improve households’ income, productive assets and resilience to drought and other shocks. Illustrative objectives are likely to include: diversified livelihood options, increased inclusiveness of value chains, improved nutrition, improved capacity to peacefully manage conflicts, and community-based natural resource management.
General Position Summary
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager is responsible for leading the overall integration of monitoring, evaluation & learning in Mercy Corps’ Activity. S/he is responsible for facilitating a participatory process in order to develop Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning strategies and frameworks tailored to this Activity.
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager shall closely work with Mercy Corps’ Program Performance and Quality Team during the first year of the program. S/he shall support the different Managers of the Activity to develop workplans with clear targets and timeframes including defined roles and responsibilities.
Essential Job Responsibilities
MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING
- Contribute to program-level M&E planning and system development at program start-up. Facilitate indicator planning, design and negotiation with USAID on the M&E systems and development; define with the team, program indicators and targets for all program years, based on the USAID guidance of standard required and applicable indicators; where applicable and desirable, include Mercy Corps Alpha Indicators.
- Lead the Activity in the design of the detailed M&E plan, including design of data collection tools and methodologies, M&E workflow, data flow, data integrity, data quality assurance, database design and protocols, secondary research to inform baseline assessments and measurement frameworks, and ensuring alignment with Mercy Corps and Industry standards.
- Champion the inclusion of qualitative data collection and analysis for both direct and supplemental measurements of program performance. Train teams in appropriate methods for focus group discussion and key informant interviews and lead field-based qualitative data collection as needed.
- In coordination with MEL team, drive the capacity building of program staff on design and M&E concepts through trainings and new hire orientation, including designing and delivering formal trainings. Design comprehensive orientation for all new staff.
- Work closely with the Activity’s research partners to define and execute a research strategy including overseeing this partnership and its work.
- Contribute to program visibility and advocacy work by assisting in dissemination of program research and learning information.
- Coordinate closely and the Leader with Associate agency to ensure our activities and data are shared and synced up together and tell one cohesive story.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
- Understand, maintain and innovate the technical components (including hardware, software,
database, etc.) MEL information and data management system that improves MC’s ability to
implement quality programs through better collection, 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 technology for data management systems and real-time data flow, utilizing appropriate software platforms for cloud aggregation, data processing and manipulation, and data visualization and utilization. This includes learning and testing new software platforms, as well as working with tech partners, to develop both project and country level information management systems.
- Assist teams in setting up appropriate summary statistics and relational calculations in program databases and link them to tracking dashboards. Help develop the appropriate workflow.
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
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Chief of Party
Works Directly With: Activity component leads, Activity field teams, coordination with other MEL teams in-country
Knowledge and Experience
- MA/S or equivalent experience in international development, economics, agricultural economics, statistics, bio-statistics, nutrition or other relevant subject with strong quantitative background, and at least 5-7 years of experience in progressively increasing M&E responsibility in international development projects. The candidate must have experience in leading the M&E of a large project.
- Strong conceptual knowledge about theories of change, logic model, food and nutrition security indicators, M&E plan, data quality assurance, 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 in designing qualitative studies, in-depth knowledge about qualitative sampling, 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 data utilization strategies and can creatively think about active data sharing techniques.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and other language(s), as required.
Success Factors
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong facilitation skills.
- Ability and willingness to both lead and follow as appropriate.
- Has an internal and external network of experts to draw upon as needed.
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.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position will be based in Nairobi which is an accompanied post. There is unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. There are many international schools in Kenya. Staff have a high degree of access to services (medical, electricity, water, etc). This position requires approximately 50% travel regularly by road and air to project offices in often insecure environment.
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.
More Information
- Job City Nairobi
