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.
About Mercy Corps in the DRC
Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of approximately 400 people working in Eastern DRC. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. Mercy Corps’ key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to: 1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development. Mercy Corps DRC’s humanitarian programs aim specifically to assist populations affected by the conflict and crisis in Eastern Congo with multi-purpose cash assistance and emergency WASH support to displaced and host populations. Mercy Corps is also currently responding the unfolding Ebola epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces. The current annual budget includes resources from DFID, USAID, ECHO, UN-donors, Government of Netherlands, OFDA, FFP, SDC and others.
Program Summary
In 2008, Mercy Corps and USAID launched a project to rehabilitate and extend the municipal water system of Goma and it was extended through other various donors. In 2013, Mercy Corps signed a new $60M (USD) grant agreement with DFID-DRC to replicate and scale-up the Goma water project in two cities in Eastern Congo. The program involves designing, rehabilitating, extending and constructing city water and sanitation infrastructure as well as working to reform management structures to ensure that the systems are managed profitably and sustainably. In 2019, Mercy Corps is pursuing expanded peri-urban water and sanitation programming with an anticipated USAID funded project valued at up to $50M.
General Position Summary
The MERL Manager will oversee MEL systems and staff, formative research activities carried out by program partners, and collaboration and learning across the LIFT program, resulting in evidence-based, locally adapted programmatic approaches for increasing access to clean water and safe sanitation services in the DRC. The MERL Manager must be proficient in M&E systems, familiar with creative and rigorous research design and relevant measurement approaches, and experienced in translating evidence into improved practice. S/he will ensure the program results in intentional and adaptive learning, and that findings are disseminated broadly. S/he will be responsible for knowledge sharing and application, evidence and data utilization, collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA) and contribute to activity-based capacity strengthening. This position will play a key role in helping build an environment of evidence-based programming and adaptive management at all levels.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY & VISION
- Provide technical leadership to formative research activities, refinement of the Theory of Change, and development of a locally adapted programmatic approach to reducing acute malnutrition
- Facilitate active, intentional, and adaptive learning within and across the program’s multi-sectoral activities.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
- Lead the set-up/implementation of a MEL system for the program that uses open source software and flexible cloud solutions to collect, monitor, verify and document program activities.
- Collaborate closely with Program Directors/Managers and M&E staff in developing and establishing M&E systems that serve the needs of the program
- Identify and address shortfalls in monitoring, evaluation and information management that impact quality and affect program implementation.
- Lead the development of M&E Plans, M&E tools, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other services as may be required for program monitoring and evaluation.
- Ensure that monitoring systems meet USAID requirements and that performance results can be used for continuous improvement.
- Ensure appropriateness and rigor of research methods carried out by program partners and that program quality standards are adhered to.
- Ensure research results are useful and applicable for making program design decisions.
- Establish systems and methods for active, intentional and adaptive learning across the program.
- Set up a system of regular program quality audits.
- Organize and/or lead regular training and other capacity building events for program staff to improve program quality, and support other departments to take the lead in developing and implementing capacity building activities to improve program management processes.
- Proactively support learning and information sharing across geographies and with other implementers.
- Support the creation of an evidence-based learning culture through consistent analysis of lessons learned and best practices to encourage adaptive management.
- Disseminate research and evaluation findings to program team and stakeholders.
- Contribute to program visibility and advocacy work by assisting in dissemination of program research and learning information.
- Support Consortium partners to develop and maintain program monitoring tools and systems and utilize data and analysis to inform program management and ensure timely, efficient and reliable monitoring of program outputs and outcomes.
- Foster a community of practice, whereby partners share lessons learned and best practices.
MANGEMENT AND TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT
- Manage program-level M&E staff to ensure appropriate and timely technical support in monitoring, evaluation, program design, learning, accountability, quality assurance, and information management.
- Serve as a resource for program staff, advising them on activity design, gathering of baseline data, evidence-based programming, developing and implementing M&E plans, and impact assessment.
- Develops high-impact data visualization applications to facilitate analysis and organizational learning.
- Develop and oversee implementation of capacity building strategy for team members that promotes a culture of learning through systematic analysis and reflection of program data and lessons learned.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
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.
More Information
- Job City Goma
