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.
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps has been present in Liberia since 2002, focusing its interventions on Governance, Youth Livelihoods, Economic Growth and Development. With funding from the EU, SIDA and USDA, Mercy Corps has been able to work together with communities in Liberia to respond to their various needs bringing benefits to more than 40,000 beneficiaries through the provision of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities and access to energy.
General Position Summary
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager is a key position at Mercy Corps responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that information collected is reflected upon, used to improve ongoing programs, and is incorporated into consistently high quality reports and proposal development. The MEL Manager will be responsible for developing (in partnership with project staff), coordinating, maintaining and constantly improving the nation-wide M&E system, as well as training M&E staff in each office. In addition, the position holder is responsible for ensuring that the reports generated by each field office are timely and of a high quality and that the data can be validated. The MEL manager will also track the pipeline of potential new business opportunities for Liberia and support country teams in prioritizing and preparing for them; He/she will lead and support program development efforts in Liberia.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision
- Develop country MEL strategy, provide leadership to field offices in developing individual program level M&E systems that inform and improve each program, as well as feed into the broader nation-wide M&E system and country strategy.
- Lead and develop an M&E team country team and also 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.
- Participate in country management meetings and country-wide strategy sessions.
Proposal Development and Reporting
- Lead and coordinate proposal development in line with the country strategy and recognize opportunities for innovative actions, with support from technical Units, HQ and field staff
- Lead the designing of assessments, baselines, midterm & end-line survey tools and analysis for the projects and proposals.
- Draft program updates and respond to information requests for donors and other key stakeholders
- Lead and support efforts that help Mercy Corps’ Liberia’s programs to more proactively influence donor planning and access funding.
- Support targeted assessments that will help create funding opportunities or increase competitiveness of the agency in solicitations.
- Track donor trends for potential opportunities that busy country teams might not be able to monitor or respond to at the time
Program Management
- Use existing MC resources train M&E and program teams in the area of monitoring and evaluation and report writing.
- Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain an excellent M&E system, including training on Tola (digital tool developed by MC) and the periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring data to disseminate learning.
- Develop plans to mentor and coach staff to build their capacity to enable them to develop excellent reports and other documents.
M&E System Development
- Lead efforts to establish an M&E unit working out of Monrovia that will facilitate M&E for all programs and collaborate closely with Program Managers in developing and establishing of the M&E system, one that serves the needs of the overall of the country portfolio and its field officers.
- Support all country programmes independent M&E efforts to ensure high quality M&E at the program level as well as build a nationwide system that captures and presents results at a national level.
- Design and maintain an M&E system with utility and program quality in mind, providing managers and their teams real time information that can steer program implementation as well as informing donors and strategic program direction and that helps strategize future programme interventions.
- Work with senior management to address shortfalls in M&E that affect program implementation and conduct internal DQAs.
Grants/ Reports Management
- Regularly conduct project site visits to provide hands-on training to field staff on how to capture and organize information for accurate documentation and reporting.
- Assist the program implementation team in timely and accurate reporting to donors.
- Coordinate with a variety of teams, HQ, Finance, and Program Directors and Country Director to ensure that reports are timely, high-quality, and responsive to donors.
- Lead national team capacity building through coaching in report writing and quality control of final written products.
Monitoring and Evaluation/ Assessments
- Assist in designing programs that incorporate Mercy Corps’ standards on design, monitoring, and evaluation.
- Coordinate and play a role in assessments as requested. Provide input as to M&E systems and act as a link to HQ M&E technical staff.
- Set up and supervise the country M&E programs including hiring, orienting and supervising M&E staff as appropriate.
- Play a central role in all evaluation, design and implementation and developing the capacity of a national team to conduct internal evaluations.
Team Management
- Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
- Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Play an active role in hiring, orienting and leading team members as necessary.
Security
- Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
- Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
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 MEL Managers/Officers x 8, Research Learning Results Manager PROSPECTS x 1
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Country Director
Works Directly With: Director of Programs, Program Managers, Finance, HR , Communications Officer
Success Factors
The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the complex cultural, political, security and social environment of Liberia. He/She will be an excellent communicator, multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations. He/She 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 national staff; be a strategic thinker, have strong skills in design monitoring and evaluation of development programs and excellent writing skills
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The MEL Manager is based in Monrovia. This location is accompanied and secure. Housing is individual accommodation with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. There are several International schools in Liberia. Staff will have access to basic services – medical, electricity, water etc. This position requires 40% of travel by road to field offices in safe environments.
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.
Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.
Knowledge and Experience
- MA/S or equivalent, preferable public administration, economics or international development. Advanced postgraduate degree will be an added advantage.
- 4-6 years of experience in the areas of program development and monitoring and evaluation, including relevant experience building and managing an M&E system and team, relevant experience supervising data collection and data validation exercises, and building staff capacity.
- Must have extensive training skills and experience working with a variety of donors, including EC, USAID and SIDA.
- High degree of computer literacy; Excel and Word skills are essential.
- Proven proposal development experience.
- Strong Research Background
- Excellent Communication and organizational skills.
- Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.
PI110331373
More Information
- Job City Monrovia
