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.
Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of approximately 450 people working in Eastern DRC. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. 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 currently implementing a Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) in Kabare and Kalehe territories, South Kivu province, funded by the USAID Office of Food for Peace. The USAID-South Kivu Food Security Project (FSP-Enyanya) covers a 5-year period (October 2016- September 2021) and is implemented by a consortium of five NGOs for which Mercy Corps is the prime. The program aims to ensure that households and communities in the targeted areas improve their food and nutrition security and economic well-being. The program works across the three different purposes agricultural livelihoods and market integration (P1), maternal and child health and nutrition-MCHN (P2), and effective governance (P3), with a primary focus on women and youth. The program will reach more than 200,000 participants. FSP is at a strategically important cross-road with highly complex reporting requirements, MEL capacity building needs across MEL and technical teams and a potential for strategic influence with agency and donor stakeholders.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Director will support Mercy Corps’ USAID- Funded Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) implemented in DRC. The MEL Director will provide high-level technical and strategic leadership, management and capacity building for MEL teams oversight of information management and practice of adaptive management techniques across the program. The role will supervise MEL consortium staff members responsible for the proper collection of qualitative and quantitative data from FSP staff, partners and community outreach workers. The role will also represent Mercy Corps and FSP with USAID’s M&E departments in Kinshasa and Washington DC, in coordination with the Mission and Mercy Corps HQ. Overall the MEL Director is responsible for ensuring FSP adheres and exemplifies and evidence-based approach through the design, management and oversight of highly specialized MEL data flows that report against program indicators across the FSP consortium. The FSP MEL Director will work closely with FSP team members and consortium partners and will be responsible to share learnings and best practices at the mission and HQ level.
STRATEGY AND PLANNING
Through the lens of a data-driven and evidence-based approach to programming ensure that program managers, and sector experts are using data to make informed programmatic decisions through the following mechanisms:
Provide advisory services to the DCOP-Programs, COP and program managers to ensure that sectoral strategies and work plans are well-aligned with desired program outcomes and prioritize overall program effectiveness
Guide program design and operational strategies through the development, evidence-based reflection on, and adaptation of the program Theory of Change (TOC).
LEADERSHIP, REPRESENTATION AND INFLUENCE
Capitalize on successes in the FSP MEL system to help advance the development of mission level and global MEL best practices in complex programs in Mercy Corps
Liaise with other USAID implementing partners where appropriate to improve collective program performance and quality
Identify and seize opportunities to help inform evidence-based donor decision-making about program replications, extensions and approaches to design and implementation
LEARNING AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT
Develop key learning questions with technical teams and install qualitative and quantitative systems to generate evidence for strategic learning and adaptation in FSP
In collaboration with focal points from the global Mercy Corps MEL team, identify and seize opportunities for strategic learning and adaptation through applied research
Facilitate program performance reviews, reflections and Collaborate, Learn, Adapt (CLA) sessions with relevant program stakeholders to adapt intervention approaches and implementation practices to optimize program quality and performance
MEL MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING
-Oversee technical capacity building in high-level monitoring, evaluation, learning and adaptive management of MEL and program staff
Supervise a team of 15 consortium-level MEL staff who while guide the implementation of data collection by the MEL team, program staff, consortium partners and extension workers
Build the MEL team’s capacity in complex MEL processes, such as study design, sampling, analysis, data literacy and evidence-informed decision-making.
Develop and maintain monitoring work plans to ensure that all indicators are measured in an appropriate and timely manner
Ensure appropriate talent management and capacity building mechanisms to maintain excellency in the MEL team’s technical performance
MEL AND IM SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
Develop and maintain required USAID/FFP M&E products, including theories of change, the logical framework, indicator performance tracking tables, performance indicator reference sheets, MEL staffing plans, capacity building plans, survey and study scopes of work (SOWs) and others as requested, in compliance with the Mercy Corps MEL Policy and the USAID/FFP M&E Policy and Guidance
Design, implement and report on annual participant-based surveys (PaBS), including multi-stage cluster sampling, survey implementation, descriptive statistical analyses and advanced statistical analyses as appropriate
Oversee the design and implementation of agile data collection, storage, processing, analysis, visualization and reporting systems for around 170 constantly changing indicators
Use relevant data science concepts, processes and tools to streamline information management workflows in a way that enables efficiency, traceability and ownership by national team members
Promote the appropriation of appropriate qualitative and quantitative data collection, processing, analysis and visualization tools by national team members to improve the efficiency, reliability and effectiveness of evidence generation in FSP
Liaise with the Gender and Youth Advisor to ensure that gender, age, Do No Harm and other relevant considerations are effectively integrated into the design and implementation of MEL workflows
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 applicable policies
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
As part of MC’s commitment to organizational learning and in support of MC understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, MC expects all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Professional Accountability
Supervisory Responsibility: Deputy MEL Manager, Information Management Officer, World Vision M&E Coordinator, FSP MEL teams
Works Directly With: FSP DCOP-Programs, FSP Gender and Youth Advisor, MC HQ MEL Advisors, FSP Partner MEL staff, FSP Program Managers
Reports Directly To: FSP Chief of Party
Knowledge and Experience
Masters in social science, public health, statistics, international development or related field required
5-7 years of experience in MEL or related field; field experience in Sub-Saharan Africa or other high-risk contexts preferred.
Experience as MEL lead in complex USAID programs required. Experience working with DFSAs, DFAPs or MYAPs, strongly preferred.
Experience working in agriculture, value chains, nutrition, health, WASH, governance, conflict resolution, gender, youth, SBCC and resilience programs desired.
Excellent skills in tool design, data collection and management using CommCare required.
Proven experience and skills in research and evaluation design, implementation and reporting required.
Excellent quantitative analysis skills using STATA and Tableau required. Excellent Excel and intermediate R and SQL skills are desirable.
Excellent skills in qualitative methods required. Experience working with MaxQDA or Atlas.ti is a plus.
Excellent listening, interpersonal, communication, reflection and networking skills and the ability to work with diverse team members required.
Demonstrated ability to facilitate training and capacity building, such as workshops, coaching and mentorship required.
Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to simultaneously focus on details and the bigger picture are required.
Fluency in English and French required.
Success Factors
The successful candidate will balance a demonstrated ability to lead highly specialized MEL strategies with very strong management, capacity building and strategic communication. S/he will work effectively with members and colleagues of varied work styles and cultures and meet deadlines with flexible and creative planning and problem solving. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, adapt, take initiative and provide in-depth technical assistance and capacity building while orienting MEL and program team members towards bigger picture strategy and outcomes. S/he will be highly stress-resilient, thrive in rapidly evolving and changing environments, and follow laws and security protocols to keep her/himself and team members safe. The most successful candidate will identify and seize opportunities for program impact and influence through evidence and analysis and make effective communication with internal and external stakeholders a priority. In DRC, patience, diplomacy, tenacity, compassion, determination and a sense of humor are all success factors.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in Bukavu, South-Kivu (DRC) and requires up to 25% travel to field locations in Kabare and Kalehe territories. The position is accompanied. The position is eligible to R&R.
Bukavu is a provincial capital of approximately 1,200,000 inhabitants. Living in Bukavu is comfortable, although water and electricity can be unstable. While conditions in the country are improving, and security is quite stable in Bukavu, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There is reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.
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.
Mercy Corps Diversity Statement
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.
