Mel Consultant

DISCLAIMER It is mandatory to mention the job title in the subject of your application email Applicants who do not mention the position they are applying for will be disregarded  GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The MEL Consultant will work closely with the MEL Advisor and the Information and Accountability Manager in the Performance and Quality Unit, to provide day-to-day support to the Lebanon team with MEL processes across the country programs portfolio through a period of transition. The MEL Consultant will work closely with existing MEL and program staff to ensure the development and maintenance of high quality MEL processes, including data collection, management and analysis.  This could include providing support to program MEL teams to plan and oversee data collection, to implement key MEL activities such as Youth-Led Labour Market Assessments, to coordinate and review final program evaluations carried out by external consultants, to develop internal learning documents (evidence papers), to establish robust data management practices for programs using Commcare, and to develop a rigourous methodology for qualitative data collection for pe.  In addition, the MEL Consultant will provide coaching on MEL capacity development as needed for MEL and Program team members.  The final division of roles and responsibilities between the MEL Consultant, the MEL advisor and the information and accountability manager will be decided at the start of the deployment. PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps is committed to generating positive opportunities for women, men, boys and girls from Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian communities, with a strong focus on engaging youth. Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping build secure, productive and just communities. We do this through: Addressing the humanitarian and protection needs resulting from crisis situations for the most vulnerable communities Enabling local communities, civil society and government to better prevent and respond to conflict, address needs and deliver sustainable development solutions Promoting economic growth and catalysing economic opportunities for vulnerable, under-employed groups in Lebanon The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 180 staff working across five offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley. The Performance and Quality (PaQ) unit collaborates with program teams, supporting departments and partners to use evidence to design and deliver relevant and impactful programs that improve the lives of beneficiaries. The PaQ unit supports team development and assists teams to stay accountable to the principles of good program management, as well as to our end beneficiaries and other stakeholders.  The PaQ unit consists of a partnership coordinator, monitoring, learning and evaluation advisor, information and accountability manager, communications coordinator and reporting coordinator.   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: M&E Management: Provides guidance and recommendations on data collection, measurement and sampling methodologies to ensure quality data is collected and applied. Develops data collection tools and templates, including assessments, baselines, monitoring forms, and final evaluations. Leads design and implementation of final program evaluations and research studies that help to identify the drivers of impact. Works closely with Program Performance and Quality (PAQ) to promote iterative analysis and organizational learning, using examples to build replicable prototypes that can be used by other programs. Collaborates across programs to strengthen program management feedback loops to inform iterative programming.  Capacity Building and Mentoring: Develops program staff and partner capacity building strategy that promotes a culture of learning through systematic analysis and reflection. Provides training and mentoring in survey design, methodology, data collection and analysis and other skills as required for assessing the impact of programs. Work closely with Program Managers, PAQ, and Finance to ensure that MEL skills are incorporated and budgeted into all new programs. Contributes to the knowledge management repository with best practices in MEL and ICT and ensure that it is accessible to all staff and partners. OTHER: Ensure all activities are gender sensitive and follow Mercy Corps’ Gender Equity Policy Apply Do No Harm standards to ensure activities do not have detrimental effects on vulnerable communities Participate in internal office coordination and planning meetings and workshops Support the Program Performance and Quality Unit with other tasks as assigned 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. 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. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: No direct supervision of staff ACCOUNTABILITY: WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: MEL Managers, Coordinators and Officers, Program Managers, Information Management and Accountability Manager, Program Performance and Quality Manager. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: Degree in development studies, research methods, statistics, economics, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, project management or other relevant field required Five years relevant professional experience, including at least three years working in M&E Knowledge of major aspects of program management life cycle Successful experience with the adoption of mobile data collections tools, CommCare and Ona preferred Experience with creation of data management systems, from collection to analysis Significant experience in training and capacity building of staff and implementing partner agencies Excellent verbal and written communication skills required Success Factors: The post holder will have strong organizational skills and the ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel. S/he will have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and a demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action. The successful candidate will have proven experience working with a cross-cultural team and possess strong capacity building and mentoring skills that promotes a culture of learning. They will demonstrate a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, and make effective communication a priority in all situations.   Submission guidelines: Applicants are requested to submit the following documents by email to lb recruitment@mercycorps.org. Please mention the title “MEL Consultant” in the subject of the email.  1)    Consultant’s CV 2)    List of consultancies conducted in the last three years. Please include: Client name Brief description of services performed Client phone number and email Number of days worked Substantiated daily consulting rate A scan/copy of applicant’s registration at the Ministry of Finance. In case applicant cannot provide this document, and is selected for this consultancy, Mercy Corps will deduct the 7.5% services tax imposed by the Ministry from submitted invoices. N.B:  Interested firms are also encouraged to apply. Applicants firms are requested to submit the following documents by email to lb-recruitment@mercycorps.org. Please mention the title “MEL Consultant” in the subject of the email.  2 References A scan/copy of the firm’s registration at the Ministry of Finance. In case the firm cannot provide this document, and is selected for this consultancy, Mercy Corps will deduct the 7.5% services tax imposed by the Ministry from submitted invoices. Payment: In bank checks or wire transfer, after the successful delivery of the service based on monthly invoices and timesheets submitted (to include work days and hours. 8 hours = full day and 4 hours = half a day), with an approved consultant deliverable report. Incidentals, including transportation, per diems and communications costs, will not be covered separately by Mercy Corps, as they should be included in the consultant’s daily rate.