Monitoring, Evaluation And Learning Manager

PROGRAM/ DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps has been running community development programs focused on promoting economic development and increased opportunity for disadvantaged communities, while responding to emergencies as they have emerged. Recently, the program portfolio has expanded in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria.   Based on data collected from ongoing programming, Mercy Corps Lebanon aims to analyze its current portfolio and provide custom solutions based on our well-defined and tested templates and standards in Program Development and Quality (PDQ), Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning (MEL) and Information Management (IM). These solutions create a holistic M&E system flexible enough to meet the ever-changing program demands while providing new opportunities to share and roll up data. MEL follows an iterative process in order to identify the data required to demonstrate change, streamline data processes and improve the use of tools. This is coupled with near real-time analytics to make informed decisions that ultimately improve programming.   GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY: The MEL Manager is responsible for the technical design of M&E for Mercy Corps Lebanon across four key sectors: protection and youth, water and sanitation, social stability and governance, and livelihoods. The MEL Manager will facilitate the design, set-up and implementation of standard M&E processes in close collaboration with Program Managers and M&E staff to ensure M&E data is used to drive evidence-based programming. This includes defining project logic, indicators, and methodologies while bringing best practices to these key areas. The post holder will build internal capacity to constantly improve systems and data quality, as well as work with the Information Management Manager to implement these systems.   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Strategic Leadership Provides leadership to ensure all active programs maintain logical frameworks and monitoring plans per Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards to measure program output, outcomes and impact against goals and indicators. Supports Program Managers and MEL focal points to design quality information collection strategies that inform a country-wide system and information management platform. Designs and promotes strong feedback loops within programs and across sectors to enable iterative program design and management.   M&E Management Examines program indicators across all sectors, standardizing and refining based on application, in coordination with Mercy Corps’ global standards and post 2015 Sustainability Goals. 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 Development and Quality (PDQ) to promote iterative analysis and organizational learning, using examples to build replicable prototypes that can be used by other programs.   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, PDQ, 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.   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 towards 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, M&E of our field projects.   SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY: REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Director of Programs WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Regional MEL Advisor, Information Manager, Program Managers, MEL Focal Points, Program Development and Quality Manager.   KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: Postgraduate degree in development studies, research methods, statistics, economics, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, project management or other relevant field required. 5 years relevant professional experience, including at least three years working in M&E. Knowledge of major aspects of program development, implementation and documentation and excellent verbal and written communication skills required. Significant experience in training and capacity building of staff and implementing partner agencies. Successful experience with the adoption of mobile data collections tools like Open Data Kit and Ona including XLSForm authoring. Experience with data management including the ability to structure and collate data sets for ease of analysis. Demonstrated understanding of intermediate statistics and ability to summarize and make predictions from multiple data sets.   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.