MOST Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Officer (Kindly do not send emails to lb-recruitment@mercycorps.org)

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY

The Market-based Opportunities and Skills Training for Women and Youth project will improve the livelihoods of Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian women and youth (aged 15-34) in Lebanon, will contribute to women empowerment, will strengthen the resilience of individuals, communities and systems to withstand the regional crises and will contribute to longer-term development. Activities undertaken under this project will foster growth that works for everyone by working toward equal participation of women in Lebanon’s economy, specifically through skills training and support, technical assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to develop their business and create employment opportunities, and by supporting businesses in providing services assisting women’s participation in the workforce.

 

This project will link youth and women to market-driven skills training, in partnership with the private sector to connect youth with employment opportunities. Mercy Corps will work with MSMEs and help entrepreneurs by providing technical assistance or in-kind support packages to accelerate growth and foster merit-based hiring practices. Training and/or business coaching will also be provided to potential start-ups to help create employment. Moreover, recognizing that a supportive environment is essential to address barriers that prevent women from taking an active economic role, the project will be underpinned by community outreach to increase support for enhancing the skills of women and girls, and their expanded participation in the workforce. Project activities will also support businesses to develop gender-inclusive practices to increase hiring and retention of women, and an analysis of barriers impeding women and girls from accessing skills and job opportunities will also be conducted. Following this, the project will identify services that enable women and youth to overcome barriers to employment (such as daycare and transportation), and will help develop such services.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The MEL Officer is expected to contribute to the quality assurance of the MOST program implementation.. S/he will contribute to the monitoring and evaluation functions related to tracking project progress and quality, collecting useful, timely and actionable information for management, and contribute to the frequent review, reflection and key learning process to improve performance. The MEL Officer will work closely with the MEL Manager, MEL Coordinator and the Program Manager to develop and document M&E plans for the MOST project and develop the data management systems. S/he will assist in implementing review and learning processes (eg. complaints mechanisms, feedback loops, lessons learned documentation and sharing, etc.). S/he will work closely with Program Manager and other MEL Assistants, Area Managers, and partners involved in project implementation in order to ensure a coherent and comprehensive project is implemented, lessons are learned and experiences shared across the various sectors and program teams. S/he will provide direction and mentoring for the MEL Assistant.

 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

 

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

Develop and manage project databases to facilitate timely information updates, data quality assurance, sharing of information and learning, etc.;

Ensure the development of appropriate monitoring, tracking and reporting systems, tools and templates (including a M&E plan) that enhance monitoring of project outputs and quality, generate quality evidence on project impact and promote and ensure use of data for decision-making processes;

Work with Program teams to integrate M&E into ongoing project planning and implementation systems and ensure adherence to Mercy Corps M&E minimum standards;

Coordinate with partner organizations to ensure data is collected on time and entered in a timely manner;

Lead assessments and evaluations;

Support use of digital data collection for M&E needs wherever possible;

Generate quality evidence on program impacts and promote use of data for decision-making processes;

Conduct regular monitoring visits to the different project locations;

Support documentation of project progress through tracking attendance sheets, photos, etc.

Share regular written reports on monitoring findings and program participants stories;

Organize Lessons Learned sessions and disseminate results across the teams.

 

Analysis of data and Reporting

Support project team in data collection and data analysis;

Liaise with other project teams and M&E staff as required to ensure that the project databases complement and align with each other. This will ensure that data on project outputs and project impacts are aligned and reported together;

Coordinate with project team to review indicator updates on a monthly basis. Generate data reports (tables/graphs/reports) from the project databases at regular intervals, ensuring reports/information are available for project implementation staff as required. Facilitate data analysis with project implementation team as requested

Maintain a comprehensive list and schedule of private and institutional funding reports, including the detailed requirements necessary for the donor/project;

Update the project reporting schedule and share among project team;

Develop project operational reporting templates that facilitate the acquisition and aggregation of information in projects;

Review or edit data in reports as requested and required;

Produce analytical summaries: graphs, charts, tables, narratives and appealing visuals, as requested, to fulfill internal and external reporting requirements;

Support in the intra-agency referral mechanism;

Other tasks as required.

 

Capacity Building

Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain a robust M&E system;

Build the capacity of local partners in the area of M&E and reporting;

Adapt existing protocols and plans to mentor and coach colleagues to enable them to develop high quality reports.

 

Accountability

Coordinate with the team in the office to build systems that promote beneficiary accountability by ensuring that communities participate in initial assessments and project design;

Coordinate with project team to ensure that communities are informed about our project and what we do, are aware of their entitlements, are comfortable to give feedback and that feedback is used to improve the quality of our projects;

Ensure that Mercy Corps’ Community Feedback and Accountability Mechanism is clearly communicated to project beneficiaries, and that the hotline numbers are visible to end beneficiaries throughout the program;

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;

Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

 

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: MEL Assistant

 

ACCOUNTABILITY

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: M&E Coordinator

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: MOST team, Mercy Corps M&E Community of Practice, MEL Advisor

 

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

At least 3 years of experience in program development, M&E and reporting;

Training skills and experience building national staff capacity;

Experience working with a variety of donors;

Advanced computer skills and experience developing data management systems;

Experience with qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methodologies required;

Team player who takes initiative, is a problem-solver and able to multi-task;

Effective verbal and written communication skills;

Written and oral communication skills in Arabic and English.

Detail-oriented and highly organized.

 

SUCCESS FACTORS:

Conscientious, with excellent judgment;

Multi-tasking, prioritizing and simultaneous attention to detail are essential;

S/he must have the confidence, and humility, to work effectively with a large variety of people who will be diverse culturally, economically and in social status;

S/he must be sensitive to political and cultural nuance and able to consistently apply excellent judgment to a variety of demanding and fast-changing situations;

Ability to foster solid working relationships with teammates, local partners and others.

Strong organizational skills and ability to work independently;

S/he will have the ability to comfortably adapt to a quickly changing environment with a sense of urgency, humor, and curiosity;

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills;

Excellent writing skills – ability to write in a variety of styles for multiple audiences;

Able to work remotely with a geographically dispersed team;

Able to manage several projects simultaneously and under pressure of deadlines.

 

The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability; thrive in evolving and changing environments; make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.