Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Assistant - ARE Activity

BACKGROUND

The Lebanon Agriculture and Rural Empowerment (ARE) program is a multi-year project funded by USAID to develop rural economics in Lebanon through support to the agro-food sector and other industries to unlock local and export sales potential while also creating jobs and increasing farmers’ and worker’s incomes. ARE will increase jobs; improve incomes; improve female participation and employment opportunities; increase domestic and export sales; increase private sector investment; improve access to finance; link value chain actors to domestic and international markets; and improve farm production through improved practices, technology, increased volume, and/or decreased cost.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The MEL Assistant is a member of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team, under the direct supervision of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist. The MEL Assistant will work closely with the MEL Specialist to ensure proper implementation of the MEL process at the grant level. The MEL Assistant will also ensure that technical teams have the proper MEL tools for capturing the right data for different interventions.

DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the MELSpecialist in managing the MEL process with partners.
• Assist with developing indicator targets for new grants.
• Conduct routinely and ad hoc field monitoring visits to partners for validating reported data and ensuring that completed activities are captured in MEL reporting.
• Assist the MEL Specialist in ensuring that data is collected and analyzed according to the Data Quality Assurance (DQA) system specified in the MEL plan.
• Conduct random data validation checks with partners in coordination with the MESpecialist.
• Support technical teams in completing MEL related tasks at the grant level.
• Take part in collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) events and ensure proper documentation for those events.
• Ensure that lessons learned are captured and documented from the field.
• Assist the MEL specialist in managing MEL sections for grants in MS project database.
• Perform other MEL or CLA duties as necessary.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (with statistics background); Business Administration, Economics, Public Health, Social Science or similar
• Minimum of two years of experience in data collection, indicator tracking, and other monitoring and evaluation processes;
• Knowledge of USAID or other donor-funded monitoring, evaluation, and learning standards and regulations strongly preferred;
• Experience using MEL data analysis and tracking systems, particularly Microsoft Excel;
• Strong written and oral communication skills; experience with report writing preferred;
• Fluent spoken and written Arabic, and proficient spoken and written English;

LOCATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The MEL Assistant will be based in the project’s main office in Beirut, Lebanon, and travel throughout the country as needed.

REPORTING

The MEL Assistant will report to the MEL Specialist or his/her designee.