Monitoring And Evaluation Officer – Data Analyst

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. The agency pursues its mission through emergency relief services, sustainable community development, civil society and economic development initiatives. Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps has implemented community development programs focused on promoting economic development and increased opportunity for disadvantaged communities, while responding to emergencies as they emerged in the country.  In 2012, the program portfolio shifted in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria and Mercy Corps in Lebanon has solidified its emergency response programming while integrating longer-term development programming by focusing on key sectors: Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Governance and Conflict, and Livelihoods.  With funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), Mercy Corps is launching a rapid eight month pilot programme to identify successful economic development strategies that are potentially scalable and transferrable. The program, Improved Networks, Training and Jobs (INTAJ) in Lebanon, aims to support vulnerable Lebanese communities and Syrian refugees in Bekaa Valley and North governorates to address their economic needs through reduced unemployment and increased income for small businesses. GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY Working under the direction of the Knowledge Management and External Relations Manager, the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer is expected to contribute to the quality assurance of the INTAJ program in Lebanon and ensure that Mercy Corps project brings a significant contribution to reducing poverty, and building secure productive and just communities. GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer/ Data Analyst will work on the monitoring and evaluation of INTAJ (Improved Networks, Training and Jobs), an eight-month economic development program pending funding from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and due to start in September 2015. S/he will be responsible for the overall knowledge management and external relations of INTAJ in two geographic areas in terms of overall planning, implementation, and monitoring, as well as donor coordination and building a broader strategic vision to expand and scale the pilot project.    This program aims at improving the stability and resiliency in target communities in the North of Lebanon and the Beqaa through reduced unemployment and increased income for businesses with the following core activities:   Support demand-driven, practical skills training and workforce-skills development for individuals. Offer small and medium enterprise (SMEs) specialized technical assistance, limited in-kind grants and linkages to existing business support services to lower risks and strengthen the ability of companies to grow their workforce.  Improve efficiency and quality of solid waste management and recycling (SWM/R) value chain by building new market-driven relationships and incentivizing further investments in upgrading the value chain.   The M&E Officer will work with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team to manage the quality of data captured, establish and maintain database systems across programs, and analyze data for reporting purposes.  The M&E Officer is responsible for supporting Mercy Corps staff to regularly collect, enter, verify, and analyze data and work with the MEL team to make timely database adjustments to measure the impact of Mercy Corps’ programs and to help ensure monitoring and evaluation data is accurately incorporated into all organizational reports and information products. The M&E Officer will directly work with the INTAJ program team.   ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES DATABASE MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION Understand, maintain and innovate a system database that improves Mercy Corps’ ability to inform program implementation, analyze data, and represent impact to key stakeholders; Ensure all relevant program staff are able to utilize the database to analyze program information and results; Design, adapt and maintain the database in conjunction with the MEL team to match strategic program or implementation changes; Provide training in use of data management and analysis tools, including ODK Collect, Google Fusion Tables, CKAN, and MS Office products, to team members; Advise the program teams, MEL Unit and management team on how the database systems need to be maintained and managed to ensure maximum flexibility with growing programs; Review data being collected in order to locate and fix problems with data entry or integrity; Document database contents, protocols and update manuals for smooth functioning of the data management system; Manage regular synchronizations of data; Troubleshoot front and back end issues with the database, including any synchronization issues with field-level data entry; Develop new databases, as necessary, and find ways to integrate information from other databases to support better organizational utilization of data. MONITORING AND EVALUATION Work with Project teams and M&E Assistants to integrate M&E into ongoing project planning and implementation systems and ensure adherence to Mercy Corps M&E minimum standards; Assist with the development of appropriate monitoring, tracking and reporting systems, tools and templates 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; Assist MEL Assistants to develop and promote the use of standard indicators, tools and forms (as appropriate) and M&E practices across the project and coordinate the collection of information required for country-level management; Coordinate assessments and evaluations; Ensure that monitoring plans are developed for projects and ensure that regular monitoring visits are conducted by MEL staff to the different project locations and that reports are shared with the program teams; Assist and support MEL team in writing beneficiary stories from the field; Report M&E updates and activities to the Knowledge Management and External Relations Manager and INTAJ Program and Project Managers; IMPLEMENT SYSTEM AND TOOLS Work as part of a broader team to design, facilitate and support data collection and analysis systems including baseline, annual, and end line surveys, regular monitoring, data collection and analysis, feedback and reporting; Generate data reports (tables/graphs/reports) from the database at regular intervals, ensuring reports/information are available for program implementation staff as required. Facilitate data analysis with program implementation team as requested; Conduct regular field visits to ensure all elements of the data system is being utilized effectively, assessing and identifying breakdowns and areas that require clarifications and improvements; Coordinate with field-based managers to implement system corrections and adjustments, solving operational issues and documenting actions taken and next steps; Follow-up with relevant stakeholders on agreed upon system corrections, adjustments and actions, informing and strategizing with the MEL team, as necessary; Develop information sharing platforms with multiple applications to improve coordination and knowledge sharing among other teams.  ANALYZE DATA AND REPORTING 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; Liaise with other Mercy Corps teams as required to ensure that the databases complement and align; Develop user-friendly web-based data visualization applications to facilitate analysis and organizational learning; 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 in Lebanon; Other duties as assigned. 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; 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, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.  SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None Reports directly to:  Knowledge Management and External Relations Manager Works directly with:  Operations, Finance, Programs, and M&E Teams KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE At least 3-5 years of experience in Monitoring and Evaluation; Computer and data management skills; 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 work under pressure of deadlines.