Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer (Applications will only be accepted if submitted through the link provided)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently works in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. 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. Our programs focus on four sectors:  Economic Opportunities, Governance and Social Stability, Youth and Humanitarian interventions. The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 150 staff working across four offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli and the Bekaa.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently works in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. 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 solution
• Promoting economic growth and catalyzing economic opportunities for vulnerable, under-employed groups in Lebanon

Our programs focus on four sectors:  Economic Opportunities, Governance and Social Stability, Youth and Protection, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 180 staff working across six offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley.

The “Market-Based Opportunities and Skills Training for Women and Youth” is a $10 million CAD integrated three-year (anticipated November 2018 - December 2021) program designed to improve livelihood opportunities for women and youth (aged 15-34) from vulnerable populations. The program will target youth between the ages of 15-24, as well as young adults between the ages of 25-34 from Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian families, with a specific focus on women and girls in the target areas.  The overall objective is that women and youth are empowered and valued for playing an active economic role within their households and communities in Saida, Nabatiyeh, Mount Lebanon (Barja Area) and Tripoli.

The primary objectives of the program are that:

1. Women and youth are gainfully employed or self-employed as a result of program interventions;

2. Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Startups improve their capacity to develop their businesses and hire women and youth;

3. Women and youth have a supportive enabling environment for their economic activities

The position will be based in Beirut with frequent travel to all program areas

The Position (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 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.

Essential Responsibilities (Example Section Below - Adapt to Specific Role)

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

N/A

Accountability

Reports Directly To: MEL Manager

Works Directly With: MOST team, Mercy Corps M&E Community of Practice, MERL Advisor

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• 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. 

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.