YFT MEL Officer (Kindly do not send email to lb-recruitment@mercycorps.org)

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, Turkey, and Iraq. 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. 

The conflict that began more than five years ago in Syria has resulted in a steady increase in Syrian refugees to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.  To date, more than one million refugees have fled to Lebanon, and the numbers continue to mount. All refugees who have entered Lebanon are staying with host families or in rented accommodation.  As numbers rapidly increase, humanitarian conditions are deteriorating.  The burden on host communities and the financial and emotional stress on refugees and their hosts is tremendous. Mercy Corps is responding to these needs by addressing urgent basic needs, child protection as well as the psychosocial impact of the conflict and displacement.

With the support of the Government of Canada, Mercy Corps launched the Youth for Tomorrow program, which is implemented in Saida, Mt. Lebanon, and Tripoli.   This three-year program is part of a regional initiative by Mercy Corps, funded by the Government of Canada, in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria to build improved, evidence-based provision of psychosocial support and market-driven skills to vulnerable youth in the region.  The program will benefit from regional synergies to increase impact and will contribute to improving the evidence base for interventions of this type.

The program engages Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese adolescent boys and girls, between the ages of 12 – 18 who are not currently enrolled in school or are at high risk of dropping out. The program also engages young adults between the ages of 19 – 35 from among refugee and host communities to act as mentors and facilitators within the project.  Youth for Tomorrow provides adolescents on-going psychosocial support and market-driven skill-building opportunities while building an enabling environment for young people through community engagement and provision of enhanced adolescent and youth services.   

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The MEL Officer is expected to contribute to the quality assurance of the YFT 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 YFT 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 the Program Manager 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.

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.

ACCOUNTABILITY

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: YFT/MOST MEL Manager

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

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• At least 2 years of experience in program development, M&E and reporting;
• Training skills and experience building national staff and partner 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;

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.