NGO Careers – Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist at Mercy Corps

Organisation: Mercy Corps
Duty Station: Uganda
About US:
Mercy Corps is
an international non-profit organization which been operating in Uganda since
2006 and works to catalyze change makers within the private sector, civil
society and government to create economically dynamic, healthy and secure
communities. Our works focus on building resilience and enable economic growth,
improve opportunities to attain better health and nutrition, and improved
governance and conflict management. We implement programs in the districts of
Pader, Kitgum, Gulu, Agago, and Lamwo in Acholi and entire Karamoja as well as
eastern Uganda with funding from USAID, USDA, Walmart Foundation, SDC, DFID as
well as other private donations. Mercy Corps’ programs in Acholi Sub-region
currently focus on economic and market development, agriculture, financial
services, and women’s empowerment.
Job Summary: The Monitoring,
Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist will provide support to multiple
programs, including the USDA-funded Revitalizing Agricultural Incomes and New
Markets (RAIN), Walmart Foundation-funded Building Women’s Income through
Agricultural Training (BUILD) and the Sweden-funded Transforming Agriculture
for Improved Livelihood (TRAIL) programs, as well as the MasterCard
Foundation-funded Driving Youth-led New Agribusiness and Microenterprise
(DYNAMIC).  The Monitoring, Evaluation,
Learning Specialist (MEL Specialist) is a key position in program quality
assurance, accountability, documentation and learning unit, which exists to
support program design and implementation. The job holder will support planning
and execution of monitoring and evaluation, ensuring quality in accordance with
accepted standards, providing essential feedback for learning, accountability
and decision making. The incumbent will be responsible for providing internal
capacity building for program staff on monitoring and evaluation activities as
well as review and development of necessary tools that feed into needs of Mercy
Corps and donor reporting requirements.
Key Duties and Responsibilities: 
1.
MEL Strategy and Design:
·        
The incumbent will ensure that the Acholi program
MEL systems are in compliance with Mercy Corps global, regional and country
policies, procedures, standards and strategic initiatives
·        
Render support in program strategy design, planning
and implementation to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ Minimum Standards,
including the use of standardized indicators and documentation methodologies.
·        
Oversee the design and implementation of assessments
and other pre, ex-ante and post data collection and analysis.
·        
Support learning-to-action events, reflection
session to analyze data for programmatic use and to document and incorporate
lessons learned into program design, planning and implementation.
2.
Management of Data and Information system:
·        
The incumbent will support program teams to develop
and maintain knowledge and Information management system to support data
collection, reflection, analysis and reporting needs.
·        
Ensure quality control procedures and accuracy of
entered data and comparing it with the existing filing system to make sure all
records are consistent and aligned.
·        
Offer technical support in the development of MEL
Plans, tools, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other services as
may be required for program monitoring and evaluation.
3.
Technical Support and Capacity Building:
·        
Play key role in the development and leading in the
review of result chains, sector intervention strategies and M&E frameworks
and document changes to generate learnings and ideas for programs.
·        
Maintain an up to date database that reflects
progress on mission (including disaggregated beneficiary counts) and donor
indicators.
·        
Build the capacity of all relevant team members to
develop and maintain MEL.
·        
Remain updated with developments among the Mercy
Corps Uganda MEL community and agency-wide MEL trends and resources.
·        
Leverage lessons learned, best practices, program
data, evaluations and provide evidence based information, proposal annexes,
success stories, case studies and other high quality, results-based
documentation.
·        
Work with MEL and IT staff to maximize the value and
utility of ICT4MEL initiatives.
Qualifications, Skills and
Experience: 
·        
The applicant should preferably hold a bachelor’s
degree in Economics, Agriculture, Demography, Statistics, Business
administration or relevant field.
·        
A minimum of  three years’ experience in program management,
monitoring and evaluation experience (experience with INGO is preferred).
·        
Should understand concepts and demonstrate skills in
monitoring and evaluation, project cycle, results chain and frameworks, and
participatory monitoring.
·        
Prior experience with both quantitative and
qualitative data collection, reporting techniques. S/he should understand and
be able to apply basic measures of central tendency and spread, with excellent
writing and analytical skills.
·        
Should be able to design and implement surveys, have
knowledge of commonly used probability and purposive sampling techniques.
·        
Should have experience leading learning extraction,
development and sharing as part of the monitoring and evaluation feedback
process.
·        
Experience using appreciative inquiry and conflict
sensitivity techniques and dynamism in working with multi-cultural team
environment.
·        
Past exposure and experience with facilitation,
capacity building, formal and informal knowledge transfer, partnership
strengthening and empowering staff through opportunities for growth and
development.
·        
Computer literacy i.e. proficient in the use of Microsoft
Excel, should demonstrate fluency in use of at least one data management software
including Ms Access, SPSS, and STATA.
·        
Must be fluent both spoken and written English. Luo
language skills highly valued.
How to Apply:
All suitably
qualified and interested Ugandan candidates should send their applications
including a cover letter clearly stating the salary requirements, updated CV
(with three professional referees), and copies of academic
qualifications/certificates to the HR/Admin Manager, Kampala Head Office on 4th
Floor Embassy Plaza, Plot 1188-1190 Ggaba Road. The E-mail applications with
cover letter should be sent to: mcjobs@ug.mercycorps.org
Deadline: 
9th November 2015

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