About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises. Our strategy focuses on the four outcome areas of: 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use. Currently we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors that includes United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations (UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations.

The USAID-funded Highland Resilience Activity (HRA) - will contribute to the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) 5’s “Big Push” initiative and has the overarching goal of strengthening resilience among vulnerable households in Ethiopia’s Highlands, resulting in 120,000 PSNP households reaching the graduation threshold. HRA will support these households in moving above the graduation threshold and to where they no longer require social safety net programming for household food security and have the capabilities and assets to withstand regular and predictable shocks. The Activity will achieve this goal by directly supporting households in increasing their on-farm, off-farm, and employment incomes while facilitating improvements in the market systems required to increase demand for goods and services in PSNP communities. HRA is a five-year program that starts in October 2023.

General Position Summary

 The MEL/CLA director of HRA leads the development and implementation of the project's collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA) and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) approaches and systems, with a focus on measuring resilience, systemic change, and resilience learning. The director contributes to the project strategy, provides technical assistance, and develops effective mechanisms for learning. The director works across the project teams and partners to measure and document the resilience building efforts and their impact, and leads the resilience learning agenda. The director also coordinates with the chief of party and the CLA team to develop, maintain, and improve the project-wide CLA and MEL systems that support adaptive management, continuous improvement, and learning. The director also implements an internal CLA capacity building strategy that trains and mentors staff and promotes a culture of learning

Essential Job Responsibilities

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP 

• Provide leadership, training and mentoring in the development of a CLA Strategy, CLA tools, M&E systems, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other skills required for assessing the impact of the program, and in particular of resilience building efforts within the program.

• Lead the program resilience learning agenda and technical contributions to resilience measurement

• Lead external evaluators on the design and roll out of the program baseline and evaluations, while setting up effective systems for learning.

• Ensures programs use the necessary CLA systems and tools, to inform and improve each individual program, as well as feed into the broader country-level CLA system and country strategy.

• Provide leadership and support to the MEL Manager in the set-up of the MEL system, including all tools and data collection processes for program activities. Develop and review frequently the Project’s MEL Plan including Data Management Plan.

• Oversee the implementation of the MEL System including rollout of TolaData, automated Institutional Performance Systems (IPTS) and Concept Note Management System (CNMS) and the periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring data to disseminate learning.

• Update and manage HRA Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation system providing the program leadership and teams real time information that can steer program implementation and maximize team’s ability to analyze and represent impact to donor, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.

• Provide leadership and training to ensure HRA meets Mercy Corps minimum standards, use necessary PM@MC systems and tools to inform and improve HRA quality and performance.

• Take the lead on aligning, collecting and reporting on relevant resilience measurement and CLA indicators to the organizational-wide M&E systems, and other external systems as relevant.

• Support teams in collecting sex and age disaggregated data and using gender sensitive data collection methods in order to understand and respond to program results with diverse participants.

• Participates in the facilitation of country and sector-level strategic planning sessions.

• Support HRA programs comply with Gender Equality, Diversity and Social inclusion (GEDSI) and Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) policy and standards including training the program staff and facilitating data driven reflection meetings.

• Support teams to capture success stories, learning briefs, lessons learned during program implementation, and feed this information into thought leadership and research opportunities and into ongoing program management and program design.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

• Provides guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that the MEL systems meet the data, evidence, and learning needs of the program, including the sharing of information internally and externally, and help address shortfalls in MER, CLA, and data management that affect program implementation.

• Ensures HRA adheres to Mercy Corps’ MEL Policy, including the use of TolaData, adherence to Mercy Corps’ Program Record Retention Policy and Responsible Data Policy, and regular Data Quality Assessments (DQAs).

• Develop program and operational reporting templates that facilitate the acquisition, aggregation and flow of information and learning within the program as well as externally.

• Maintain a comprehensive reporting and accountability schedule as well as review program reports to ensure that reports contain accurate, clear, and high-quality data and presented in the proper format.

MANAGEMENT, CAPACITY BUILDING AND MENTORING

• Oversee the HRA MEL & CLA team, Partners MEL and CLA team and sub-contractors, like external evaluators and enumerators.

• Build the capacity of all relevant program and partner team members to develop and maintain an excellent MEL system and CLA practice, including regular reflection and analysis of program quantitative and qualitative data.

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence. 

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION

• Active contributor and collaborator with regional and global counterparts to promote the use of MEL best practices and lessons learned.

• Strengthen linkages with other internal resources, including the Digital Library, Hub, and Workplace, to enhance organizational learning where relevant to MEL. 

• Present program M&E, research, and learning to external stakeholders and the program team in a way that influences decision-makers and promotes adaptations from learning.

 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 toward 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: MEL Manager, Communications Manager, Economic Inclusion MEL specialist, Safeguarding and Accountability Advisor & CLA team members

Accountability

• Reports Directly To: Deputy Chief of Party

• Works Directly With: MEL/CLA Team, COPs, team leaders, Technical Advisors, field teams, consortium partners, local government, USAID and other stakeholders.

Job Requirements

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S degree in development studies, research methods, statistics, economics, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, project management or other relevant field required. Postgraduate degree preferred.

• 5 years of managing MEL work at a program or country level, including supervising staff. Proven use of program technology in an MEL function required.

• Experience with CLA approaches and promoting a culture of CLA including a track record in strategic systems, and holistic thinking, managing resistance to change, and understanding of organizational culture, learning, and change management.

• Proven experience with systems thinking or systems approaches to programming

• Proven experience developing iterative learning systems or ‘feedback loops’ within development programs or organizational learning contexts

• Knowledge of resilience in development programs a plus

• Excellent computer skills (especially Microsoft office applications) and ability to use information technology as a tool and resource

• Demonstrated experience in training and capacity building across diverse teams and partners

• Strong writing, editing, public speaking skill and good leadership skills

• Ability to summarize and simplify complex information and communicate it to the targeted groups

• Excellent stakeholder management skills

• Experience of working on USAID programs preferred

• Previous experience living and working in challenging or insecure environments;

• Strong command of English verbal and written skills

• Knowledge of local dialects is preferred.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. This position requires an ability to think creatively about civic engagement to strengthen inclusive, peaceful, and responsive governance. They will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and it requires up to 30% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.

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.

How to Apply

All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically.

Only candidates that are short-listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews.

“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer promoting gender, equity and diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empower women and youth.”

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 10 November 2023/ 4:00 PM

CLICK HERE to apply