Organization: Mercy Corps
Location: Lodwar
Grade: Mid level – Mid level
Occupational Groups:
Monitoring and Evaluation
Managerial positions
Closing Date:
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.
Program / Department Summary
USAID’s Office of Food for Peace recently awarded funding to a Mercy Corps-led consortium of Kenyan and international partners for a 5-year Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) in Turkana and Samburu Counties of Kenya. Through a phased approach that emphasizes evidence gap analysis, as well as partnership, learning, and co-creation with government, civil society, communities, and the private sector, the NAWIRI program aims to drive sustained reductions in acute malnutrition in both counties. Mercy Corps’ consortium brings together the global leadership, research capacity, technical expertise, and implementation experience necessary to partner with local institutions to test, adapt, and scale evidence-based solutions. The program requires a robust county-centered design with government leadership, active engagement from communities, the private sector, and civil society. Together we will sustainably reduce persistent acute malnutrition for vulnerable populations in Turkana and Samburu counties.
General Position Summary
The Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Coordinator is a key position for program quality assurance, accountability, documentation and learning. The position holder will support the NAWIRI team in planning and execution of monitoring and evaluation activities at the county level while ensuring quality in accordance with accepted standards, providing essential feedback for learning, accountability and decision making. S/he will be responsible for providing internal capacity building for program staff at County level on monitoring and evaluation activities as well as reviewing the necessary tools that will feed into the needs of the program and government counterparts. Under the overall leadership and direction of NAWIRI’s M&E Manager, and in close collaboration with the M&E Lead, the MEL Coordinator will be developing partner technical team’s and M&E officer’s capacity in M&E and ensuring effective field-level collaboration and promoting a culture of M&E for learning and adaptation.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND VISION
Seek the active collaboration of consortium partners in M&E as well as their appropriation of the tools, including integration of M&E in core program management functions.
Ensure consistent utilization of the NAWIRI MIS database for all M&E data submissions.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
Contribute directly to achieving the project’s strategic objectives and components through the implementation of a single integrated/harmonized monitoring system.
Responsible for managing the data collection and coordination with the County team (and consultants if necessary) ensuring a high quality of data collected and the use of evidence to inform adaptive management.
Coordinate and supervise all enumeration activities in the County level during the annual surveys commissioned by the project.
Create and instill an M&E culture that promotes the learning and self-critical skills of program staff in the pursuit of project excellence.
Ensure alignment of M&E activities with program objectives and contribute to the development of annual work plans.
Support County Program Directors and other technical leads in the preparation of quarterly/annual activity reports and verification of reported data.
Coordinate and support the implementation of the main M&E phases of the Project Management Cycle (baseline survey, mid-term evaluation and final evaluation)
Work closely with consortium partners to track implementation of the research agenda, develop milestones for progress and conduct the evaluation of research agenda.
Plan and conduct Routine Data Quality Assurance (RDQA) for the reported data at County level to ensure adherence to USAID/ Mercy Corps data quality standards.
Participate in the planning for and review of the baseline, midterm and final evaluation SOP, data collection tools and reports.
Ensure that lessons learned throughout the project at County level are captured and communicated to internal and external stakeholders through appropriate channels for decision-making.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Create and maintain a work environment where mutual respect among team members prevails and where the pursuit of individual and collective excellence is valued.
Promote individual accountability and commitment by clearly and regularly communicating expectations and providing constructive feedback.
Train County program team members on their M&E responsibilities and how to use the tools developed.
Ensure that team members comply with the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct and the Principles of Humanitarian Accountability and immediately report to their Supervisor and National Director any cases of fraud or conduct not in accordance with Mercy Corps policies within the program.
REPRESENTATION
Develop the necessary relationships and partnerships with consortium partners.
Identify, build and manage trusted partnerships with consortium agencies, local government and other stakeholders.
Maintain good working relationships with donors and other development organizations and represent Mercy Corps at meetings when necessary.
Effectively communicate the program’s best practices to build Mercy Corps’ positive image with development stakeholders.
Conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.
SECURITY
Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
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 PARTICIPANTS
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.
Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Supervisory Responsibility
County M&E Officers
Accountability
Reports Directly to: Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
Works Directly with: MEL officers, Technical Leads & Field Director from Turkana
Knowledge and Experience
BA/S or equivalent in public health, monitoring and evaluation, development economics, international development, sociology, or business/project management.
More than 3 years of professional experience in monitoring food security and nutrition focused projects.
Experience with GIS software use in development programming.
Strong, documented analytic and statistical skills.
High degree of computer literacy and typing proficiency; Excel and Word skills.
Experience in supporting and strengthening government/county nutritional M&E system and clear understanding of government devolution structures.
Fluency in written and oral English. Must be able to read and interpret documents,
and communicate with others as necessary to perform job duties effectively.
Success Factors
The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the complex cultural, political, security and social environment of Kenya. S/He will be an excellent communicator and multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations. S/He must be able to demonstrate a commitment to promoting a culture of critical inquiry and learning be tolerant and flexible, and able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures. The successful candidate will be focused on team building and capacity-building of county staff; be a strategic thinker, have strong skills in design monitoring and evaluation of development programs and maintain a sense of humor.
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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Mercy Corps does NOT charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.