PROGRAM SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has 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.
The position holder 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). Working in consortia with GOAL, VSO and Restless Development, DYNAMIC will strengthen systems and facilitate creation of economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth. DYNAMIC’s goal is to increase the number of young people who are in secure employment or self-employment and to promote agricultural market systems for youth, reaching 125,000 out-of-school youth aged 15–24 in eight districts over five years. Through a market facilitation approach, youth already engaged in on-farm activities will move to more productive and profitable farming. DYNAMIC will increase facilitate access to technical skills, knowledge and market information, as well as link agribusinesses and microenterprises to market opportunities, and ensure they can utilize financial services.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
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 position 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. S/he 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.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
MEL Strategy and Design
- Ensure that Acholi program MEL systems are in compliance with Mercy Corps global, regional and country policies, procedures, standards and strategic initiatives
- Assist in program strategy design, planning and implementation to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ Minimum Standards, including the use of standardized indicators and documentation methodologies.
- Lead 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.
Management of Data and Information system
- Assist 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.
- Provide 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.
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 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.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- Must hold at least a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agriculture, Demography, Statistics, Business administration or relevant field.
- At least three years of 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.
- 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.
- Experience with facilitation, capacity building, formal and informal knowledge transfer, partnership strengthening and empowering staff through opportunities for growth and development.
- In addition to 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:
Applications: Submit your E-mailed application including a cover letter clearly stating your salary requirements, CV (with 3 referees), and copies of academic qualifications/certificates through the Human Resource Manager to mcjobs@ug.mercycorps.org Deadline for Submission: Close of business on November 9, 2015 Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer; female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
