Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Coordinator

Position Description

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Position Status: Full-time

Salary Level: Level 8

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.

Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently works in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps is committed to generating positive opportunities for women, men, boys and girls from Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian communities, with a strong focus on engaging youth.  Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping build secure, productive and just communities. Our programs focus on four sectors: Economic Opportunities, Governance and Social Stability, Youth, and Humanitarian interventions. The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 150 staff working across four offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli and the Bekaa.

Program Summary

The Bolstering Agriculture Systems’ Ability to Invest, Nourish, and Employ (BASATINE) consortium, led by CARE International with Mercy Corps, Al Majmoua, George N. Frem Foundation, Berytech and LOST,  is implementing a 38-month intervention to support farmers and other value chain and associated sector actors in areas of Bekaa and Akkar, focused on the production of wheat and vegetables, seeking a territorial approach and promoting linkages with other value chains. Through complementary interventions designed in alignment with the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, the program will immediately address food insecurity and provide needed income and technical support to farmers to survive this tumultuous time, as well improve the capacity of food systems to maintain employment and growth in the longer-term via stronger domestic production and system linkages. This will ultimately contribute to greater economic stability, particularly for women, improved rural development, and more positive social cohesion between host/refugee communities at a local level.

Mercy Corps will lead the Market Systems Development (MSD) element from a programmatic side and the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning component of the consortium.

General Position Summary

The Senior MEL Coordinator will contribute to the quality assurance of program implementation and ensure that the program is meeting its deliverables, as well as developing tools and reports to demonstrate the impact and results of program implementation. They will develop and maintain Commcare data collection and management systems and databases for the BASATINE consortium. Working closely with the Consortium MEL Manager, the Senior MEL Coordinator is responsible for supporting Mercy Corps and BASATINE consortium partner staff to regularly collect, enter, verify, and analyze data and work with the MEL team to make timely adjustments to measure the impact of Mercy Corps’ programs and to ensure M&E data are accurately incorporated into all organizational reports and information products. They will ensure the collection and analysis of useful, timely and actionable information for managers and decision-makers, and contribute to the frequent review, reflection and key learning processes to improve performance.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Develop and maintain the consortium’s Commcare data collection and management system;
• Work with program teams, partners, and  focal points to integrate M&E into ongoing program planning and implementation systems and ensure adherence to Mercy Corps MEL minimum standards;
• Assist with the development of appropriate monitoring, tracking and reporting systems, tools and templates that enhance monitoring of program outputs and quality, generate quality evidence on program impact and promote and ensure use of data for decision-making processes;
• Assist the program team to develop and promote the use of standard indicators, tools and forms (as appropriate) and M&E practices across the program and coordinate the collection of information required for country-level management;
• Coordinate assessments and evaluations;
• Ensure that monitoring plans are developed for the program and ensure that regular monitoring visits are conducted by MEL staff to the different program locations, ensure that minimum standards are being met, and that reports are shared with the program teams;
• Work with partners and program team to gather success stories and anecdotal evidence of program impact to share for outreach and with donors.

Data Analysis and Reporting

• Work as part of a broader team to design, facilitate and support data collection and analysis systems, including baseline, midline, and end line surveys, regular monitoring, data collection and analysis, feedback and reporting;
• Generate data reports (tables/graphs/reports) from the database at regular intervals, ensuring reports/information are available for program implementation staff as required;
• Facilitate data analysis with program implementation team as requested;
• Conduct regular field visits to ensure all elements of the data system are being utilized effectively, assessing and identifying breakdowns and areas that require clarifications and improvements;
• Coordinate with field team and partners to implement system corrections and adjustments, solving operational issues and documenting actions taken and next steps;
• Work with program teams to ensure data analysis and reports are integrated into programmatic decision-making to improve impact of the program;
• Contribute to monthly reports and other ad hoc reports to meet donor and internal requirements;
• Report program achievements on TOLA, Activity Info, and other relevant reporting mechanisms.

Capacity Building

• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain a robust M&E system;
• Adapt existing protocols and plans to mentor and coach colleagues to build their capacity to enable them to develop high quality reports.

Database Management

• Develop and manage a program database that improves the BASATINE consortium’s ability to inform program implementation, analyze data, and represent impact to key stakeholders;
• Contribute to understanding of and support for mobile data collection hardware and software, including Commcare and Power BI;

• Ensure all relevant program staff are able to utilize the database to analyze program information and results;
• Design, adapt and maintain the database in conjunction with the MEL team to match strategic program or implementation changes in coordination with consortium MERL manager;
• Review data being collected in order to locate and fix problems with data entry or integrity;
• Document database contents, protocols and update manuals for smooth functioning of the data management system;
• Manage regular synchronizations of data;
• Troubleshoot front and back-end issues with the database, including any synchronization issues with field-level data entry.

Accountability

• Coordinate with program teams to ensure that communities are informed about our programs 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 programs;

• Ensure that Mercy Corps’ Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) is clearly communicated to program 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 not jeopardize its humanitarian mission;
• Other assigned tasks, as necessary.

Safeguarding

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work. 
• Practice the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members. 

• Encourage openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options. 

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.

Supervisory Responsibility

2x MEL Assistants

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Consortium MERL Manager

Works Directly With: Basatine Program Manager, Consortium Research and Knowledge Management Coordinator, MCL Program Quality Evidence and Learning Manager, consortium partners, Basatine MERLA Working group, MCL CARM Coordinator, Consortium CARM focal point.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent, preferable in social sciences, business administration, public administration, international development or other relevant disciplines;
• M&E and/research and learning experience;
• Fluent in both spoken and written Arabic and English;
• Previous experience working with international and/or local NGOs;
• Advanced computer skills and experience developing and managing data management systems including CommCare/ ONA/KoBo/ODK are required;
• Experience in Data Visualization skills and platforms including PowerBI is preferred.
• Extensive experience in field survey/data collection techniques, data entry, data verification, management and analysis
• Previous experience with Commcare is preferred;
• Good reporting skills;
• Strong team coordination, listening, and consensus building skills.

Success Factors

The successful Senior MEL Coordinator shall be innovative, energetic, hard-working and eager to learn.  They will take a deep personal interest in humanitarian and development assistance. They will be attentive to detail and able to carry out assigned tasks in a timely manner and according to a very high standard of quality.  They will be creative and flexible, contributing to developing and encouraging new and innovative solutions, but at the same time shall not have any difficulty in adhering to systems and procedures. They will strictly follow all protocols related to safety and security, and hold self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Mercy Corps’ values.

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. By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.