Summary
Date Posted: Monday, July 31 2023, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
ROLE DIMENSIONS:
The Project MERL Coordinator is part of the Programme Development and Quality function and will ensure comprehensive and effective performance monitoring and evaluation plans are in place. The role will be held accountable for implementing all procedures as intended and ensuring that all reporting is holistic, comprehensive and timely to facilitate consistent project delivery and the achievement of the desired objectives.

The Project MERL Coordinator provides technical guidance and support to internal and external stakeholders. The role is critical in ensuring the right project KPIs are being tracked and monitored for accurate reporting and analysis, contributing to sound programmatic decision making.

This position manages a departmental budget of around €10,000 annually.

The critical challenge for this position is to influence internal and external stakeholders to appreciate the MERL purpose, the discipline of collecting and recording data and the appreciation of the analysis of the data for decision making. This requires the job holder to:
• Excellent knowledge and conceptual understanding of MERL and its application to international/ local humanitarian development.
• Organizing skills and capacity to multi-task in rapidly changing & fast-paced environments;
• Good analytical and logical thinking and writing skills.
• Demonstrated experience in capacity building, mentoring and coaching staff
• Proven computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft software, including MS Word processing, PowerPoint presentation, Excel spreadsheets, e-mail and web-based research
• Level of contact with children

This position has been classified as “mid contact”: Occasional interaction with children.

KEY RESULT AREAS:
KRA 1: Strategy & Programming
• Lead the proper management and integration of the MERL results with programme management ensuring the provision of insights on optimising PIU's impact on the sustainable development.
• Coordinate and facilitate the development of MERL frameworks and plans for PIU's overall strategy; support project team and partners to develop Detailed Implementation Plans in line with the proposal.
• Provide strategic leadership in the project’s research, project evaluations, organisational learning and documentation initiatives within the project, including reviewing and validating reports and leading reflection and dissemination processes at the field level.
• Work with the MERL Manager to ensure that strategies for monitoring, evaluation and learning are fully integrated into all of our activities and that lessons learned are incorporated into the design of new projects and funding windows.
• Work with Technical Advisors / Project Managers to develop a structured learning plan (including learning questions and indicators).
• Participate in the development of the Annual Work Plan for the project and MERL, ensuring coverage of all departments; work with MERL Manager and Thematic MER Coordinators to budget MERL costs and appropriate resourcing.

KRA 2: Tools & Systems Development
• Proactively participate and coordinate the development and implementation of MERL Systems and Resources, ensuring that they support achieving organisational objectives.
• Ensure that research into MERL best practices is conducted and incorporated into developing new or improved MERL systems/tools.
• Design, Update (review) and Implement project monitoring tools per the project M&E plan and ensure the use of appropriate tools in collection, compilation, analysis and utilisation across the project to ensure consistency.
• Work with the Project Team and the procurement team to source and continuously develop appropriate technologies that will make data collection, analysis and reporting as time and cost-effective as possible (for both PIU and partner staff).
• Manage the MERL performance tracking system; consistently monitoring and consolidating project implementation findings against approved work plans and budgets to ensure timely and quality implementation per the contractual obligation.
• Ensure all MERL systems and tools are compliant with Plan International, and donor standards such as safeguarding children and young peoples’ policy, research protocols, knowledge management and MER standards and Guidelines are adhered to in the project.

KRA 3: Capacity Building
• Provide PIU staff and stakeholders with technical advice and support, enabling them to carry out Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning according to best practices:
• Conduct routine monitoring field visits of all the project activities to establish learning and development needs, using data collected to inform the learning and development of MERL interventions contributing to the knowledge and application of MERL best practices.
• Monitor capacity as the project is ongoing and provide any backstopping or technical support needed to ensure effective results measurement & reporting.
• Review learning gathered from implementing partners and feed this into refining PIU's MERL system & strategies.
• Design and implement practical learning activities in collaboration with colleagues & stakeholders to facilitate effective knowledge capture and sharing
• Quarterly Consolidate, follow up and document best practices, case studies, lessons learnt, Most Significant Change Stories and reflection of the project to provide evidence on project impact, including inclusiveness.

KRA 4: Monitoring & Performance Management
• Ensure the coordination and monitoring of PIU projects/ programs reviews and visits that will enable PIU to manage the performance of projects adaptively
• Together with the Project Manager, review all project write-ups (including concepts) and partners’ quarterly and annual progress report to ensure compliance with the Results Framework and donor reporting requirements.
• Support the development and rollout of project targets and standards to ensure the delivery of quality outputs.
• Provide technical guidance in developing and maintaining the project M&E database, including overseeing and leading the continuous update of project milestones in the PMERL system
• Regularly track project progress and update the project indicator performance trackers to support the project reporting obligations to different stakeholders.
• Consolidate, track and share action points agreed upon monthly in all project review/reflection meetings and ensure all action points and next steps are comprehensively closed out promptly.

KRA 5: Knowledge Management & Communications
• Work collaboratively with colleagues in the MERL team to maintain a ‘knowledge hub’ for the organisation that will meet the information needs of the identified audiences.
• Build a well-curated database for learnings from evaluations, intervention reports, and other relevant information; ensure that users can navigate and upload or retrieve information quickly.
• Work collaboratively with the Communications team to support content management on the PIUs and other information-sharing platforms; perform regular analytics to monitor utilisation and enhance user.
• Contribute to the country office quarterly and annual reporting requirements by providing timely and quality data to the MERL Manager.

KRA 6: Safeguarding, Gender Equality & Inclusion
• Ensure that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy, including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes but is not limited to ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies, and Plan
• International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS:
Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Quantitative Economics, Social Sciences, Social Work, Development Studies or a related field. Additional training at Post Graduate level in Monitoring and Evaluation, project planning and management or a related field is an asset
• At least 3 to 5 years of experience in providing M&E for Child Protection projects in development and humanitarian contexts
• Skills in Research methodology for both qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis

Leadership Competencies:
Myself as a Leader
• Courageous in taking a lead, challenging self and others on their attitudes, assumptions, unconscious bias and behaviour; speaks positively about change and supports others in adjusting to it.
Lasting Impact
• Sets and communicates ambitious but realistic work goals and priorities, explaining how these contribute to Plan International's purpose.
Open & Accountable
• Holds self and others to account for what we have agreed, dealing with poor performance quickly, firmly and constructively; at all times, acts in the best interests of PIU and her beneficiaries.
Work Well Together
• Creates a positive team spirit, helping people work well together as a team; proactively resolves situations of conflict by generating solutions that will work for all involved; deliberately adjusts own behaviour to influence or persuade others.
Inclusive & Empowering
• Appreciates the expertise and creativity of others; actively seeks out others' views and incorporates their insights or perspectives into decision-making and action-planning.

Skills & Knowledge
• Motivates and develops others by taking an interest, giving constructive feedback and praise, ensuring they are properly trained and helping them develop their potential; acts as a role model of continuous professional development and willingness to learn from mistakes.

Critical Business Management Competencies
• Good understanding of the political, social, financial and cultural drivers of inequality; with practical experience in developing and implementing strategies for change
• Experience in using project management principles and practices to lead significant projects; ensuring the achievement of results on time and to standard
• Strong ability to analyse and interpret an appropriate range of data and evidence, both internal and external, using sound judgement to make balanced decisions based on insights gained, or projection of trends.
• Good digital skills, for instance [name relevant tools/platforms]; ability to use ICT resources to improve work efficiency and effectiveness, whilst working in line with privacy and safeguarding guidelines.
• Good understanding of key risk-related policies, procedures and standards, (for instance, good practice in Child and Youth Safeguarding and Protection; Gender, equality and inclusion; Counter fraud; Safety and Security); solid track record of compliance
• Strong written and spoken communication skills, including in the English language, with an ability to effectively adjust content and presentation to suit varied audiences internally and externally to get key messages across.

Critical Technical Competencies
• Thorough understanding of Donor expectations and trends for Monitoring and Evaluation, Research and Learning
• Strong technical understanding of MER Project planning and development
• Demonstrable experience in data and Project quality management techniques as well as expertise in developing thematic MER reports.
• Demonstrable experience in the application of Knowledge Management techniques in both managing and disseminating information
• Demonstrated experience in capacity building, mentoring and coaching staff and programme stakeholders



Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

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