Summary
Date Posted: Friday, February 02 2024, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Job Details
Description
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Senior Officer-DREAMS PROGRAM.
Position Description
Location: Yumbe District, West Nile, Uganda
Position Status Full-time
Salary Level: Level 6
Current Team Member: N/A

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. Working in Uganda since 2006, Mercy corps has applied market-driven solutions to communities across the country, equipping individuals and households with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to generate improvements in their access to markets, livelihoods, health, nutrition, and security, to improve their overall resilience. Our programs focus on:
• Strengthening market systems to enable inclusive economic growth and resilience.
• Strengthening governance structures, to priorities and advocate for community needs, making informed decisions, and allocating resources in a participatory, transparent, and accountable manner
• Building institutional capacity to enable communities to attain better health, nutrition, and sexual reproductive health outcomes.
• Meeting the immediate needs of refugees and hosting communities, while strengthening market systems and resilience capacities

Throughout our programs we ensure we focus on women and youth, building resilience to climate change, designing for impact and scale, and ensuring we take a conflict sensitive approach to do no harm. In 2018, Mercy Corps had programming in 26 districts across the northern agro-pastoral and pastoral regions bordering South Sudan and Kenya, and into central Uganda including major urban areas such as Kampala and has improved the wellbeing of over 1 million Ugandans.
The Mercy Corps Uganda team consists of around 300 members, across 10 Offices in Central and Northern Uganda.

Program Summary
Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS) for refugees is an innovative solution that seeks to drive refugee self-reliance. Working in Uganda and Ethiopia – home to 10% of the world’s refugee population – DREAMS seeks to provide 150,000 of the most vulnerable refugees with the security and dignity that comes from providing for one’s family. The program is integrating two proven models – poverty graduation and Market Systems Development – layering these approaches in a new way that will ensure that the poorest refugee households are able to improve their income and well-being significantly. Graduation provides the capital and skills to support refugees as they establish their businesses, and Market Systems Development helps build market access pathways to ensure those businesses can be successful. DREAMS program is a collaboration between three leading organizations in the field of global poverty alleviation: Village Enterprise, Mercy Corps, and IDinsight. The DREAMS program aims to improve the well-being of 150,000 women, children, and men over the course of the five years. Targeting refugees and host community members in the West Nile region of Uganda, our innovative approach will layer the two evidence-based models – poverty graduation and market systems development – to achieve increased household income, savings, and assets: improved food security and wellbeing.

General Position Summary
The Senior MEL Officer 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. S/he will develop and maintain data management systems. The Senior MEL Officer is also responsible for supporting Mercy Corps staff to regularly collect (assessments, evaluation and research), enter, verify, 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 is accurately incorporated into all organizational reports, information products, and that feeds into programming. S/he 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
• Work with program teams, partners, and M&E focal points to integrate M&E into ongoing project planning and implementation and ensure adherence to Mercy Corps M&E minimum standards and systems.
• Assist with the development of appropriate monitoring, tracking, and reporting systems, tools and templates that enhance monitoring of project outputs and quality, generate evidence on project impact, promote and ensure data driven 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 project and coordinate the collection of information required for country-level management.
• Coordinate assessments, research, and evaluations.
• Ensure that monitoring plans are developed for the program and that regular monitoring visits are conducted by MEL staff to the different project locations in adherence to minimum standards, 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, annual, and end line surveys, regular monitoring, data collection, analysis, feedback, and reporting.
• Generate MEL 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 required.
• Conduct regular field visits to ensure all elements of the data system are being utilized effectively, assessing, and identifying gaps 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
• Conduct internal needs assessment and for the partners to determine M&E training plan and tools to support staff and ensure that information feeds into the program.
• Develop training materials and implement training plan based on needs assessment and gaps of partners and M&E focal persons.
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain a robust M&E system.
• Review partner reports and provide feedback and comments to improve reporting quality.
• Adapt existing protocols and plans to mentor and coach colleagues to build their capacity to develop high quality reports.
Database Management
• Develop and manage a program database that improves Mercy Corps’ ability to inform program implementation, data analyzes, and represent impact to key stakeholders.
• Contribute to understanding of and support for mobile data collection hardware and software, including tools such as Comcare, Tableau, PowerBI etc.
• Ensure all relevant program staff can 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.
• Review data being collected 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 the team to build systems that promote beneficiary accountability by ensuring that communities participate in initial assessments and program design.
• 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 Feedback and Accountability Mechanism is clearly communicated to project 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 Equality Policy.
• Apply Do-No-Harm standards to ensure activities do not have detrimental effects on vulnerable communities.
• Conduct himself/herself in a professionally manner both while at work and outside as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other assigned tasks, as necessary.

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
MEL Officer(s)

Accountability
Reports Directly To: Team Lead

Works Directly With: Country MEL Manager, Program team, Finance, Operations Department

Knowledge and Experience
• BA/S or equivalent, preferably in Social Sciences, Business Administration, Public Administration, International Development, or other relevant disciplines.
• A minimum of 5 (Years) of relevant in M&E work and/or Data Management experience.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of market systems development programs is preferred.
• Fluent in both spoken and written English; Fluency in local Languages in program target areas is an added advantage.
• Previous experience working with international and/or local NGOs on both humanitarian and development.
• Advanced computer skills and experience developing data management systems including ONA/KoBo/ODK are required.
• Extensive experience in field survey/data collection techniques, data entry, data verification, management, and analysis.
• Strong team coordination, listening, and consensus building skills.

Success Factors
The successful candidate will be energetic, and able to work long hours outside of the office. The successful candidate will also have strong attention to detail, the ability to communicate well with community representatives and be committed to maintaining a compliant workplace, free of fraud and corruption.

Must Possess a valid riding permit.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position is based in the West Nile region of Uganda. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values always and at all times.

Ongoing 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.

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 based on 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 encounter 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

To Apply:
Interested applicants must submit their Cover Letter & CV saved in 1 document as PDF of no more than 5 pages by 9th February 2024.

Please note that any application submitted that does not follow the above instructions will be automatically discarded.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Locals with the required qualifications are encouraged to apply.

Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.


Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Job application procedure
Interested and qualified? Click here to apply

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