MEL Coordinator (Applications will only be accepted if submitted online, through the link provided)

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. 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. We do this through:
• Addressing the humanitarian and protection needs resulting from crisis situations for the most vulnerable communities
• Enabling local communities, civil society and government to better prevent and respond to conflict, address needs and deliver sustainable development solutions
• Promoting economic growth and catalysing economic opportunities for vulnerable, under-employed groups in Lebanon

The Mercy Corps Lebanon team consists of over 150 staff working across five offices throughout Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley.

Program Summary

The “Fostering Resilience by Strengthening Abilities” FORSA II program is a 6.5 mio Euros integrated three-and-a-half-year (anticipated December 2019 - May 2023) program focusing on the nexus between education and employment. The program will target youth between the ages of 16-34 from Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian families, with a specific focus on women and girls in the target areas.  The overall objective is that women and youth are supported to access education and employment in targeted areas in the Bekaa and South.

The primary objectives of the program are that:

1. Youth from all targeted communities have improved market-driven skills as a result of better quality training systems;
2. Job placement systems provide equitable and sustainable access to jobs for targeted populations;
3. Male and female youth have improved pathways to self-employment.

General Position Summary

The MEL Coordinator will contribute to the quality assurance of program implementation and ensure that the program is meeting its deliverables, as well as to the development of tools, processes and reports to demonstrate the impact and results of program implementation.  S/he will develop and maintain data management systems. The MEL Coordinator is responsible for supporting Mercy Corps 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 is accurately incorporated into all organizational reports and information products. 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 systems and ensure adherence to Mercy Corps M&E minimum standards;
• Assist with the development of appropriate monitoring, tracking and reporting systems, tools and templates that enhance monitoring of project outputs and quality, generate quality evidence on project 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 project and coordinate the collection of information required for country-level management;
• Coordinate assessments and evaluations;
• Ensure that monitoring plans are developed for the program;
• Conduct regular monitoring visits to the different project locations and ensure that activities are implemented as planned and that minimum standards are being met,
• 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 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

• Conduct a needs assessment for the partners and determine a M&E training plan and tools to support staff;
• Conduct a needs assessment for coaches and implement an induction on M&E and a training plan to inform coaches about the importance of M&E and how information feeds into the program;
• Develop training material and implement training plan based on the assessment needs 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 enable them to develop high quality reports.

Database Management

• Develop and manage a program database that improves Mercy Corps’ 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 Tableau;

• 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;
• 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 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 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.

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 Assistants

Accountability

Reports Directly To: MEL Manager

Works Directly With: FORSA II Program team, MERL Specialist, MERL Advisor, Reporting & IM Coordinator

Knowledge and Experience

• • BA/S or equivalent, preferable in social sciences, business administration, public administration, international development or other relevant disciplines;

• • 3-4 years M&E and/or other relevant experience;
  • Fluent in both spoken and written Arabic with strong knowledge of English;
  • Previous experience working with international and/or local NGOs;
  • Advanced computer skills and experience developing data management systems including CommCare/ONA/KoBo/ODK are required;
  • Good reporting skills;

• • 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 MEL Coordinator will be bright, energetic, hard-working and eager to learn.  S/he will take a deep personal interest in humanitarian and development assistance.  S/he 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.  S/he will be creative and flexible, contributing to developing and encouraging new and innovative solutions, but at the same time will not have any difficulty in adhering to systems and procedures. S/he will strictly follow all protocols related to safety and security, and holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Mercy Corps’ values.