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 operating in Ethiopia since 2004. In partnership with civil society organizations, academic institutions, private sector, and the government, Mercy Corps Ethiopia has reached more than five million Ethiopians with interventions to save lives and build secure livelihoods. Our programs emphasize market-driven solutions, reinforce social bonds, and help communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Currently in six regional states (Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Tigray and the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa) Mercy Corps Ethiopia is driven by the mission to contribute the emergence of a peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Ethiopia which is inclusive of youth and women.

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Salary Level: (Refer to the relevant salary scale)

Risk Level:     ☐ Level 3       ☐Level 2         ☐Level 1 

(Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.  

Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.

Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data) 

The Program / Department / Summary

Mercy Corps is implementing a three-year program focused on catalyzing transformation in Sharia-compliant and digital financial services across the lowlands and highlands of Ethiopia. Building on the proven success of a first phase that reached over 350,000 users with inclusive digital and Islamic financial services, this second phase moves from piloting to institutionalization and system-wide scale-up. The program aims to increase incomes and enhance resilience for rural households, particularly women and youth, across implementation areas spanning Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Somali and Oromia regions.

The Position (General Position Summary)

The MEL Advisor is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and continuous strengthening of the program’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning system. This role ensures that high-quality data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform strategic and operational decisions, in line with Mercy Corps MEL standards and adaptive management approaches.

Working closely with the Project Manager, technical teams, partners, and the Country MEL unit, the MEL Advisor will support learning, accountability, and performance tracking, with a strong focus on market systems development, financial inclusion, gender integration, and digital data systems.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY, PLANNING AND COLLABORATION

  • Lead the development and implementation of the program MEL strategy aligned with program theory of change and logframe.
  • Ensure MEL systems support adaptive management approaches (e.g., AAER – Adopt, Adapt, Expand, Respond).
  • Contribute to the program learning agenda, including evidence generation on DFS, Islamic finance, and financial inclusion models.
  • Align program MEL frameworks with Mercy Corps country MEL systems and global standards.
  • Work closely with the Project Manager, technical teams, and partners to ensure MEL integration.
  • Coordinate with the Country MEL Manager and team to align systems and reporting.
  • Liaise with implementing partners to build their MEL capacities and ensure data quality.
  • Support donor reporting and contribute to proposal development.

MEL SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

  • Develop and maintain the program’s results framework, indicator tracking table (ITT), and MEL plan.
  • Establish systems for routine monitoring, including tools, methodologies, and data flows.
  • Ensure integration of MEL into program implementation planning and budgeting.
  • Oversee baseline, midline, and endline surveys, assessments, and evaluations.
  • Ensure compliance with Mercy Corps MEL Policy and minimum standards.

DATA MANAGEMENT, QUALITY AND ANALYSIS

  • Manage data collection, storage, validation, and analysis systems (e.g., TOLA, Kobo, CommCare, Power BI).
  • Conduct regular Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) and ensure data integrity.
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to generate insights for program improvement.
  • Ensure timely and accurate reporting against donor indicators and milestones.
  • Support visualization and communication of data for decision-making.

LEARNING AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

  • Facilitate regular pause-and-reflect sessions, learning reviews, and adaptive management discussions.
  • Document and disseminate key learnings, best practices, and success stories.
  • Support testing and refinement of innovative DFS and financial inclusion models.
  • Contribute to sector learning, knowledge sharing platforms, and external engagement.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND SUPERVISION

  • Train program staff and partners on MEL tools, systems, and data use.
  • Provide ongoing mentoring and technical support to field teams.
  • Promote a culture of learning and evidence-based decision-making.

GENDER INCLUSION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

  • Ensure sex- and age-disaggregated data collection and analysis.
  • Integrate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) into MEL systems and indicators.
  • Support gender analysis and ensure findings inform program adaptation.
  • Strengthen accountability systems, including feedback and complaint response mechanisms.
  • Promote participant-centered approaches and community engagement

WORKING RELATIONSHIP

The MEL Advisor will work closely with the Project Manager and program team to ensure effective integration of monitoring, evaluation, and learning across all program components. They will maintain a strong technical relationship with the Country MEL Manager team to ensure alignment with organizational standards and systems. The role requires close collaboration with technical advisors, field teams, data and analytics staff, and implementing partners to support high-quality data collection, analysis, and use. The MEL Advisor will also engage with external stakeholders, including financial institutions, implementing partners, and donors, to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective communication of program results and learning.

KEY PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

The MEL Advisor is expected to ensure the delivery of a high-quality, fully functional MEL system that meets donor and Mercy Corps standards, with timely and accurate data informing all program decisions. The role will be accountable for maintaining high data quality, ensuring that all indicators are consistently tracked, validated, and reported on time. The MEL Advisor will actively promote the use of evidence for adaptive management, ensuring that program strategies and interventions are regularly refined based on data and learning. They are expected to contribute to measuring systemic change within the financial ecosystem, including tracking adoption, adaptation, and scaling of innovations by market actors. Additionally, the role will ensure integration of gender and inclusion across all MEL processes, strengthen accountability to participants, and build the capacity of program staff and partners to effectively use data for improved performance and impact.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

The MEL Advisor will play a key role in identifying, monitoring, and mitigating programmatic and data-related risks to ensure the integrity and reliability of program results. This includes proactively identifying potential risks related to data quality, partner reporting, and implementation challenges, and developing appropriate mitigation measures. The role will ensure adherence to Mercy Corps MEL policies, donor (JOA) requirements, and quality standards by establishing robust systems for data validation, verification, and documentation. The MEL Advisor will lead regular Data Quality Assessments (DQAs), spot checks, and audits to ensure accuracy, consistency, and credibility of data. Additionally, they will support the integration of risk monitoring into routine program management and promote a culture of quality assurance, accountability, and continuous improvement across the program and its partners.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES 

  • Actively learn and apply safeguarding principles in day-to-day work, including identifying and mitigating safeguarding risks related to MEL activities and program implementation.
  • Practice and promote Mercy Corps values, ensuring respect for the dignity, rights, and well-being of program participants, partners, and team members at all times.
  • Promote a culture of openness, trust, and accountability by encouraging team members and partners to raise concerns and report incidents through established channels, including the Integrity Hotline.
  • Ensure that all MEL processes; data collection, assessments, and learning activities—adhere to safeguarding standards, including confidentiality, informed consent, and do-no-harm principles.
  • Support safeguarding review processes, particularly for sensitive data, research outputs, and communication materials, ensuring risks are appropriately assessed and mitigated.
  • Collaborate with program teams and partners to integrate safeguarding considerations into program design, monitoring, and reporting.
  • Immediately report any safeguarding concerns or incidents in line with Mercy Corps policies and ensure appropriate follow-up.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Project Manager

Dotted relationship with: Country MEL Manager

Works Directly With: Program team, Country GEDSI advisor, Technical Sector Advisors, and other support functions (Operations and Finance), and implementing partners

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

  • BA or Master’s in Statistics, Economics, Development Studies, M&E, or related field
  • 5–7+ years of MEL experience in development programs
  • Strong experience with: Result chain and ToC design, Market systems / MSD programs, financial inclusion / DFS preferred
  • Experience with digital data tools (Comcare, MS Azure, Power BI)
  • Strong analytical skills (SPSS/STATA/R/Python preferred)
  • Experience in fragile or multi-regional contexts
 Success Factors

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and translate it into clear, actionable insights that inform program decisions. They will possess excellent communication and facilitation skills, enabling them to effectively engage diverse stakeholders, present findings, and support evidence-based dialogue.

The successful candidate will be proactive, flexible, and adaptive, capable of navigating complex and evolving program environments while maintaining focus on results. They will exhibit strong collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills, working effectively across teams, partners, and institutions to strengthen program performance.

A commitment to continuous learning, innovation, and accountability is essential, with the ability to promote a culture of reflection, improvement, and results-oriented programming.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA and it requires 40% to 60% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.  Housing for this role is individual housing, and staff will have access to good medical services and the living situation is of a high standard.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Team Engagement and Effectiveness 

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work. We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

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. 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 elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.