Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer - Kitgum ( Open to Uganda Nationals )

PROGRAM SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps has been operating in Uganda since 2006 and works to catalyze change makers within the Ugandan private sector, civil society and government to create economically dynamic, healthy and secure communities. Our works focus on building resilience and enabling economic growth, improving opportunities to attain better health and nutrition, and improving governance and conflict management. We implement programs in the northern districts of Pader, Kitgum, Agago, Lamwo, Gulu, Omoro, Moroto, Kaabong, Abim and Kotido with funding from USAID, US State Department, Walmart Foundation, SDC, DFID as well as other private donations.

Mercy Corps is starting a new program in consortium with China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) to pilot the market systems development approach to refugee response. The project aims to support 5,000 beneficiaries, including 3,500 refugees and 1,500 host community members, while indirectly benefiting the households of each of these beneficiaries to reach at least 20,000 South Sudanese and Ugandans in the Palabek settlement in Lamwo through the adaptation of agricultural practices that improve productivity and production. Given the reality that refugees arriving in Uganda have few to no assets and lack means for income generation, this kind of program supports immediate food security needs while providing refugees with the tools and experience to forge a sustainable future for themselves in Uganda. The program further acknowledges that economic resilience of the host community will help them better cope with negative effects of the refugee influx. By facilitating private business expansion among host communities, the program will support expanding consumer markets and access to employment among refugees and host community. The project will adopt a market systems development approach, working to leverage the private sector to provide inputs to farmers; offtake goods from production; as well as provide agricultural and post-harvest handling training so farmers can use agricultural land effectively and earn an income.

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GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Program Manager in the Kitgum Field Office, Mercy Corps is looking for a motivated, qualified and entrepreneurial Ugandan to fill the position of MEL Officer. He/She will be responsible for tracking, monitoring and evaluating the program’s activities. This position is a key role in Mercy Corps’ program quality assurance, accountability, documentation and learning unit. The position holder will be responsible for submitting donor reports and additional reports as needed. The position holder will support the program team in planning and execution of monitoring and evaluation activities, ensuring quality in line with accepted standards, providing essential feedback for learning, accountability and decision making. The position holder will report to the Program Manager and be under the technical guidance of the Senior Country MEL and Communication Manager.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Support the initial start-up period of any new program by leading the implementation of a more detailed assessment activities and initial workplan refinement phase, making sure to include key beneficiaries and stakeholders, in close partnership with the Program Manager.
2. Lead the development of the M&E framework and Indicator Plan to be submitted to supervisor for review.
3. Generate and implement M&E tools for all assessments and program implementation needs, in close coordination with full program team and continually engaged in field activities.
4. Coordinate baseline and endline assessments, case studies, post-distribution monitoring, after action reviews and other monitoring activities in area of operation.
5. Draft and lead the finalization of all donor reporting requirements, in coordination with Program Manager and Senior MEL Officer.
6. Maintain an up to date database that reflects progress (including disaggregated beneficiary counts) and donor indicators, in line with both organizational standards and the donor’s database.
7. Build the capacity of all team members to develop and maintain an excellent M&E system, and facilitate periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring information that feeds into programming and learning.
8. Actively participate in all implementation, providing advice and feedback for quality results at any point, as needed.
9. Work with Director of Programs, Program Manager, Program Officers and other staffs to ensure that activities are implemented on plan and progress towards targets is not compromised.
10. Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to credit Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its mission.
11. Perform any other duties as assigned by his/her supervisor or representatives.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Must hold at least a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agriculture, Demography, Statistics, Business administration or relevant field.
• At least 3 years of program monitoring and evaluation experience.
• Should understand concepts and demonstrate skills in monitoring and evaluation, project cycle, results chain and frameworks, participatory monitoring.
• Should be able to lead the design and implementation of surveys, have knowledge of commonly used probability and purposive sampling techniques.
• Must have perfect writing and analytical skills.
• Should have knowledge of quantitative and qualitative data collection, reporting techniques. S/he should understand and be able to apply basic measures of central tendency and spread.
• In addition to Microsoft Excel, the candidate should demonstrate fluency in use of at least one data management software including Microsoft Access, SPSS, STATA.
• Must be fluent both spoken and written English. Local language skills is a plus.
• Residents of Acholi are encouraged to apply. Residents and those with experience in Acholi Region are highly encouraged to apply.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

The ideal candidate will have the ability and curiosity to work comfortably and effectively in the cultural, relatively poor infrastructure of West Nile. S/he will be an excellent communicator, have a strong sense of humor, multi-tasker, and able to work difficult and often stressful environments. S/he will be committed to the work of Mercy Corps and the objectives of this program. They will demonstrate their dedication with a strong work ethic, attention to detail and creative problem solving.

Application:

Submit your E-mailed application including a cover letter clearly stating your salary requirements, CV (with 3 referees), and copies of academic qualifications/certificates through the Senior Human Resource and Legal Manager to ug-mcjobs@ug.mercycorps.org. Deadline for Submission: Close of business on Friday January 26, 2018 Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer; female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.