Information resource on donors activities
in the Kyrgyz Republic

Vacancies

MEL Advisor

Agency: Mercy Corps
Deadline: 18 May 2024 г.

Mercy Corps in the Kyrgyz Republic is pleased to announce the vacant position of MEL Advisor in the new Civil Society Activity. The position is contingent on funding.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have a long-term impact.

Program / Department Summary

Working to meet the needs of Kyrgyz citizens since 1994, last year Mercy Corps reached over 250,000 people across the country. Our programming focuses on improving child nutrition, increasing access to hygiene and sanitation, and driving agriculture development. Historically, we have worked with Kyrgyz communities to build peace and improve local governance. Mercy Corps strategy for 2024-27 in Kyrgyzstan aims at enhancing access to food, water, and natural resources while improving governance and conflict management capacity in vulnerable rural areas for resilient and inclusive communities.

Mercy Corps is seeking a MEL Advisor to support an anticipated five-year USAID-funded New Civil Society Activity. The activity is anticipated to focus on increasing citizen engagement and civil society resilience in Kyrgyzstan through citizen-prioritized initiatives.

The Position

The MEL Advisor is responsible for overseeing the program M&E team, ensuring the quality of M&E, information management (TOLA), and CARM efforts support. The MEL Advisor is responsible for providing M&E services in line with USAID donor requirements and Mercy Corps’ standards, training and mentoring M&E and program staff and managing expected M&E deliverables. S/he will support the Chief of Party (CoP) with project representation and will oversee all project collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA), and formal reporting processes. 

Essential Responsibilities  
STRATEGY AND VISION

  • Work with the program team to develop explanatory and analytical M&E systems, which go beyond descriptive reporting and indicator-centric processes.
  • Support the program to create creative and innovative M&E learning systems with built-in feedback loops that directly inform program managers and enable iterative improvements to program implementation, as well as feed into the broader nationwide M&E system and country strategy.
  • Supervise effective CARM and TOLA mechanisms and work with the program team to ensure these are utilized for accountability to participants and partners.
  • Design and maintain an M&E system with utility and program quality in mind, providing managers and their teams real-time information that can steer program implementation as well as inform donors and strategic program direction and that helps strategize future program interventions.
  • Lead and develop an M&E team in developing and maintaining a system that improves the country’s ability to analyze and represent impact to donors, government, peer agencies, and communities themselves.
  • Work with the COP and Country Leadership to address shortfalls in M&E that affect program implementation and conduct internal DQAs.
  • Participate in country management meetings and countrywide strategy sessions.
  • Contribute and collaborate with regional and global counterparts to promote the use of M&E and ICT best practices.
  • Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO, and other relevant forums in close coordination with the COP and Country Director.
  • Coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, government, and other implementers as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT

  • Be responsible for and accountable for MEL budget lines within the program.
  • Be responsible for MEL deliverables to donors and the program.
  • Use existing MC resources to train M&E and program teams in monitoring evaluation and report writing.
  • Coordinate and play a role in assessments as requested.

DATA AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

  • Develop high-impact data visualizations to promote analysis and organizational learning, using examples to build replicable prototypes that can be used by other programs.
  • Provides guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that the M&E systems meet the needs of the COP, Program Managers, and Country Leadership and help address shortfalls in M&E and data management that affect program implementation.
  • Contributes to program design to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ standards, including the use of standardized indicators and documentation methodologies but also quality indicators that support program management.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

  • Oversee recruitment and onboarding of MEL staff and consultants.
  • Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of staff roles, and assist with career development.
  • Provide team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
  • Promote staff accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
  • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
  • Support Mercy Corps' global and regional initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding diversity, and talent development.

Supervisory Responsibility: Supervise the New Civil Society Activity MEL Team. The number of direct and indirect reports will be determined at a later stage. 

Reports Directly To: COP and MEL Manager

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

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

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

  • BA/S or equivalent, preferably in business administration, public administration, or international development. MA/S in a relevant field is strongly preferred.
  • 5-7 years of experience in the areas of program development monitoring and evaluation, including relevant experience building and managing an M&E system and team, relevant experience supervising data collection and data validation exercises, and building staff capacity.
  • Successful experience with the adoption of mobile data collection tools like Open Data Kit, CommCare, and Ona, including XLS Form authoring.
  • Experience with complex data visualization using Power BI and/or Tableau.
  • Experience with theoretical and practical background in research or DM&E and knowledge of qualitative and quantitative methodologies and techniques required.
  • Successful experience with designing and operationalizing data-driven decision-making practices to facilitate adaptive program management.
  • Familiarity with USAID rules, regulations, and requirements.
  • Fluent Kyrgyz and/or Russian is required and strong English language communication skills (written and verbal) are preferred.
  • Knowledge of GESI principles, social network analysis, and political economy analysis is preferred.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will combine exceptional verbal and written communication skills with strong analytical skills and an interest in education and child nutrition. S/he will be an excellent thinker, communicator, and multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations and will also be tolerant and flexible, able to work in stressful environments and follow procedures. The successful candidate will be focused on team-building and capacity building of national staff and, as a team member, ensure the team produces top-quality work.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position will be based in Bishkek. This position requires at least 35% travel by plane and vehicle to field offices in environments that for the most part are secure. 

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.

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.

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 a 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 on the basis of 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 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 the 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 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.

Interested candidates are invited to apply through the below link and submit their CV, cover letter, and contacts of at least 3 referees for a reference check.

https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/MER1024MERCY/JobBoard/c4864179-ca78-4883-9037-6ac7dc8a18f3/Opportunity/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=ee54cc4b-bb17-4a42-ba72-5741bc9b4ab7