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 long term impact.

The Program Summary  

Mercy Corps’ Ukraine response meets the humanitarian needs of people affected by the war in Ukraine. Since the escalation of the war in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported more than 750,000 conflict-affected people in Ukraine and neighboring countries. We have provided cash assistance, food and hygiene kits, and psychosocial support for people in emergency situations; grants for micro, small and medium businesses, as well as small to medium farming enterprises; and conducted large-scale information campaigns. Notably, nearly all our programming is delivered in partnership with civil society organizations matching humanitarian action with capacity strengthening and a real commitment to localization.

The Position

The Senior MEL Manager will head the MEL Team of Mercy Corps in Ukraine and is part of the Program Performance and Quality (PaQ) team. The successful candidate will lead and oversee the development and implementation of the MEL strategy, systems, processes and tools which match the needs of the humanitarian and resilience portfolio of Mercy Corps in Ukraine. They will also be responsible for ensuring the streamlining of data management platforms, standardization of data collection tools and automation of data workflows to ensure real-time availability of data. They will actively participate in the design, planning and set up of new projects, including leading needs assessments, developing logical frameworks, MEL plans and Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) for the humanitarian and resilience portfolio of Mercy Corps in Ukraine. The Senior MEL Manager is responsible for the capacity building and mentoring on themes related to monitoring, evaluation and learning, working closely with other PaQ and technical leads. They will initiate and oversee documentation of evidence and promote the use of program data for decision making in management meetings. Working closely with the PaQ and technical leads, the Senior MEL Manager will be the primary change agent in promoting a culture of evidence-based decision-making within Ukraine. Central to this approach will be the analysis and use of program data within the program for learning and adaptation of program activities.

Essential Responsibilities

1. Technical Leadership
   • ○ Lead the design and implementation of Mercy Corps in Ukraine’s MEL framework, and information system to track and critically assess the implementation progress, performance against targets, project outcomes and outputs;
   • ○ Ensure the implementation of the key MEL strategic priorities, and review and update the priorities as needed and in line with Mercy Corps Pathway to Possibilities Strategy.
   • ○ Support development and refinement of the Ukraine MEL Plan and SoPs, , including clear step by step guidance, processes, roles and responsibilities for all relevant MEL activities.
   • ○ Oversee and support MEL Managers in maintaining sound budgets and workplans for all projects.
   • ○ Engage in business development opportunities and ensure appropriate MEL resourcing.
   • ○ Conduct needs assessments and implement solutions that address identified data needs in a timely manner.
   • ○ Develop and institutionalize the use of mechanisms and practices across teams (e.g. MEL, technical, operations) for promoting data-driven decision-making and use of program MEL data across all programs and departments.
   • ○ Periodically conduct data/quality assessments and audits, and follow-up on implementation of recommended actions and improvements.
   • ○ Ensure compliance with global MEL minimum standards.
   • ○ Provide training and coaching for program and MEL staff on how to use TolaData effectively. Ensure that TolaData is routinely updated, check quality of program evidence linked to the system.
   • ○ Oversee all internal and external evaluation activities.   
2. Information Management
   • ○ Continually develop and oversee the MEL system for Mercy Corps in Ukraine reponse, including the review and development of MEL Plans, tools, standardization of variables across tools, integration of tools within appropriate technological platforms, developing and setting data workflows, etc.
   • ○ Provide guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that systems meet the needs of the response and help address shortfalls in MEL and data management that affect implementation.
   • ○ Lead the Data Management and Automation Team and support them to identify opportunities to maximize data management efficiencies through automation, integration and linking of various platforms to ensure integrated workflows.
   • ○ Maintain a comprehensive schedule and review program reports to ensure that reports contain accurate, clear, and high-quality data that is presented in the proper format. These documents should be learning focused. 
3. Learning
   • ○ Support the Learning Manager in the creation and continual development of a learning agenda, ensuring learning activities are prioritized; including after action reviews, pause and reflection sessions, periodic performance reviews, etc.
   • ○ Working closely with other technical leads, identify opportunities for in-depth analysis and documentation, using critical thinking skills to improve quality. 
4. Team Management
   • ○ Ensure teams attain/maintain sufficient skills/capabilities to carry out required MEL duties, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with staff orientation, career development, professional development through training, performance management, etc.
   • ○ Coordinate closely with MEL Managers on priority setting, overseeing opportunities to collaborate as well as skill and task sharing where applicable to reduce effort and work duplication.
   • ○ Promote a strong culture of two-way collaboration throughout the MEL Team, while focusing on accountability, communicating expectations, and providing constant constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-ones and performance reviews with the teams.
   • ○ Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect and understanding where team members are empowered, given room to grow, and provided an environment where they can achieve.
     
     
5. Capacity Building and Training
   • ○ Develop and implement knowledge, skills, and training initiatives. This may include training, coaching, and mentoring on foundational MEL skills, evaluation approaches, MEL technologies/mobile data collection, data analysis, data visualization, etc.
6. Internal and External Coordination & Representation
   • ○ Active contributor and collaborator across internal teams, promoting best practices and lessons learned.
   • ○ Strengthen linkages with other internal resources, including the Digital Library, Hub, and Connect, to enhance organizational learning.
   • ○ Present program M&E and learning to external stakeholders and within national clusters, partner and donor meetings as required.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Senior MEL Manager will supervise the MEL team in Ukraine, which includes direct supervision of two MEL Managers, Learning Manager, and data engineers.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Program Quality and Standards Lead

Works Directly With: Director of Programs, resilience and humanitarian program teams, and technical teams (Partnerships, Protection and GESI), and Grants Manager

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

• • Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree in development, research methods, statistics, economics, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, project management or other relevant field strongly preferred.
• • Strong understanding of emergency donor requirements for MEL.
• • At least 3-5 years of hands-on experience in developing and implementing MEL plans/systems required, including staff supervision.
• • Demonstrated experience in engaging cross-sectoral leadership in the use of data for performance measurement, decision-making, adaptive management, and advocacy.
• • Proven use of successfully integrating program technology into MEL functions required.
• • Experience with data management including the ability to structure and collate data sets for ease of analysis.
• • Demonstrated supervisory, collaboration, and team building skills.
• • Excellent oral and written English and Ukrainian skills required.
• • Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work.

Preferred Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• • Experience with MEL for cash-based and resilience programming.
• • Experience with theoretical and practical background in MEL and skilled in participatory qualitative and quantitative MEL methodologies and techniques.
• • Experience with designing and promoting learning activities, including after action reviews, program reviews, pause and reflections, etc.
• • Familiarity with Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS).
• • Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

Success Factors

An effective Senior MEL Manager will be a process oriented, forward-thinking individual who is confident in the role that monitoring, evaluation and learning play in creating an evidence base to guide emergency response and resilience programming and implementation. They will be able to work closely and effectively with senior management and will understand how to represent best available data to inform decision making. They will be an excellent communicator with exceptional analytical skills, an adept multi-tasker - able to work in difficult and often stressful environments with less-than-ideal resources and data. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

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

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 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.

Benefits

Mercy Corps is offering competitive 25 Benefits Packages (10 law statutory and 15 market competitive), including but not limited to the relocation, transportation, phone allowances, remote and flexible working modality, duty of care, well-being support, 24/7 free resilience consultations in addition to a salary offer. Team positive working environment in a well-established and growing international humanitarian organization with career development opportunities through our global talent development platform. 

Please, apply: https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/MER1024MERCY/JobBoard/7a14d810-d41a-4542-9b9c-ba39a563b91a/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=a1f7bfb6-fdb7-4c05-833c-033fde07f1bd