Sudan: Market Systems Development (MSD) Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist

Oct 17, 2021 | Mercy Corps
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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.

Program Summary

Mercy Corps Europe, formerly known as Mercy Corps Sudan, has been operational in Sudan since 2009 and currently leads humanitarian assistance and longer-term development efforts in conflict-affected South Darfur, South Kordofan, White Nile, Gedaref, and Khartoum States, supporting host communities, IDPs, returnees and refugees. Mercy Corps’ current areas of programming include food security and livelihoods, WASH, health, nutrition, peace building and protection, and Market Systems Development supporting farmers to adopt and utilize the existing and proposed market system facilitation.

The Strengthening Agricultural Markets and Food Security (SAFE) programme, implemented by Mercy Corps in partnership with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a SIDA funded USD 13 million programme that aims to improve food security for 31,000 male and female smallholder farmer households (approximately 186,000 individuals) through enhanced gender-equitable market access and agricultural production. The Strengthening Agricultural Markets and Food Security (SAFE) programme, will strengthen the capacities of key market actors, contributing to improved resilience capacities to shocks and stresses. The programme is guided by a Market Systems Development (MSD) and resilience approaches and will enable smallholder farmers to increase climate resilient yields, sustainable natural resource management practices, market linkages, gender equity and empowerment of women and girls.

Technical Support - Program Management

The Market Systems Development (MSD) Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Specialist is a key position in the Mercy Corps Program Performance and Quality within the SAFE Programme, responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that information collected is reflected upon, used for adaptive learning to prove impact, and improve ongoing programs, and is incorporated into consistently high-quality reports and proposal development. The main role of the MSD MEL specialist is to strengthen and implement the MEL system, team capacity building, assessments, data processing, program learning and reporting and record retention.  This includes strong support for the development of effective MSD-focused monitoring, learning and evaluation processes, providing support to programs during key project implementation and learning phases, assessing program quality, outputs, outcomes, and early impacts through a variety of techniques as well as accountability to project participants. S/he will support MEL reporting by preparing well-structured comprehensive and analytical reports, including any evaluation and assessment reports etc. The MEL specialist will also be required to generate quantitative and qualitative analysis of the program performance and will coordinate with the program's team to ensure best practices and lessons learnt are captured and implemented properly.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Contribute to programme leadership and strategic vision of the programme including to Consortium and implementing partners.
• In consultation with the consortium director, refine and implement the program’s MEL strategic vision and be responsible for all aspects of the MEL component of the program
• Participate in country level business development activities in particular those that apply the MSD approach to secure resources for programs and influence stakeholders.
• Develop and manage a clear system for tracking and reporting against deliverables and contribute to country level and agency level reporting.

Technical Support - Program Management - MEL Systems

• In coordination with consortium director, country MEL manager and DoP, ensure the SAFE program MEAL Plan is implemented and adapted to the evolution of the program.
• Manage all operations and activities related to the MEL according to the MEAL plan, budget, and implementation strategy and ensure appropriate adaption.
• Keep abreast of programme implementation, measure impact, and support in review of programme strategy and implementation accordingly.
• Coordinate the design and implementation of the partner monitoring, evaluation and learning as well as knowledge management system across the consortium and partners.
• Together with the program leadership and Country MEL manager, design and lead surveys, assessments, research, etc. in compliance with Mercy Corps standards.
• Develop data processing systems and ensure that SAFE is tracked using data collection, and visualization platforms such as TolaData, Commcare etc. and ensure adequate capacity.
• Ensure program learnings, achievements, and best practices are document and shared for continued re-evaluation of activities, strategies, and evidence-based program management
• Develop and manage a clear system for tracking and reporting against program indicators and deliverables and track economic and non-economic impacts on targeted categories.
• Work with the program management team to compile weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, as well as success stories and publications and in dissemination of documents.
• Support the country MEL manager in MEL and reporting duties including, but not limited to, responding to information requests, supporting the fulfillment of donor MEL requirements.
• Manage the performance of the MEL Team and consultants, and ensure adequate capacity development on MSD MEL competencies, critical thinking systematic analysis and reflection.

Representation and Coordination

• Lead and participate where relevant in external representation of the consortium with various groups including donors, UN agencies, and Government actors
• Represent consortium progress to implementing partners, stakeholders and donors as guided by the program and country leadership team.
• Share learning from the consortium with the greater humanitarian and development community

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership. Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.

Accountability To Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Team members are expected to respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• SAFE programme MEL officers and consultants as required.

Reports to:

• Reports Directly to the Consortium Director, Agricultural Market systems
• Works Directly With: Country MEL Manager, SAFE program managers and SAFE MEL team including partner MEL officers, Director of Programs

Knowledge and Experience / Qualifications and Transferable Skills

• MA/S or equivalent in a quantitative field (statistics, biostatistics, quantitative economics, research methods, agricultural/development economics) and training in qualitative methods.
• At least 7 years of managing MEL work at a programme or country level, including supervising staff, 3 years of which must have been in a large MSD program.
• Strong skills in conceptual and other frameworks such theories of change, logic models, results chains as well as MSD-type indicators, resilience and gender integration.
• Demonstrated experience and expertise in developing and operationalizing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan for MSD programs
• Strong demonstrated expertise in designing and leading MSD MEL systems and the interplay with resilience, gender and environment-focused programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and leading quantitative and qualitative studies, analysis, critical reflection and reporting including learning briefs is required.
• Demonstrated expertise in leading learning agendas, critical thinking and systemic analysis
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Arabic will be an advantage.
• Excellent skills in software solutions and platforms for data collection, storage, analysis and visualization, such as MS Office, CommCare, Stata, R, Tableau and PowerBi.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position will be based in Khartoum or Kadugli, Sudan. This position requires extensive travel to field offices in moderately secure environments.

Khartoum is an accompanied location for spouse only but may potentially evolve to include dependents as well. It is moderately secure. Housing is provided in individual accommodation with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. Staff have good access to services, medical, electricity, and water, etc. International schools are available. Khartoum is an R&R but not a hardship location.

Kadugli is a non-accompanied location. Housing is provided in a shared living space with electricity, and water, etc. with moderate freedom of movement beyond the house/office. Services and medical facilities are very basic. Kadugli is both an R&R location and a hardship location.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues. Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision.

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 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 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.