Back Consultant - MEL Officer - Venezuela

Description

Background:

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.

Venezuela is a country undergoing a profound economic, political and humanitarian crisis. Since 2016, more than five million Venezuelans (or an estimated 10% of the population) have fled scarcity, hyperinflation and public sector collapse. This migration flow has exerted pressure on the housing stock, public services and already strained social fabrics of the neighboring countries of Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil, among others. The exodus is only set to continue as conditions worsen, hyperinflation decimates purchasing power and the lack of employment and the most basic of services pushes more and more into crisis.

Purpose / Project Description:

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer will work with the Mercy Corps program team as well as our local partner organizations to oversee and ensure the collection of quality monitoring and evaluation (M&E) data for the program. The MEL Officer will be responsible for supporting the Venezuela portfolio to oversee the monitoring and data collection of all country programs, and analyze data to provide insight to the program team, and contribute to report writing. S/he will ensure that performance monitoring and results reporting tools and processes across the entire program are in place, effectively implemented and well synchronized between the program sites. The MEL officer will be an integral member of the program team learning and reflection processes, leading discussion on beneficiary feedback.

To ensure a smooth implementation of all programmatic activities and ensure adequate monitoring and evaluation throughout the development, design and implementation of programs, the MEL officer will need to make use of MC’s M&E tools as well as align with donor MEL requirements, if required. In addition, the MEL officer will support the implementation of MC’s Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM).

Consultant Objectives:

• To support the implementation of Venezuela programs
• To support the design of an M&E Plan for programs and proposals according to MC MEL guidelines
• To ensure adequate implementation of MEL tools
• To guarantee the execution of the monitoring plan
• To support the implementation of CARM
• To support needs assessments and other information gathering for new business opportunities where necessary

  Consultant Activities:

  The Consultant will:

  • Develop and operationalize a system for reporting and validating program data, including technology setup (i.e., TolaData, CommCare, Power BI, databases, data filing, etc)
  • Coordinate reporting with local partners, specifically tracking deadlines, ensuring adherence to monitoring formats and requirements, ensuring reporting quality and accuracy, and periodic report writing, editing, and submission.
  • Compile progress against indicators and report back to the team according to the monitoring plan.
  • Ensure adherence to program management minimum standards in carrying out his/her duties, advising and supporting other staff in the same as required.
  • Oversee implementation of MEL standard operating procedures (SoPs), procedures and tools, ensure quality and consistency throughout the MEL process. This may include conducting DQA plans, validation checks, re-analysis, etc.
  • Perform spot checks on the team’s data collected and reports each month.
  • Contribute to the program learning agenda.
  • Document lessons learned and success stories on projects.
  • Collect all feedback received via different available feedback channels, like hotline number, face-to-face (help desk) and suggestion boxes in all intervention sites and ensure documentation of all feedback in the CARM database.
  • Ensure all feedback is logged and graded based on MC’s standard grading system and that appropriate action is taken based on feedback grade.
  • Contact informants who provided non-anonymous feedback seeking additional information – only when necessary – (place, name, details of the case..) to resolve their feedback more appropriately.
  • Other duties as assigned.

    Consultant Deliverables:

    The Consultant will:

    📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

    ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

    • Support the drafting of program reports (quarterly, semi-annual, final)
    • Prepare and validate means of verification for the country’s programs
    • Prepare MEL reports for country programs
    • Initiate and facilitate learning activities with program, operations and other units involved in the program, such as after-action reviews, internal performance reviews, and others
    • Coordinate and conducts the CARM Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) implementation for the country’s programs
    • Submit and update required minimum standards indicators to be in compliance with MC guidelines and regulations
    • Support and advise staff on adhering to MC minimum standards related to MEL

      Timeframe / Schedule:

      20/08/2022 - 31/12/2022

      The Consultant will report to:

      Country Team Leader

      The Consultant will work closely with:

      Venezuela Team Leader, Venezuela Response Team members, Regional PaQ Advisor, Regional Program Team (RPT) and broader Mercy Corps Programs.

      Required Experience & Skills:

      • 5-10 years of experience in relevant technical field (required)
      • BA/S or equivalent, preferably in data science, social sciences, STEM, economics or other related fields.
      • Academic training in data analysis– qualitative and/or quantitative
      • A minimum of 5 years of experience in program management and/or humanitarian assistance.
      • A minimum of 3 years of M&E experience
      • Fluent in Spanish with good knowledge of English.
      • Relevant experience in field survey/data collection techniques, data entry, data verification, and analysis
      • Demonstrated proven experience in using digital data gathering tools (Ona/ComCare/Kobo)
      • Good understanding and skills at data management.
      • Strong computer literacy with a full knowledge of MS Office applications.
      • Strong team coordination, listening, and consensus building skills.
      • Proficiency/knowledge of the following statistical package software (STATA, SPSS, R, etc) is preferred.
      • Experience of using data visualization software (PowerBi, Tableau) is preferred.

        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
        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 team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging 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 and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.