Back STA - MEL for MSD Specialist

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. PROSPECTS IV is a 45-month, 48 million SEK programme that aims to directly benefit 6,182 young people through improved employment opportunities with an overlapping impact on 14,856 young people. The programme applies a Market System Development (MSD) approach to facilitate systemic change. It builds on previous Government of Sweden’s investments through PROSPECTS I – III but aims to move away from a direct delivery model to place systems change at the heart of the programme. Understanding the structural and systemic challenges that young people face in securing employment is crucial to the programme’s success. PROSPECTS IV is implemented in four defined urban and peri-urban areas – Monrovia (Montserrado County), Ganta (Nimba County), Buchanan (Grand Bassa) and a pilot in Gbarnga (Bong County). PROSPECTS IV is highly innovative, one of the first MSD programs focused on urban youth employment. PROSPECTS is 75% through its implementation, and will come to a close in June 2025. Support is needed to effectively capture results and learning for scale-up facilitation. The final year of the program (2024 – 2025) will focus on scaling promising interventions and capturing evidence for further impact. The Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia has funded Mercy Corps’ youth employment work in Liberia through previous iterations of PROSPECTS since 2012, thus, continued capture of results and evidence will support future phases of the program. General Position Summary The MEL For MSD Specialist will lead the PROSPECTS IV MEL team (including 2 officers) and will be responsible for managing and coordinating all MEL and program quality performance processes for Mercy Corps Liberia’s PROSPECTS IV program. They will work closely with an external MEL for MSD consultant who will provide technical oversight and backstopping. Essential Job Responsibilities TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP

• Provide leadership, training and mentoring in the development of MEL Plans, MEL Technology Plans, MEL tools, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other skills required for assessing the impact of programs.
  • Lead and/or collaborate with external evaluators on the design and roll out of the program market assessment, baseline and final evaluations, while setting up effective systems for learning.
    • Ensures programs use the necessary MEL systems and tools, to inform and improve each individual program, as well as feed into the broader country-level MEL system and country strategy.
      • Ensures key MEL activities are coordinated with program leadership and integrated into the Program Implementation Plan (PiP).
        • Take the lead in aligning, collecting and reporting on relevant indicators to the organizational-wide MEL systems, and other external systems as relevant.
          • Support teams in collecting sex and age disaggregated data and using gender sensitive data collection methods in order to understand and respond to program results with diverse participants.
            • Responsible for ensuring adherence to Mercy Corps Responsible Data Policy.
              • Supports the planning and implementation of quarterly reflection meetings. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
              • Manages the MEL documentation and retention, including setup and ongoing management of MEL program filing.
              • Works with the program team and MEL Officers to adopt a holistic country-level MEL system (including TolaData) that accurately collects, monitors and verifies program activities and ensures they are aligned with country strategic and annual plans.
              • Manages indicator progress tracking in TolaData by updating indicators on a quarterly basis at minimum.
              • Provides guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that the MEL systems meet the needs of Programs Managers and Country Leadership and help address shortfalls in MEL and data management that affect program implementation.
              • Contributes to program design to ensure adherence to Mercy Corps’ MEL best practices, including the use of standardized indicators, form templates, and documentation methodologies.