Cash Consortium Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Advisor – Ukraine Response

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

Mercy Corps is responding to the Ukraine emergency since the escalation of armed conflict across the country in February 2022**.** The attacks set off a wave of displacement internally and into the countries along Ukraine’s western borders. The Ukraine response has three programmatic pillars which feature in each proposal but are not limited to: 1) Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA; where markets permit and in-kind where cash distributions are not feasible), 2) Small grants to local civil society organizations and 3) Protection information and services. Some of this work is in consortium, collaboration with local partners, or independently. Mercy Corps is also supporting local NGOs and other civil society actors currently supporting displaced populations, as well as those in Ukraine sheltering in place. In addition to working directly in Ukraine, Mercy Corps’ Ukraine Response is currently also working in Poland and Romania and may expand work to Moldova as well. As Mercy Corps pursues its objectives in the region it will continue to assess the security situation in areas of potential operation, with an eye towards the logistics of possible programmatic interventions and positioning going forward.
The program’s goal is to meet emergency basic needs while enhancing the protection environment for internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees and other conflict-affected people (CAPs) in Ukraine. This goal will be achieved through three Purposes: Purpose 1: Address basic needs of households in areas of Ukraine where markets are functioning through provision of Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA); Purpose 2: Address basic needs of households in areas of Ukraine where markets are weak through provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), Shelter, and Food-Assistance; and Purpose 3: Provide access for IDPs and CAPs to critical protection information.
 
The Position

The Ukraine Cash Consortium Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Advisor will manage MEL at a cross-consortium level for the $100 million including an approx.. $ 1 million research and learning agenda budget, BHA-funded Ukraine Cash Consortium (UCC). Representing the UCC, the UCC MEL Advisor will be working closely with the three consortium members, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, and People in Need.
 
The UCC MEL Advisor will demonstrate strong technical skills to build UCC and its Partners MEL capacity, support in reporting and tools development, and streamlining UCC partners processes and methodologies within the consortium. outputs and deliverable through developing tools, methodologies, and SOPs .etc, and will be responsible for the conducting pause and reflect sessions in line with the UCC needs and the MEL Director led learning agenda.
 
Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Work with the Ukraine Response MEL Director in setting the vision and MEL strategy for the BHA-funded Ukraine Cash Consortium Program.
• Lead and coordinate the development of Ukraine Cash Consortium MEL Plan and SoP using existing Mercy Corps or other partners resources and developing new ones, that include clear step by step guidance, processes, roles and responsibilities on all relevant MEL activities. This will be done alongside MEL teammates from consortium partners.
• Work with the Data Reporting Analyst to establish and develop appropriate data and information management systems for program data and indicators. Ensure appropriate data flows from consortium partners.
• Work with the consortium learning focal points in the implementation of the Ukraine Cash Consortium pause and reflection session and provide inputs for the UCC learning agenda.

MANAGING THE CASH CONSORTIUM MEL SYSTEM

• In coordination with UCC partners, harmonizing M&E plans, data collection plans, and monitoring tools (qualitative and quantitative) to track and monitor project performance and effectiveness and develop a UCC Monitoring framework.
• Ensure the UCC consortium MEL system produces high quality outputs including timely and accessible indicator results, accessible and useful analysis for program teammates and senior leaders, simple and quality MEL inputs for reporting, processes and events for broad engagement with indicator and analysis results for adaptive management across program stakeholders.
• Engage in the use and uptake of MEL Technology including digital data collection and automated data visualization and reporting.
• Organize and summarize data and evidence of needs and effective programming for reporting and proposal design.
• Develop data gathering plans and harmonize data collection, analysis and reporting flows for UCC partners data.
• Ensure the UCC program adheres to partners organizations MEL best practices, including adherence to the MEL policy standards.
• Set up program indicators review sessions as needed.
• Establish and implement learning capture processes with UCC partners, including facilitating regular forums to discuss lessons learnt, and their application to future program design.
• Support the MEL Director in implementing the research and learning agenda, providing technical inputs on the scope of works, following up with partners..etc

REPORTING

• Lead on drafting and finalizing UCC MEL related reports in coordination with the Data Reporting Analyst, and ensuring partners inputs and feedback on the process.
• Develop Indicator Tracking Tables (ITT), including drafting, reviewing, and providing feedback.
• Lead on the process of ITT updates, including TolaData, frequently (monthly or quarterly) or on an ad-hoc basis, to track output, outcome, and impact indicators and their measurement in the different sectors of relevance, including reviewing, following up with program and data teams, and reviewing inputs.
• Support Data Reporting Analyst and TechTeam team on analyzing, visualizing, and writing the monitoring reports, as needed.
• Responsible for documenting and production of best practices, lessons learnt success stories and other communication.
• Support the Data Reporting Analyst in developing UCC quarterly newsletter.

PARTNERS ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT

• Standardizing and harmonizing the M&E approaches used by UCC partners, including monitoring tools, SoPs, and guidelines, conducting training and orientation sessions on the harmonization of application.
• Support the Data reporting analyst in performing the Data Quality Assessments (DQA) for UCC partners, and ensure documented results and recommendation are shared with partners.
• Review UCC Partners M&E products and provide technical feedback as needed.
• Be the UCC's first point of contact for UCC member MEL teammates, and manage and implement the UCC MEL working group calls deliverables.
• Provide ongoing technical guidance and support to UCC’s MEL teams on monitoring plans, tools, methodologies, data analysis and reporting.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where partners strive to achieve excellence and feel comfortable in their roles and in sharing their opinions on progress, improvement, and concerns.
• Assist in coding and/or reviewing XLS forms for data collection tools and provide trainings to partners teams as needed.

**Supervisory Responsibility
**
None

**Accountability
**
Reports Directly To: UCC MEL Director
Works Directly With: Partners MEL Focal points, UCC AAP Advisor and focal points, UCC Program team, and other support departments, UA Response  PaQ Lead, Global MEL Team

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 Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• BA/S or equivalent in development studies, research methods, statistics, economics, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, project management, engineering or other relevant field is required
• 6+ years of experience building or operating MEL systems in humanitarian programs, including 2+ of those years in a partners/ consortium management role is required
• Experience working with MEL for cash and voucher assistance programming
• Experience with remote monitoring
• Strong reporting skills is a distinct advantage.
• Proven use of technology for MEL functions is required.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging cross-sectoral/response leadership in the use of data for performance measurement, decision-making, adaptive management, and advocacy is required.
• Demonstrated understanding of intermediate statistics and ability to summarize and make predictions from multiple data sets is required.
• High degree of computer literacy; Excel, Word, and PowerPoint or equivalent skills are essential.
• Excellent oral and written English skills is required.
• Experience working with BHA is preferred.
• Experience with theoretical and practical background in M&E and skilled in participatory qualitative and quantitative M&E methodologies and techniques for food security or/and cash assistance programs is a distinct advantage is preferred.
• Experience with data collection software and coding is a district advantage (KoBo, CommCare..etc) is preferred.
• Knowledge of Core Humanitarian Standards and Experience applying them in MEL work is preferred.
• Proficiency in Ukrainian or Russian Languages is preferred.

**Success Factors
**
Any skills you have gained through education, volunteer, work, or life experience that are relevant for the position will be considered. Be sure to fully explain transferable skills and success factors and how they apply to this position in your cover letter.
 
The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the complex cultural, political, security and social environment of Ukraine.  The Consortium MEL Advisor will be an excellent communicator, multi-tasker, and able to work and lead a team in ambiguous situations. The successful candidate will be focused on team-building and capacity-building of national staff; be a strategic thinker, and maintain a sense of humor.

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 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.