Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer - Caracas, Venezuela/National Position

****APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS IN SPANISH OR ENGLISH ARE WELCOMED/SE ACEPTAN SOLICITUDES EN ESPAÑOL O INGLÉS

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 has been operating in Venezuela since 2018 implementing humanitarian and development programs, with special emphasis on water, sanitation and hygiene, health, protection, food security, and nutrition, and plays a key role in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information relevant to the humanitarian community in the country. The team is expanding its programs at the country level and expanding its team at the country level to implement quality programs with the required attention.

MC believes that solid monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) contributes to improving the quality, performance, results and impact of programs, furthering the mission of MC VZLA, and increasing accountability to program stakeholders. MEL practices in all stages of the program management cycle are a tool that allows MC VZLA to assess the proper implementation of all its programs and the results that will be achieved in relation to the Country Strategy.
The Position

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer will work with the Senior MEL Officer, MEL Assistant, the MC VZLA program team, and our local partner organizations to ensure quality in data collection. The MEL Officer will be responsible for analyzing the data to provide information to the program team and contribute to writing internal reports or to the donor, as the case may be. He/she will ensure that the tools and processes for monitoring performance and reporting across the entire program are in place, effectively implemented, and well synchronized. The MEL Officer will be an integral member of the learning and reflection processes of the program team, participating and/or leading the discussion on feedback internally and with the beneficiaries.
To ensure smooth delivery of all program activities and ensure proper monitoring and evaluation throughout program development, design and delivery, the MEL Officer should use MC monitoring and evaluation tools as well as how to accommodate donor MEL requirements, if necessary. In addition, the MEL Officer will support the implementation of MC's Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM).
Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment in which alternative viewpoints are welcome.
• Prioritize and organize actions and resources to achieve objectives and contribute to the national country strategy.
• Develop and organize activities that secure resources for programs.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Support the implementation and verification of compliance with the organization's MEL and CARM policies.
• Support training for both the MC team and its partners in organizational MEL and CARM policies.
• Monitor that the beneficiaries are served correctly throughout the implementation of the projects.
• Manage databases and beneficiary records.
• Assist in the preparation of reports and reports to donors and other stakeholders.
• Monitor and evaluate the indicators and the scope of the results and goals on a weekly basis.
• Manage statistics, Excel tables, graphs, simple random sampling calculations, strategy charts and weekly dashboards to report to the parent company.
• Supervise, monitor and follow up together with the programmatic staff on all activities related to the projects.
• With the support of the MEL Assistant, monthly systematize the information of the advanced projects.
• Promptly inform both the Senior MEL Officer, Program Officer and other interested parties about any eventuality in the activities described here.
• Support in other areas of the country if required.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly reports, and participate in final reports.
• When the organization deals with a humanitarian emergency project, it will support the execution of the emergency as necessary.
• Other activities required by the MC VZLA Team Leader for the correct implementation and development of the projects.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Contribute to strengthening the team's capacity, deepen the understanding of their roles and help develop the career.
• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance and achieve goals.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback formally and informally with regular one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
• Create and maintain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive for excellence.
• Being purposeful having the ability to work both individually and with little supervision, as well as in a team.
• Face any other task that is assigned for the effective development of the projects with good spirit and willingness.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE

• Ensure compliance with the rules of donors and MC Global.
• Draft and/or review the scope of work to hire and manage any IT technical consultant, including the review of technical effectiveness and contract budget.

INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative alliances with partners, grantees, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure that the general objectives of the area and the obligations of donors are met.

SECURITY

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

Supervisory Responsibilities
None
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Senior MEL Officer.
Work directly with: Senior MEL Officer, MEL Assistant, Program Officer.
**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

• Relevant University Degree in economics, engineering, statistics, accounting, business administration, sociology or related.
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in monitoring, evaluation and learning, and at least one year of professional experience managing databases
• Preferably with experience in humanitarian programs and international cooperation.
• Knowledge of the regions and the national context.
• Knowledge of databases, obtaining statistics and graphs, dashboards, and technology such as tablets to capture information and upload it online.
• Excellent management of the MS Office package: Power Point, Excel, Word, tables, and database.
• Desirable experience working for emergency, transition and development programs with international cooperation (USAID, BPRM, EU, GAC, United Nations, European Commission, among others).
• Desirable to read and write English.
• Desirable to have experience in the control, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian projects.

Success Factors
MC VZLA is looking for professionals with solid knowledge and common sense, and experience to resolve atypical situations that arise in the field. Organized, disciplined, purposeful, efficient, and oriented towards planning and meeting objectives. Possess excellent oral and written communication skills. It is essential to have sufficient maturity to accept the criticism and demands of the job, as well as to recognize their weaknesses and rely on the work team. It must have empathy and commitment to eradicating those unfair conditions to which the most vulnerable people are subjected. Availability to travel and support activities in other areas of the country.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions 
The position is based in Caracas, Venezuela and will require occasional travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Housing for this role is in individual housing and staff will have access to good medical services.

**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.