Supervisory Responsibility N/A

Budget Management Responsibility

Responsible for supporting a departmental budget of approximately 2 million USD. Supporting the planning of country program budgets within the regional portfolio of approximately 200 million USD.

Position Summary

Mercy Corps’ expanding operations in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region currently focus on the countries of Haiti, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, and several Caribbean Island nations and territories. Mercy Corps LAC's strategic programmatic priorities encompass addressing issues related to rural development, humanitarian response, climate adaptation and resilience, and support to migrants throughout the region. Mercy Corps LAC works with local leaders from civil society, government and the private sector to find and implement solutions that foster sustainable growth and thus contribute to Mercy Corps' global commitment of creating a better world for all.

The part time Regional MEL Senior Advisor provides strategic MEL support and guidance to the countries in the region, assures the quality of MEL systems, provides oversight and support to the implementation of MEL standards, and fosters use of data for decision making and evidence generation.

Essential Responsibilities 

DIRECT TECHHICAL SUPPORT and GUIDANCE

•          Serve as the technical point of contact in the regional team for MEL and evidence related topics, advice the regional management team on areas of focus, need for support and strategic direction as requested, working closely with the global MEL team.

•          Support country MEL teams on key program-related MEL deliverables. This may include and is not limited to  setting and developing country level MEL plan/strategy, revisión of MEL plans, indicadors, setting targets, review and technical advice on data collection tools, processes, as well as planning and conducting Learning and data sensemaking activities. Log all Requests in the Support Request tool to ensure visibility of hte progress towards requested service delivery miletones.  Manage team member performance and monitor team member work plans.

•          Ensure that global Evidence and Learning priorities are adequately reflected in country level and program level learning plans, working closely with country and global Learning and evidence teams.

•          Support country teams with issues related to MEL staffing and tailored to the needs and dynamics of each program/ portfolio. Support recruitment and onboarding for the new MEL team members.

•          Support country teams as needed in the identification and recruitment of external consultants and/or firms (via the Global Monitoring Evaluation and Research Master Service Agreements or other channels) with relevant experience and expertise in the region. Support technical review and feedback on consultants’ deliverables.

•          Support country leadership in adhering to Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.

MEL PRACTICE, PROJECT, AND SYSTEMS SUPPORT

•          Support the roll out of the global Mercy Corps MEL Policy in the region by working closely with the country teams to assess their MEL structure and practices and recommend improvements in alignment with Mercy Corps Global MEL standards.

•          Work closely with the BD teams to support proposal design. Where needed, Lead the MEL sections of large proposals, by writing MEL narrative, MEL plan, indicator performance tracking, MEL budgets, and other sections as required

•          Ensure that new programs in the region quickly adopt and utilize recommended data, evidence, and program learning systems and tools (for example, MEL plans and data systems).

•          Participate in the conceptualization and development of standalone evidence projects or programs in the region (for example, regional research projects) with support from the global E&L team. 

•          Participate in regional MEL Communities of Practice to share knowledge across the region.

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM LEARNING

•          Working closely with the country teams, ensure uptake of MEL and mobile technologies, support the rollout of global MEL Tech automation process, and identify related training needs. 

•          Encourage documentation and facilitate evidence-based learning across the region on MEL best practices and linking the region to the global learning initiatives. 

•          Conduct and provide technical inputs and oversight on program reviews, evaluations, studies to ensure quality products by reviewing methodologies, tools of evaluations and studies' products.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

•          As requested, support the presentation of evidence from various sources to contribute to donor and host government-facing representation opportunities, ensuring timely and targeted communication to highlight Mercy Corps’ global and regional impact and learning.

•          Develop and maintain strong relationships with the global Evidence & Learning Unit, functioning as an extended member of the Unit.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

●        Demonstrated ability to think strategically, and to solve complex problems.

●        Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.

●        Proven ability to design and facilitate training, workshops, and learning events.

Required Education and Experience 

●        BA/BS or equivalent in a field related to MEL, economics, statistics, data science, research methods, political science, or a similarly relevant field.

●        At least 7 years’ field experience in MEL-related roles, including in both humanitarian and development contexts.

●        At least 5 years’ field experience in management roles.

●        Experience in writing MEL sections of the proposals including MEL narrative sections, MEL plans, MEL budgeting and staffing

●        Strong knowledge of and prior experience in participating or leading program evaluations, including designing Scopes of Work, commissioning evaluations with partners and consultants, and conducting evaluations with program teams. Knowledge of program evaluation, design, and methodologies (quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods), and data collection and analysis tools and approaches. 

●        Experience designing practical and effective monitoring systems, including data and database management systems. 

●        Experience in training and capacity-building (in person and remotely) and fostering a collaborative relationship across multidisciplinary field teams and management

●        Experience with data management, analysis and visualization

●        Demonstrated proficiency and experience with US, UK, EU, UN and other public and private donors, government grant and financial management requirements.

●        Demonstrated understanding of the critical humanitarian and development issues in the LAC region, and significant experience with the challenges of operating in the region.

●        Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish required. Fluency in French is considered advantageous.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions 

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment to a field posting.  Staff 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.

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. By applying for this role an applicant confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking policy. 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline

([email protected])

All other duties as assigned.