About Mercy Corps

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.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

The Monitoring Evaluation Learning (MEL) unit exists to strengthen the monitoring efforts of Mercy Corps’
programs. The MEL unit provides technical support service to programs and its one of the subunits under
the Program Performance and Quality (PaQ) department. The aim of the MEL unit is to assist programs in
specific activities that help quantify, analyze, and document the output, outcome and impacts of Mercy
Corps’ programs including data collection, data management, data analysis, and mapping. The MEL Unit
conducts surveys, manages program data, maps program activities, provides reports and participates in
monitoring evaluation and learning activities. Mercy Corps is looking for an experienced, qualified and
business minded Sudanese to fill the positions of MEL Officer in River Nile.

The Position (General Position Summary

The MEL Officer position will serve as the focal point for all EMPOWER monitoring activities and a coordinating
role for MEL assessments, monitoring and reporting. Reporting to a MEL Coordinator, this is a technical
position working in close collaboration with the EMPOWER team to ensure that all program needs are being
met and that data collection, analysis, storage and reporting is as planned. The MEL Officer will provide
leadership, management and technical support in the design and implementation of EMPOWER MEL system.
S/he will support the MEL Coordinator and MEL Manager in training and supervising enumerators for all
programs and field offices. S/he will also support the development of MEL plans and conduct
research/studies. S/he will ensure that learnings are generated and shared back with EMPOWER program
teams and work closely with the team to liaise with relevant authorities and other organizations to ensure the
implementation of quality programs.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Design of MEL Systems

• Work closely with the MEL Coordinator on the design of Program-level MEL systems
• Design and develop program registration and other data collection tools
• Support in design or review of strategic and thematic area specific results chain and / or Theory of
Change (ToC) and identify the assumptions that underpin the expected pathways of change, and
subsequently direct data collection efforts to test those assumptions.
Support the management and implementation of the MEL systems
• In coordination with the MEL Coordinator and Program team, ensure that the program MEL plan is
implemented.
• Manage all operations related to MEL according to program MEL plans, budgets and implementation
strategies.
• Monitor program implementation, measure impact and calibrate program strategies and
implementation accordingly.
• Facilitate Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) after every distribution and develop reports.
• Ensure continued monitoring of program activities and that achievements and best practices are
captured and disseminated with resulting activity adjustments.
• As part of the learning function, seek to identify learning points across the range of work carried out,
and identify opportunities to share this learning with program teams.
• Collaborate with program team to provide weekly, monthly, quarterly and any other reports as
required. Analyze and provide summarized reports as requested.
• Coordinate with program team to ensure regular monitoring is being performed as scheduled and
that data collection is adequately completed.

Support MEL Team Management

• Working under the supervision of the MEL Coordinator, s/he will be responsible for the performance
management of enumerators and data collectors in the field.
• Track and advise on MEL staffing needs and manage the recruitment and training of enumerators
when necessary to ensure volunteers are of the quality and capacity for successful implementation
of activities.
• Facilitate capacity building on MEL for program staff and implementing partners, to improve the
quality of monitoring, data and maximize program-wide learning.

Security

● Implement data security measures like access controls and user permissions.
● Perform regular backups and disaster recovery planning to safeguard data.
● Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
● Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning

As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning
organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team
members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Keep up to date with the latest database technologies and best practices.
Continuously learn new skills and tools to adapt to evolving database management systems.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while
actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our
field projects.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

● Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks
and mitigations related to their area of work.
● Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of
participants and fellow team members.
● Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit
reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other
options.
Supervisory Responsibility

Enumerators

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator
Works Directly With: Other MEL colleagues, PAQ team, Program team etc.

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 Qualification & Transferable Skills

1. An undergraduate degree in statistics, quantitative Economics, Information Technology, Computer
science, Development economics or any related field
2. At least 3 years of relevant experience in MEL
3. Wide experience in design and execution of monitoring and evaluation systems is essential and
experience in working in partnerships is an added advantage.
4. Experience in implementing EU funded awards/programs
5. Experience working on youth empowerment and livelihood programs
6. Proven technical experience in monitoring and evaluation of market facilitation, development
programs, livelihoods, agriculture and value chain, climate smart, resilience programming is an added
advantage.
7. Practical and theoretical knowledge in program monitoring and data collection methods, including
interview techniques.
8. Experience in building and maintaining effective partnerships with implementing and strategic partner
agencies, and government authorities and counterparts.
9. Strong English writing and speaking, communication, organization, prioritization and negotiating skills
is required.

Success Factors 

The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the
complex cultural, political, security and social environment of Sudan. S/he will be an excellent
communicator, multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations as well as possess a meticulous
eye for detail to ensure data accuracy and consistency within the database.

S/he should be a tolerant and flexible individual, able to work in difficult and stressful environments and
follow procedures. The successful candidate will be focused on team building and capacity-building of
staff; be a strategic thinker, have strong skills in design monitoring and evaluation of development
programs and maintain a sense of humor.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Atbara and it requires up to 40% 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 and the living situation is of a high standard. 

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

Team Efficiency and Effectiveness 

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different 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.

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 (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).