The Program / Department / Team Summary

The Solar-Powered Agro-Processing for Economic Livelihoods (SEAL) project, implemented by Mercy Corps and funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), aims to improve livelihoods, economic resilience, and food security in rural communities of Kassala State through the adoption of solar-powered agro-processing solutions. The project strengthens value addition and market linkages for smallholder farmers and MSMEs by supporting key activities: installation of solar-powered milling and drying equipment, capacity building for local technicians and entrepreneurs, business grants, and market access facilitation. By doing so, SEAL enhancesagricultural productivity, reduces post-harvest losses, creates income-generating opportunities, and promotes sustainable energy usage, ultimately contributing to inclusive economic growth and resilience in rural eastern Sudan.

The Position

The MEAL Assistantwill lead the day-to-day monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) functions of the SEAL project, ensuring that reliable evidence on project performance and results is generated, verified and used. He/she will operationalize the project MEL plan in line with the logframe and donor requirements; design and manage data collection tools and the project database; support the baseline and endline studies, the periodic market monitoring in Kassala and the market assessments and catalytic pilots in South and Central Darfur; run the community accountability and feedback mechanism; and document lessons learned to inform adaptive management and reporting.

The role works closely with the Project Officers, Project Assistant, the local sub-grantee partner, participating private sector actors and the Mercy Corps Sudan MEL team, and involves extensivefield travel and direct interface with project participants and market actors.

MEL Planningand Systems:

• Support the ProjectManager in operationalizing the SEAL projectMEL plan, indicator plan (IPTT) and data-flow map in line with the project logframe,GIZ reporting requirements and Mercy Corps MEL minimum standards.
• Maintain indicator referencesheets, targets and disaggregation (sex, age, displacement status, enterprise type and location) for all impact, outcome and output indicators.
• Design, adapt and digitize data collection tools (participant registration forms, enterprise and market-actor surveys, trainingand event attendance records, pilot monitoring templates and case-study guides) using platforms such as KoboToolbox or CommCare.
• Plan and coordinate the baseline assessment at project start-upand the endlinesurvey at closure, including sampling, enumerator recruitment and training, field supervision, data cleaning and analysis.

Data Collection, Management and Quality Assurance:

• Lead routine monitoring data collection in Kassala, covering participation and inclusion, business performance of supported solar market actors, adoption of productive-use solar solutions, uptake of financing mechanisms and performance of catalytic pilots;coordinate partner-supported data collection for activities in South and Central Darfur.
• Maintain the project databaseand participant registry,ensuring data are complete, accurate, up to date, backed up and handled in line with Mercy Corps data protection and responsible data policies.
• Conduct regular data quality checks, field verification and spot-checks of data reported by project staff, the sub-grantee and private sectorpartners; document and resolve discrepancies.
• Verify records submitted by solar suppliers, service providers and financial partners (sales, service delivery, trainingand certification records)that underpin milestone-based payments and indicator reporting.

Analysis,Reporting and Results Measurement:

• Analyze monitoring data and updatethe IPTT monthlyand quarterly, trackingprogress against logframe targets and flagging variances and data gaps to the Project Manager.
• Contribute MEL sections, indicator tables, data visualizations, success stories and case studiesto weekly, monthly, quarterly and donor reports.
• Track, where feasible, employment and self-employment opportunities generated through supported enterprises and service providers.

Market Intelligence, Assessments and Learning:

• Support the periodic rapid market assessments in Kassala through planning of field data collection, collection and analysis of market trend data with the ProjectOfficers, and production of quarterly market monitoring updates.
• Support the specialist consultants undertaking the solar and productive-use energy market assessment in Southand Central Darfur,including review of tools, coordination of field data collection, quality assurance of data and review of draft reports.
• Document lessons learned, business cases and implementation experience from financing mechanisms and catalyticpilots, producing learningbriefs and contributing to stakeholder learning and dissemination events.
• Facilitate regularteam and partnerreflection sessions to review monitoring data and lessonsand inform adaptive management.

Accountability and Community Feedback:

• Establish and maintain the project CommunityAccountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM), ensuring participants, market actors and communities are informed of feedback channels; receive, log, referand follow up feedback and complaints in line with Mercy Corps procedures and report on trends.
• Support transparent participant and market-actor selection processes and verify compliance with agreed selection criteria, with attention to women- and youth-led enterprises, displaced populations and host communities.
• Support monitoring of grants, incentives and equipment providedto partners and participants to minimize the risk of diversion or misuse, in line with the project conflict sensitivity and due diligence commitments.

Capacity Building and Partner MEL Support:

• Train and coach projectstaff, enumerators and the local sub-grantee on MEL tools,data collection protocols, data quality standards, safeguarding in data collection and CARM.
• Integrate sub-grantee and private sectorpartner monitoring into the projectMEL system through regular reporting templates, field verification and joint review processes.

Collaboration/Networking, Representation and Coordination

• Represent the program to the Donor, Government officialsand other stakeholders as and when required to.
• Maintain close working relationships with development organizations, and local partners, including representing the program at local coordination meetings as assigned.
• Establish and maintain good coordination and working relationships with State, locality and lower-level leaders,representing Mercy Corpsand soliciting participation in activities where appropriate and as directed.
• Liaise with the Mercy Corps Sudan MEL team to ensure SEAL monitoring, accountability and reporting are aligned with country-level MEL standards, tools and reporting requirements.

• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps Europe and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

Documentation, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Work closely with the Project Manager and the Mercy Corps Sudan MEL team to conduct studies and capture data for measuring the output, outcomeand impact of the program,and to ensure accurate and timely flow of information from the field.
• Prepare and submit timelyweekly, monthly, and quarterly reportsthat will be indicative of program progress during implementation. Respond to queriesif and when necessary and maintain proper filing system.
• Provide followups, recommendations and solutions wherethere are challenges during implementation.
• Other dutiesas assigned.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operatein a secure environment and are aware of policies.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, includingsafeguarding 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

N/A

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, Information Management, or a related field.

• Minimum 2 years of professional experience in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning for development or humanitarian programs, preferably in livelihoods, market systems, agriculture or renewable energy programming.

• Demonstrated experience in designing data collection toolsand conducting surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and field verification.

• Proficiency in digital data collection platforms (KoboToolbox, CommCare, ODK or similar) and in data management and analysis using Excel; experience with Power BI, SPSS, Stata or R is an advantage.

• Sound understanding of results-based management, logframes, indicator tracking,data quality principles and community feedback and accountability mechanisms.

• Familiarity with market systemsdevelopment (MSD) approaches, private sector engagement or productive use of energy (PUE) is an advantage.

• Good verbal and writtencommunication skills in English and Arabic, with strong report-writing and documentation skills.

• Strong computerskills, particularly officeapplications such as Word, Exceland PowerPoint.

• Demonstrated adaptability, creativity, enthusiasm, willingness to learn and self-accountability.

• Excellent teamworkabilities, interpersonal and problem-solving skills,attention to detail.

• Willingness to spend much time in the field and work closely with program target groups.

• High levelof integrity and commitment to confidentiality, ethicaldata handling and safeguarding.

Success Factors

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy, integrity and confidentiality.

• Ability to translate monitoring data into clear, actionable evidencefor the team, partners and the donor.
• Capacity to represent MC Europe with government officials, partners and leaders.
• Demonstrated abilityto communicate effectively with team membersand other stakeholders.
• Flexibility, adaptability and creativity in planning and problem solving.
• Demonstrated abilityto work independently and effectively in extreme conditions.

Proven abilityto take initiative and be accountable for results

Accountability

Reports Directly To: ProjectManager

Works DirectlyWith: Project Officers,Project Assistant, Mercy Corps Sudan MEL team, local sub-grantee partner, finance team, procurement team and operations team

Accountabilityto 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Kassala state and it requires up to 70% travel to project fields, which may include travel to insecurelocations where freedomof 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 membersto dedicate 5% of theirtime to learningactivities 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 differentbackgrounds, 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, militaryveteran 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, communitymembers, 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 InteragencyMisconduct 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 requiredto complete mandatoryCode of Conduct elearning coursesupon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witnessor experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).