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.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps works in places of transition, where conflict, disaster, political upheaval, or economic collapse present opportunities to build more secure, productive, and just communities. Providing emergency relief in times of crisis, we move quickly to help communities recover and build resilience to future shocks, and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives. Recognizing both the great potential and the complex challenges faced by the Middle East, since 1989 Mercy Corps has been implementing a range of humanitarian assistance and development programs tailored to the specific needs of the region and of those communities where we work.

Since 2003, Mercy Corps has been working to pave the way for a new Iraq. We continue to deliver emergency, life-saving assistance to conflict affected populations while also addressing longer term needs and underlying causes. Ongoing cycles of conflict have resulted in millions of people displaced, basic infrastructure destroyed, livelihoods disrupted, and deepening divisions within communities. Since our work began, we’ve provided support to more than 5 million people affected by war, violence, and displacement.

Mercy Corps has worked across Iraq’s 18 governorates since 2003, implementing relief and development programming, more than a third of which has focused on the specific needs of refugees and displaced persons. Mercy Corps Iraq current goal is to work with new and existing civil society, public and private sector partners to meet immediate and long-term needs by strengthening communities’ ability to rebuild amidst increasing crisis.

General Position Summary

The MEL Officer is an integral part of the Program Performance and Quality (Department) in Erbil governorate. The general duties and responsibilities of the MEL Officer are to conduct day-to-day monitoring activities at the project-level in Erbil governorate.

The MEL Officer will directly supervise the work of the enumerators and ensure that all tasks allocated to them is conducted on time and according to the agreed-upon methods and levels of quality.  The MEL officer will also oversee all enumerators, and their respective MEL activities and performance in his/her area of operation.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Program Management

• Support assessments in area of responsibility.
• As needed, support tools design.
• As requested, support Senior MEL Officer to update work plans for geographic area of responsibility.
• Conduct site monitoring (spot checks).
• Support Senior MEL Officer in conducting Post-Distribution Monitoring and other data collection activities.
• As needed, train enumerators on data-collection tools and supervise performance of enumerators.
• Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing on MEL:
• Lead on the analysis, interpretation and reporting of MEL results in partnership with the Senior MEL Officer;
• Identify and formulate MEL findings, lessons learned and recommendations and avail results for decision-making processes and further project development;
• Facilitate dissemination of lessons learnt across sectors, partnerships, donors and other stakeholders as need arises.

Ensuring quality and accountability of MEL

• Ensure the systems used to collect data on indicators and to generate relevant MEL reports comply with established quality standards;
• Analyze lessons learned for quality and accountability; and,
• Facilitate external reviews/audits to ensure MEL team is aligned with internal Mercy Corps standards, such as PM@MC, and donor regulations.

Team Management

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Support the Senior MEL Officer in implementing the work plan.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members, especially enumerators, as necessary.

Security

• 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.

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.

Supervisory Responsibility Enumerators

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior MEL Officer

Works Directly With: PAQ Department, Program teams, Operations/Logistics

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree is required, Master’s preferred.
• At least 2 years of work experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning with international and/or local NGOs or other relevant organizations.
• Intermediate to advanced computer skills and strong familiarity with Microsoft Office and Excel are required.
• Strong analytical, multi-tasking, and organizational and prioritization skills are necessary.
• Demonstrated attention to details, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work cooperatively with team members are required.
• Able to work independently and self-motivated to identity any team needs, gaps in MEL activities, and voice recommendations is required
• Experience with quantitative data collection is required, and experience with qualitative data collection is desired.
• Interests in data analysis methods and software is required.
• Commitment to working with vulnerable groups regardless of race, religion or gender.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, Arabic and Kurdish is required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are required.
• Experience or interest in summarizing data and writing reports is desired.
• Candidate must be willing to travel and work in difficult conditions.
• Candidate must be enthusiastic about traveling to the field on a daily basis.

Success Factors

The successful MEL Officer will show flexibility, and a willingness to test, adapt, and improve. S/he will seek to produce information and learning that is genuinely useful for the program staff in informing their strategic \ and operational decisions. S/he will see the value in quantitative data, but will also be enthusiastic about conducting qualitative research in order to attain greater meaning.  S/he will have the ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results. S/he will have the ability to understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members 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.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision.  Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

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.

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. 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.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES:

Successful candidates should meet the education and experience requirements in the position descriptions for the vacant positions. S/he must be self- motivated, creative, tolerant, and able to work in difficult, stressful environments and follow Mercy Corps procedures. S/he must respect diversity and gender equality at the workplace.

Interested candidates should submit their CVs to the email address mcerbilhr@gmail.com before the deadline indicated below.

Please indicate on the subject of the email the title of the position you are applying for, for full position description for the noted posts, please visit websites NCCI and F-Job.

Mercy Corps will review CV’s and applications on a rolling basis (i.e., as applications are submitted).

ALL APPLICATIONS/ CVs SHOULD BE RECEIVED BY March 3^rd, 2021 at 16:00.

Potential candidates for the post will be contacted for an interview and processed according to Mercy Corps

Human Resources policies and procedures. As soon as qualified candidates are identified the positions will be closed automatically. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for potential interview.

Any documents submitted will remain with Mercy Corps and will not be returned to candidates.

Female Candidates are encouraged to apply for the position of MEL officer.  Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global Impact. 

 Mercy Corps Iraq offers a variety of arrangements that enable women to excel in their careers.  Mercy Corps Iraq ensures a safe and inclusive working environment for women and men through field security training and measures to provide secure working arrangements on-site and in the office”