Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager (MEL)

Sector: Monitoring & Evaluation

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Since 2007, IRC has worked with refugees and other vulnerable populations in Jordan. Working in coordination with the humanitarian community and the Government of Jordan, the IRC's assistance programs for children in Jordan include both camp-based (Zaatari, and Azraq camps) and urban-based refugee assistance (Mafraq, Ramtha, Irbid).

The Jordan Country program has a current budget of $50 million and operates in Northern Jordan and Southern Syria, providing assistance in primary health care, protection, and economic and recovery interventions and working with a wide range of partners and sub-awardees. In accordance with humanitarian quality and accountability standards and the IRC global Strategic Plan 2015-2020, the country’s program has established a comprehensive feedback and complaint system to make its work more responsive to the clients and communities it serves. The system is managed and implemented according to the country program’s Complaint Management Policy and regional standards

Job Overview/Summary: The M&E Manager positions will lead, manage, and continually improve the design and delivery of monitoring and evaluation activities in Jordan. Under the leadership of the Jordan MEL Coordinator, the M&E Manager will play a key, hands-on role harmonization and improving of M&E efforts in Jordan. They will report to the MEL Coordinator, and line manage teams of M&E officers based in Mafraq.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy

• Building on existing practices, to establish and maintain strong M&E systems and practices in Jordan country programs that are in compliance with IRC country/regional/global strategies, guidelines and standards, encompassing both programs implemented by IRC as well as programs implemented in partnership with other organizations
• Provide M&E technical assistance to program teams and inputs into particularly the set-up, implementation, and close-out stages of program management, i.e., measurement methodologies, plans and tools, and data collection, quality assurance, management, and analysis.
• Lead on data quality assurance, tracking, analysis, interpretation and reporting on indicator progress and achievements.
• Develop and lead the implementation of Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) for the MEL function across all programs
• Support the use of IRC’s global data platform (COMET), or an alternative centralized way to ensure relevant stakeholders at the country, regional and global levels have timely access to appropriate information about indicators.
• By demonstration, be part of an organizational culture shift from a focus on data being primarily for donor reporting or indicator calculation purposes to using data for programmatic course correction and other decisions.
• Contribute to the MEL Unit’s, and wider country programs, programmatic and organizational learning efforts.
• Assist program and partnership units to maintain and improve upon compliance initiatives that intersect with M&E.
• Support the M&E Partnerships senior officer to ensure strengthened capacities of implementing partners are applied in practice.
• Support the implementation of internal or external program evaluations.
• Recruit, support and oversee the technical quality of work by MEL unit team members supporting the unit’s and program teams’ implementation of MEL systems.

Program Development

• Support the MEL Coordinator to work with program sector teams (currently, women protection and empowerment, Economic Recovery and Development, child protection and Health) and the Grants Unit in ensuring that MEL elements support strong proposals for new funding and high-quality reporting on current programs

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development

• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback.
• Develop and implement capacity building approaches to build and strengthen the MEL capacities of the team in Jordan country program.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Approve and manage all time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews.
• Strengthen the technical capacity within the team using capacity development plans, on-the-job coaching and mentoring and provide guidance needed.
• As required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the Employment Policies.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate.

Research, Learning and Analysis

• Lead the implementation of assessments and research activities in Jordan aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC programming, as well as to inform IRC advocacy and decision-making process
• Contribute to the greater sharing and use of data, research and learning within IRC’s program sectors, to ensure interventions are responsive to needs and informed by a sound understanding of the humanitarian context.

Coordination & Representation

• As delegated by the MEL Coordinator, in coordination with other program sector leads and country program management, represent IRC in inter-agency forums, conference and discussions.
• As delegated by the MEL Coordinator, actively participate in, and contribute to the M&E internal and external working groups as needed.

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to Jordan Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEL) Coordinator

Indirect/Technical Reporting: Not Applicable.

Position directly Supervises: MEL Reporting and Partnership officer MEL Officer/Registrars’ Supervisor.

Key Internal Contacts:

• Country Program: All staff and departments within the Jordan Country Program (primarily the MEL, Technical Program, Partnerships and Grant teams)
• Region/Global: Regional M&E unit, HQ/Regional Technical Units (Technical Assistants and M&E specialists)

Key External Contacts: Partner organizations, other humanitarian actors

Qualifications

Job Requirements

• Education: BA/BS Degree in international development, social sciences, or a related field; MA/MS is a plus.
• Work Experience: At least 5 years of experience within the international development / humanitarian NGO sector, minimum of 2 years at managerial level, with minimum of 3 years’ specific experience in monitoring and evaluation of multi-sectoral programming in emergency or post conflict settings.

Demonstrated Technical Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent technical skills in contemporary M&E methods and practices, with hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Strong program/technical management, planning and reporting skills.
• Strong written and oral communication skills both in Arabic and English, effective in working with colleagues
• Experience with multi-sectoral and multi-donor funded programs, and strong technical and operational knowledge of humanitarian programming.
• Proven ability to design and lead training engagements with staff and partners to enhance skills and adapt to changing program demands
• Strong methodical planning and organizational with an appropriate balance of strategic thinking and doing skills.
• Excellent relationship-building, interpersonal skills, and the ability to effectively work with colleagues.
• Superior oral and written communication skills, with ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and persuasively with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of working successfully with local stakeholders such as local and international NGOs, government, etc. with sensitivity and diplomacy.
• Proven ability to work well in and promote teamwork, thrive in a multi-cultural environment, be flexible and handle pressure with professional grace.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal and communications skills.
• Positive attitude to work, self-reflective, motivated, inspired, collegial.

Languages: Fluency in spoken and written Arabic and English is required.

Computer/Other Tech Requirements:

• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Add position-specific (e.g., accounting software, statistical software, etc.).
• Experience with statistical or data management software strongly preferred.

Travel: ability to travel within Jordan as requested and needed.

Note: List of responsibilities, professional and personal skills are considered indicative and not exhaustive; actual duties may differ or change depending on office and agency priorities at the time.

Standards of Professional Conduct IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Attention Returning National Candidates IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply.

Working Environment

The overall security situation in Jordan is relatively calm, especially in Amman. The Jordanian government is stable, and civil unrest is largely peaceful. However, Jordan’s generosity in hosting refugees from Palestine, Iraq and now Syria have created huge strains on the country’s economy and infrastructure. The IRC office is in a modern professional building.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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