Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) LEAD (Regional) – GROW Program

Program Summary

Join a flagship, multi‑country initiative led by Mercy Corps, with potential funding from some donors, to expand green, decent entrepreneurship and job opportunities for youth across Africa. The Green RISE Africa GROW Pillar aims to reach up to 400,000 rural and peri‑urban nano and micro‑entrepreneurs and create 112,000 Youth‑in‑Work outcomes, with a strong focus on young women. The program will support entrepreneurs through skills development, market linkages, mentorship, and access to green economic opportunities. Selected partners will co‑create, pilot, and scale innovative interventions across countries and will launch in April 2026. The role will be dependent on project confirmation.

Position Summary

The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Lead will lead the design and implementation of a robust MEL system for the program that tracks participants’ entrepreneurship and employment journeys, including work-enabling outreach and services, and Youth in Work. They ensure that data informs decision-making, support adaptive management, and meet donor and organizational standards. The role oversees the development of harmonized tools and processes, data systems, and integrated learning across all project countries and between program partners where relevant. The MEL Director will work closely with the country MEL focal points to provide overall MEL leadership, supervising the work of country-level MEL team members. They will provide timely and high-quality analysis of results to support adaptive management and will lead a learning agenda to inform program improvements and wider ecosystem learning.

Essential Responsibilities

MEL Systems Design & Implementation

• Lead development of the program MEL Framework and Plan, including Theory of Change, Logframe or Change Pathway, Outline of Evaluation Approach, Indicator Performance Tracking, data collection tools, and learning plans.
• Ensure harmonized MEL tools and processes across Mercy Corps and partner Enterprise Support Organizations, including standardization of data collection methods and integrated data management systems.
• Incorporate a case management system for youth participants to track entrepreneurial journeys, as well as ESO service delivery through the appropriate use of MEL Tech Systems.
• Oversee annual surveys and baseline and final evaluations, ensuring compliance with donor and Mercy Corps best practices and requirements.
• Track value-for-money and social return on investment indicators as required to ensure stewardship of donor resources and effectiveness of programming.
• Manage data quality assurance processes and support country teams in MEL implementation.

Learning & Adaptive Management

• Co-lead and facilitate co-creation processes with the donor, and engage the donor in regular review and reflection.
• Ensure timely, reliable, and accessible data informs program decision-making to ensure services reach young women and translate to improved self-employment and job creation.
• Facilitate quarterly and annual reflection and learning sessions with country teams and technical leads.
• Collaborate closely with the country-level MEL focal points for joint analysis and reporting.
• Produce evidence-based insights for strategic decision-making and donor communication.
• Lead documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and program adaptations.

Capacity Building

• Provide training and mentorship to country MEL teams and partners.

Accountability

• Ensure participant and ESO feedback mechanisms are functional, inclusive, and responsive.
• Support safe data collection and safeguarding-integrated MEAL practices.
• 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.

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.

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

Dotted line supervision of country-level MEAL focal points.

Accountability

· Reports Directly To: Program Director

· Works Directly With: Country Teams, GROW project management team, Regional Leads, and Mercy Corps’ Global and Regional Technical and Quality teams

· Supervises: MEL team leads at the country level

Knowledge & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master's preferred in social sciences, statistics, economics, or related field.
• 5–7 years of MEL experience, ideally in youth employment, market systems, or livelihoods programs.
• Experience with MEL Tech Suite, including data collection, analysis, and visualization tools(CommCare, Power BI).
• Experience using MEL systems for case management, participant tracking, gathering reach and impact from private sector actors and service providers, and rigorous evaluation.
• Experience with entrepreneurship, livelihoods, and gender transformative programs is a plus.
• Strong analytical and communication skills; experience with multi-country programs is an advantage.

Success Factors

A successful MEAL Specialist is committed to data-driven learning and adaptive management. They have the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights. Bring strong interpersonal skills with an ability to collaborate across organizations.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The preference for this position is that it is based in Nairobi, Kenya, but it can be in other African locations where the project takes place – Uganda, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. 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.

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 a 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 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]).