MONITORING, EVALUATION, APPRAISAL, RESEARCH AND LEARNING (MEARL) COORDINATOR: EU-MADAD LEBANON (WASH FOCUS)

ABOUT IMPACT INITIATIVES

IMPACT Initiatives is a think-and-do-tank based in Geneva, Switzerland, which specialises in data collection, management and analysis in order to support humanitarian and development action thought its Initiatives AGORA, PANDA and REACH. While AGORA and REACH work to support response coordination mechanisms at various levels, PANDA provides direct assessment, research and M+E support to partners and donors with activities that focus directly on planning, informing and understanding programme implementation. IMPACT is a sister organization of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and which is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, which allows IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its countries of intervention.

POSITION PROFILE

ACTED is the lead organization in a five-partner MADAD-funded consortium (Action Against Hunger, GVC-WeWorld, Solidarités International, LebRelief), implementing WASH activities in Lebanon to support water governance and public water and wastewater services. This project is support by the technical expertise of CNRS, LCPS, LEWAP and NDU. IMPACT, through its PANDA (Project Appraisals and Assessments) Initiative, is providing coordination support, technical leadership of consortium Monitoring and Evaluation activities and a number of focused pieces of research.

IMPACT is seeking a colleague with experience in monitoring and evaluation, learning, and knowledge creation, preferably with experience in WASH/ institutional water governance to support a EU funded WASH project. This is a position in a small but dynamic regional team which will give you the opportunity to demonstrate technical expertise whilst coordinating consortium partners to implement monitoring activities, and guide research activities which directly inform the programmatic decision making and learning for a EUR 25 Million, 3-year project. The role is equal parts technical, project management and coordination which requires self-motivation, the ability to work as part of a team, and the ability to deliver research activities and their outputs on time, on task and on budget.

The successful candidate will necessarily need to wear two hats – that of Co-chair and technical lead of the Consortium Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning (MEARL) Working Group and oversee IMPACT’s specific research activities implemented in support of the consortium. While these are complementary roles, coordination of partners and direct implementation and management of research activities inherently require different skills.

The role necessitates a high level of external engagement, the ability to influence and drive processes, whilst also managing the internal running of operations and developing high-quality research outputs. The Coordinator is expected to oversee research, manage workplans and consortium relations, provide technical design of research activities, and review and publication of research, monitoring and evaluation outputs with direct support of the IMPACT team in-country and with technical backstopping from IMPACT Geneva HQ. The MEARL Coordinator is based in Beirut, Lebanon and only open to Lebanese nationals. Travel to other areas of the country may be required.

The Coordinator will be managed by the IMPACT Research Manager, and work closely together with:

1. ACTED Consortium Coordinator
2. ACTED MEAL Unit
3. ACTED FLATS Team
4. Consortium partners
5. Relevant national and local project stakeholders and beneficiaries

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Note: Some of the below duties and responsibilities will have been fulfilled as the consortium is now entering its third year. Nevertheless, to ensure a complete profile, all duties and responsibilities, as agreed upon, have been outlined.

1. Consortium MEARL Working Group Coordination In close coordination with the ACTED Consortium Coordinator, IMPACT Research Manager and other WG members, provide technical leadership/ oversight/ support for all consortium-level MEARL activities:

a. Co-chair the MEARL working group, including coordinating with the Consortium Coordinator to convene. Facilitate quarterly meetings to review the progress and performance of programme activities. Provide meeting minutes to all members, relevant Technical Task Forces, the Consortium Management Unit and the Steering Committee.

b. Review and harmonisation of agreed-up robust measurement methodologies, technical tools, their application and quality standards within the framework of the overall AME Framework developed for the Consortium;

c. Inform the development and monitor implementation by partners of Complaints Response Mechanism which meets sector standards, and aggregation of complaints received and response made into coherent consortium-level outputs

d. Create and maintain up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate databases of progress against project indicator targets, linking to available sources of information;

e. Ensure data management and data security practices under the project scope adhere to the guidelines set by the EU General Data Protection Regulation as well as maintain general good practices;

2. Management of all Research Cycles

2.1 Assessment Preparation and Planing :

1. a. Ensure that research are planned in line with relevant project and program objectives and within IMPACT research cycle and other relevant guidelines
2. b. For all activity, ensure TORs are developed and reviewed by key consortium stakeholders (ACTED CC, MEARL WG, etc.) before they are sent to Geneva for validation and ensure that TORs are validated by HQ before any data collection begins;
3. c. Ensure that ToRs are understood and used by consortium staff and stakeholders, and updated as required; Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data management team, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools; ensure engagement with GIS teams on GIS requirements of research cycle/assessment;
4. d. Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned activity throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific projects are discussed to identify solutions, reported in writing and orally in a timely manner to relevant colleagues and partners, with major issues to be channeled up to the Consortium Coordinator;
5. e. Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged and buy-in activity design and planning.

2.2. Data collection and management

1. For research activities to be implemented under IMPACT direct leadership, ensure that required enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;
2. Monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
3. Ensure that the Research Manager and relevant partners are alerted to any issues that prevents full implementation of the methodology in line with the agreed TORs; ensure that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation and validated by IMPACT HQ and key partners;
4. Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to PANDA activities have been appropriately implemented and with the relevant ACTED departments.
5. Ensure regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to relevant IMPACT, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process; coordinated
6. Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines, and with the ToRs;
7. Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
8. Oversee analysis on collected data as per ToRs;
9. Ensure that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected;
10. Ensure that data and its analysis are validated by IMPACT HQ before product drafting stage or sharing with external parties and do not contain personal information
11. 2.3. Product drafting
12. Maintain regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products;
13. Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate activity outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, etc.), which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
14. Review all products before they are sent to IMPACT HQ for validation;
15. Ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ, ACTED, Consortium Coordination and MEARL WG before external release.

2.4. Product dissemination and evaluation

1. Where appropriate, under the direction of the Research Manager and in coordination with the ACTED Consortium coordinator, engage in the dissemination of research products, including through articles, IMPACT social media contents, targeted e-mails, presentations, meetings, etc, in line with IMPACT Dissemination and External Communication Guidelines and Research ToRs;
2. Under supervision of IMPACT HQ, ensure that research products are uploaded in relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs;
3. Ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented at the end of each research cycle;
4. Collaborate with Consortium Coordination, ACTED, Consortium Partners and IMPACT Project Team to ensure accurate and timely donor reporting

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
• At least 2 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian or development settings such as research, evaluation, assessments, and programmes;
• (Field) experience related to monitoring and evaluation activities, humanitarian or development interventions, or other similar relevant sector;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Experience with stakeholder engagement;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Familiarity with the humanitarian aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
• Fluency in English, Arabic highly desirable;
• Advanced skills in GIS or SPSS and/or R, STATA or other mapping and statistical analysis software an advantage;
• Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles;
• Ability to work independently and coordinate remotely critical
• A demonstrated understanding WASH and/ or water governance (in Lebanon) an advantage.