Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Advisor | Addis Ababa

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Program Summary

Empowering Families, Enriching Lives: Scaling LIWAY’s Childcare Models for Two-Generational ECD is a two-year project (September 2024 – August 2026) in Addis Ababa, funded by the Conrad Hilton Foundation. This initiative is dedicated to improving early childhood development (ECD) while fostering economic empowerment by addressing systemic gaps in childcare access and workforce participation. By implementing scalable and evidence‑based childcare solutions, the project aims to create sustainable and market‑driven models that enhance the well‑being of vulnerable families, particularly internally displaced people, refugees, and host communities. The project focuses on expanding access to affordable, high‑quality childcare by establishing new childcare centers and upgrading existing ones in underserved areas. These centers will provide a safe and nurturing environment where children receive essential care, nutrition, and early learning opportunities that promote cognitive, emotional, and social development. By reducing the childcare burden on women, the project enables them to engage in education, skills training, and employment, ultimately increasing household income and economic stability. Recognizing the interconnected nature of childcare and workforce participation, the project integrates childcare support into labor market interventions, ensuring women and youth have better access to job opportunities, vocational training, and entrepreneurship programs. A key component of the project is its commitment to evidence‑based policy advocacy. By conducting rigorous research on childcare needs, economic impacts, and best practices, the project generates valuable data that informs decision‑making at both local and national levels. This research supports the development of policies that institutionalize childcare as a fundamental service, ensuring financial accessibility, regulatory improvements, and greater private sector involvement in childcare provision. The project also strengthens partnerships with government agencies, private sector actors, and development organizations to drive systemic reforms and promote sustainable childcare solutions. Utilizing a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach, the project catalyzes market‑based solutions that create jobs and increase incomes for women, youth, and displaced communities. It enhances job matching services, supports technology‑driven employment solutions, and fosters collaboration with employers to integrate childcare support into workforce strategies. By building the capacity of childcare providers, offering financial incentives, and linking childcare services with employment initiatives, the project ensures long‑term sustainability and scalability.

General Position Summary

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Advisor will lead the implementation of the MERL strategy, ensuring all partners understand and adhere to strategy and work plan. This role involves overseeing M&E plan execution, collecting and analyzing data, ensuring programmatic compliance, facilitating regular learning and feedback sessions, collaborating closely with technical teams and stakeholders, building the capacity of staff and partners through training and support, and ensuring that project outcomes are measured, lessons are learned, and improvements are continuously made.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) framework aligned with the project’s objectives and outcomes.
• Lead the design and application of MERL tools, methodologies, and systems to measure the impact of project interventions, ensuring data-driven decision-making.
• Identify opportunities to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting practices to promote continuous improvement and knowledge sharing across all stakeholders.
• Foster an environment where innovative solutions are applied to monitoring, evaluation, and learning challenges, facilitating a culture of adaptive management.
• Ensure integration of MERL activities with national and local development agendas, aligning with global best practices in MERL for development projects.
• Produce timely and high-quality reporting to donors, government, and internal stakeholders.
• Work closely with the Project Manager and project officer to lead the implementation of the MERL strategy.
• Ensure that all partners and their staff understand the MERL strategy and its work plan.
• Regularly monitor and review the MERL strategy and activities to ensure adaptability, making changes based on reflections and lessons learned from staff, partners, and stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the Project Manager to promote cross‑learning and coordination among technical teams.
• Lead the management of the CNMS (Concept Note Management System), IPTS (Institutional Tracking System), and Tola Data for indicator tracking and reporting.
• Work closely with the Project Manager and project officer to lead the implementation of the M&E plan/Measurement Table.
• Ensure accurate data collection, compilation, consolidation, and analysis.
• Coordinate with the team to ensure timely and accurate data from partners and provide necessary follow‑up, including data audits when required.
• Monitor programmatic compliance through document audits and assist partners in performing spot checks and assessments as needed.
• Coordinate with technical teams and implementing partners to compile and disseminate monthly updates from the region and other reports as required.
• Summarize monthly lessons learned and ensure dissemination with partners.
• Provide weekly updates to the Project Manager and Project officer to share with stakeholders.
• Assist technical teams in developing, implementing, and analyzing sub‑activity evaluations, alerting teams to results provided by the online information system.
• Organize feedback sessions and other platforms with partners, participants, and stakeholders, ensuring timely responses with the assistance of the project manager and Project officer.
• Collect and document case studies and success stories for internal and external sharing.
• Ensure regular and timely reporting from project staff and implementing partners by monitoring receipt of monthly, quarterly, and annual progress reports and following up with partners on non‑reporting.
• Conduct quality control tests on incoming data.
• Collaborate with the Project Manager and project officer to ensure compliance with branding and marking policies in the field.
• Work with Project Manager and project officer to assist partners in developing success stories.
• Organize quarterly M&E workshops with the Project Manager and project officer to address identified needs and gaps.
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop, review, and maintain an effective M&E system.
• Ensure regular reflection and analysis of program monitoring data and provide evidence-based recommendations and reports in a timely manner.
• Offer ongoing capacity building for incoming staff on M&E and assist the program team in technical learning activities.
• Organize other capacity building initiatives with the Project Manager and Project officer.
• Play a key role in supporting baseline, mid‑term, and final evaluations.
• Work with partners on design, field‑testing, data collection, and analysis of additional evaluations that may be required at the program level.
• Support Mercy Corps’ commitment to organizational learning by dedicating 5% of time to personal and professional learning activities that benefit both the organization and individual development.
• Conduct yourself professionally and personally in a manner that reflects well on Mercy Corps and supports its humanitarian mission.
• Oversee the implementation of the MERL activities across various partners, ensuring accurate data reporting and establishing clear communication and reporting structures.
• Facilitate collaboration with key stakeholders, including government agencies, implementing partners, private sector actors, and the community, to enhance the overall MERL efforts.
• Develop strategies to ensure that project evaluation results are used effectively for program adaptation, advocacy, and scale‑up planning.
• Build capacity among team members and partners in research and learning approaches to ensure data-driven decisions are institutionalized throughout the project lifecycle.
• Represent the project at relevant external meetings and conferences to share results, promote collaboration, and advocate for MERL best practices.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to staff, ensuring that they are equipped with the necessary skills and tools to implement MERL activities effectively.
• Support the recruitment, training, and capacity building of team members involved in data collection, research, and evaluation activities.
• Promote a collaborative work environment, emphasizing the importance of data-driven decision-making, reflection, and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure team members understand the strategic objectives of the MERL framework and their role in achieving those objectives.
• Ensure that all MERL activities comply with donor guidelines and Mercy Corps’ operational standards.
• Oversee the financial aspects of MERL-related activities, ensuring efficient and transparent use of resources while adhering to the project budget.
• Maintain systems to ensure financial compliance with donor and organizational standards in the collection, processing, and reporting of data.
• Represent the project in relevant external meetings and conferences to promote the MERL approach and share project insights.
• Advocate for the importance of evidence-based decision-making and demonstrate how MERL activities contribute to the project’s success and impact.
• Engage with donors and partners to share results, learnings, and insights from the project’s MERL activities.
• Adhere to gender minimum standards, allocate budget for GEDSI related activities, conduct staff capacity building on GEDSI, reflect GEDSI issues during program management, support inclusive team building, promote an inclusive workplace culture, increase staff knowledge of GEDSI, embed GEDSI principles in MERL activities, promote inclusive learning and research approaches, and strengthen capacity of team members to apply GEDSI considerations when designing and implementing MERL strategies.

Additional Duties

• Perform other duties as assigned by the project Manager.

Reports Directly To

Project Manager

Works Directly With

Project officer

Knowledge And Experience

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Social Sciences, Economics, International Development, Statistics) or related field is required or demonstrated equivalent work experience in the field.
• Minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience, especially in the areas of monitoring and evaluation and learning and knowledge management.
• Advanced knowledge of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) practices, including data collection, research methodologies, and impact measurement.
• Proven experience in implementing MERL frameworks and ensuring effective integration into program design and implementation.
• Experience in managing large-scale data collection efforts and in the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.
• Strong analytical, strategic planning, and project management skills.
• Ability to lead data-driven interventions and provide actionable recommendations to improve program performance.

Success Factors

• Fluency in English and Amharic (additional local languages are an asset).
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and work effectively under pressure.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively convey technical information to a diverse audience.
• Excellent presentation, reporting, and negotiation skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint) and familiarity with data analysis tools and visualization software.
• Must have the flexibility and resilience to work in challenging environments and embrace adaptive management processes.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, 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, 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 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 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.

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 10 January 2026, 4:00 PM