Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation, Learning and Adaptation (MRELA) Manager at Mercy Corps

Programme / Department Summary

Mercy Corps is seeking a Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation, Learning and Adaptation (MRELA) Manager for the FCDO-funded Border Security Programme (BSP). Irregular migration and associated criminal activity in East Africa remain a complex and escalating challenge which leads to significant exploitation of vulnerable people on the move. The planned East Africa Land Borders Programme will take a multifaceted approach - integrating 'prevention', 'prepare/protect' and 'pursue'. An important purpose of this programme is to support the pursuit of human traffickers and smugglers who are exploiting vulnerable populations on the move. Initial interventions will take place in the Kenya border regions, with planned and phased expansion to Uganda, Ethiopia and possibly Somalia border areas.

General Position Summary

The Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation, Learning and Adaptation (MRELA) Manager is a vital role within East Africa Land Border Programme and is responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that evidence and information collected is reflected upon, used to improve ongoing programs, and is incorporated into consistently high-quality reports and programme adaptations. BSP is an adaptive, evidence-driven programme and MRELA results will drive programme direction. The MRELA Manager is therefore a critical and dynamic role integrated into the overall team to ensure efficient feedback and adaptation loops including through key programme review meetings.

The MRELA Manager supports the programme team in planning and execution of all monitoring and evaluation activities, ensuring quality in accordance with accepted standards, providing essential feedback for learning, accountability and decision making. The MRELA Manager ensures that the programme has a robust system in place to measure programme results, has a rigorous monitoring system that is regularly collecting performance data, that implementing partners have the skills to collect and report relevant data, and that monitoring and evaluation data is being used to inform programmatic decision-making.

The MRELA Manager works closely with the programme team to ensure that key research findings and learnings are effectively integrated and used for programme improvement.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND MRELA SYSTEM OVERSIGHT


Ensure the programme's MRELA system complies with relevant Mercy Corps and FCDO policies, regulations, and guidelines; adapt the system design creatively to measure impact and assess evidence in a complex, adaptive programme context.
Continuously review, refine, and maintain a fit-for-purpose MRELA system focused on utility and programme quality, providing the programme team and implementing partners with timely, actionable evidence to steer implementation, inform donors, and guide strategic decisions.
Facilitate implementation of all MRELA activities as outlined in the programme's MRELA Plan.
Collaborate closely with internal and external partners and stakeholders to ensure operational success across the consortium.
Collaborate with programme management in regular review meetings to ensure monitoring evidence informs decision-making, including through comparison and synthesis of quantitative data, qualitative findings, and broader research evidence relevant to BSP's context.
Work with programme management to proactively identify and address MRELA shortfalls that may impact programme outcomes; oversee the conduct of routine internal Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) and ensure actionable insights are implemented.


RESULTS-BASED MONITORING, DATA MANAGEMENT, AND QUALITY ASSURANCE


Design, plan, and lead all MRELA monitoring activities; maintain and enforce standards for data collection in collaboration with implementing partners across the consortium.
Coordinate and oversee implementing partners' MRELA efforts and any programme evaluation teams involved in data collection; ensure compliance with high data quality standards through regular reviews, field verification visits, and constructive feedback on methodologies and practices.
Lead the collection, management, and analysis of all quantitative and qualitative data to assess programme performance and impact.
Maintain overall responsibility for data quality control, including conducting systematic data verification, source document reviews, spot-checks, and other quality assurance activities to ensure all reported data is accurate, complete, and a true reflection of programme activities and results.
Conduct regular site visits to programme locations to deepen understanding of activities, information needs, context, and emerging programme impact; triangulate monitoring data with field observations and partner reporting.


RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE GENERATION


Support the design and application of qualitative research methodologies across the programme, while ensuring approaches are contextually sensitive and protection-compliant.
Apply outcome mapping as a core framework for tracking behavioural and relational changes among the programme's partners.
Use contribution analysis and other theory-of-change-based approaches to assess plausible links between programme interventions and observed outcomes.
Triangulate qualitative and quantitative evidence to build a rich, multi-dimensional picture of programme performance and emerging impact; ensure qualitative findings are systematically documented and integrated into programme reporting and learning products.


EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENTS


Lead and coordinate all programme evaluations and assessments and ensure rigorous instrument design, sampling, methodology, enumerator coordination, data analysis and quality outputs.
Ensure gender, equity, and social inclusion (GESI) considerations are systematically integrated into evaluation design, data collection tools, analysis, and reporting.
Facilitate results discussions and sense-making workshops following evaluations and assessments, supporting the programme team in interpreting findings and developing evidence-based recommendations.


LEARNING, EVIDENCE USE AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT


Lead the development and implementation of the programme's Learning Agenda.
Facilitate structured learning and reflection processes to enable the BSP consortium to draw evidence-based insights and translate them into adaptive management decisions in a timely manner.
Contribute to the development and implementation of a knowledge management system that captures, organises, and disseminates evidence and lessons learned throughout the project to both internal and external stakeholders through appropriate channels and formats.
Contribute to the development of high-quality learning products for internal programme use and for sharing with the external stakeholders.
Support the programme team in embedding adaptive management practices, enabling systematic and documented adjustments to programme design and implementation in response to monitoring evidence, learning, and changing contextual conditions.


REPORTING


Support the programme team in timely and accurate reporting; hold overall responsibility for providing results data, evidence, and analysis for all project reports including monthly, quarterly, annual, and final reports, in close coordination with the the programme's leadership.
Ensure all reported data is accurate, well-documented, and traceable to source documentation.
Coordinate results reporting across consortium partners, ensuring adherence to required reporting formats and quality standards, and providing guidance and feedback to partner reporting teams.


DATA SYSTEMS


In collaboration with relevant IT and data systems teams, serve as the programme's technical lead for management of data systems and real-time data flow, utilising appropriate software platforms for data collection, processing, visualisation and storage, and to enhance evidence utilisation and accessibility.
Ensure robust data security and participant data protection measures are embedded across all data collection, storage, transfer, and sharing systems, in compliance with applicable data protection regulations.
Train implementing partners on digital data collection platform use and support them in setting up dashboards and performance-tracking tools.
Develop and optimise MRELA workflows and data pipelines to ensure efficient data collection, management, analysis, and reporting, while facilitating clear communication and collaboration among team members and partners.


CAPACITY BUILDING & TEAM DEVELOPMENT


Assess MEL capacity gaps among consortium an downstream partners and provide targeted training and coaching to build their ability to implement programme MRELA tools, manage data accurately, and produce quality reports.
Provide implementing partners with MRELA-related information, tools, and resources to enhance performance and achieve programme objectives.
Collaborate with partner MEL staff to strengthen partner-level MEL systems, ensuring they are capable of meeting programme data quality and reporting requirements.
Build the capacity and professional development of the MRELA team through regular coaching, mentoring, structured feedback, and workload support, nurturing a high-performing and learning-oriented team.


SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

Actively integrate safeguarding principles and risk mitigation measures into all MRELA.


Embed participant data protection standards across all data collection, storage, and sharing systems; ensure enumerators, field staff, and partners understand and adhere to data protection requirements.
Uphold the values of Mercy Corps, including respecting the dignity and well-being of all participants and team members.
Foster a culture of openness and accountability within the programme; encourage team members to report safeguarding or ethical concerns through appropriate mechanisms.


Supervisory Responsibility

MRELA Officer and CARM Officer

Accountability


Reports Directly To: Senior Quality and Compliance Manager
Works Directly With: Implementation and Partnership Manager, Programme Outcome leads; Programme partners and sub-awardees; Communications Specialist, Safeguarding focal points;


Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our programme participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills


Bachelor's degree in social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, statistics, international development, or a related field. A Master's degree in a relevant discipline is preferred.
A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in programme monitoring, evaluation, learning, and adaptation, including designing and managing MEL systems, leading evaluations and assessments, managing MEL teams, and building staff and partner MEL capacity.
Expertise in qualitative research methodologies, including outcome mapping, contribution analysis, participatory approaches.
Demonstrated experience in mixed-methods research and evaluation, including experimental and quasi-experimental quantitative designs; ability to utilise statistical software for quantitative data analysis alongside qualitative analysis tools.
Proven experience designing and managing baseline, mid-term, and endline evaluations, household surveys, and primary data collection exercises, including sampling methodology design and survey instrument development.
High degree of digital literacy; demonstrated proficiency in at least one quantitative data analysis package (SPSS, STATA, R) and experience with mobile data collection platforms, preferably CommCare.
Strong understanding of responsible data practices, data protection, and data security requirements, with demonstrated experience integrating these into data collection tools and field protocols.
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; demonstrated ability to produce high-quality analytical reports and learning products, and to present complex findings to diverse audiences.
Strong interpersonal, organisational, and team management skills; demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams.
Excellent creative and conceptual skills.
Track record of strong commitment to sharing knowledge, documenting experiences, supporting creative initiatives and working as a team.