MERL Coordinator (Women Peace Security)

Overview

The MERL Coordinator will lead and coordinate Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Accountability (MERL) activities in Ethiopia, ensuring the generation of high-quality evidence and effective monitoring systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and improvement of the project’s MERL framework.
• Develop monitoring and evaluation plans, data collection tools, reporting templates and standard operating procedures.
• Coordinate baseline, midline, end line and outcome assessments.
• Ensure timely collection, verification, analysis and reporting of project performance data.
• Conduct regular data quality assessments (DQAs) and verification exercises.
• Monitor progress against project indicators, milestones and targets.
• Establish and maintain project databases and information management systems.
• Consolidate partner and project-level data for donor and organizational reporting.
• Support preparation of high-quality quarterly, annual and donor reports.
• Track project results, risks, assumptions and lessons learned.
• Produce project dashboards and analytical reports.
• Lead and coordinate project learning and evidence-generation processes.
• Lead evidence generation initiatives, assessments, surveys, operational research and learning studies.
• Coordinate documentation of case studies, success stories, promising practices and lessons learned.
• Facilitate project reflection meetings, pause-and-reflect sessions and learning events.
• Support analysis of trends related to women’s participation, protection and leadership outcomes.
• Lead the planning and management of project evaluations.
• Develop knowledge products including briefs, reports, presentations and learning papers.
• Support dissemination of evidence and learning across countries.
• Contribute to regional learning agendas and cross-country learning exchanges.
• Strengthen accountability mechanisms.
• Support establishment and monitoring of community feedback and complaints mechanisms.
• Build the capacity of partner organizations on MERL systems, data collection tools, reporting requirements and evidence-based programming.
• Conduct partner mentoring, coaching and supportive supervision on data quality and results measurement.
• Support partner performance review meetings.
• Promote partner ownership of learning and adaptive management processes.
• Participate in project governance, review and planning meetings.
• Provide technical MERL guidance during annual planning and project design processes.
• Represent the project in relevant MERL, research and learning forums.
• Coordinate with regional MERL teams.
• Support donor visits, monitoring missions and external evaluations.
• Contribute technical inputs to donor communications, advocacy products and programme reviews.
• Assess MERL capacities of implementing partners, grassroots women-led organizations, and CSOs.
• Provide training, coaching, mentoring, and technical support on MERL systems, RBM, data quality, reporting, and evidence use.

Required Experience

• A minimum of five years of progressive professional experience in MERL coordination.
• Experience working on gender-based violence (GBV), protection, survivor-centred approaches, or gender-transformative programming.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in statistics and economics or related fields.

Other Details