Mercy Corps has been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since September 2007, helping populations in North Kivu and Orientale Provinces to work toward building a more peaceful and hopeful future. Mercy Corps has more than 100 staff members in Goma, Nyanzale and Dungu and is implementing emergency and longer-term development programs with funding from USAID/FFP, USAID/OFDA, ECHO, UN agencies and private donors. Mercy Corps’ work in the DRC provides support to internally displaced people through water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and economic recovery, and works with other vulnerable populations on environmental livelihoods, civil society strengthening and durable WASH activities.
With support from ECHO, Mercy Corps is leading efforts in North Kivu and Orientale Provinces to increase food security and diversify means of sustainable livelihoods. Through conflict-sensitive agricultural trainings, the establishment of community and household gardens, and the provision of inputs such as seeds and tools at the individual and community level, Mercy Corps is introducing improved techniques and varieties which will allow communities to produce more from the land for a longer period of time than current unsustainable practices. The introduction of agro-forestry, including the provision of tree seedlings (for fruit and wood production) has also created income generating opportunities for participating households, which further contributes to food security. In future livelihood programming, Mercy Corps aims to link improved poor households with access to mobile financial and information services
Mercy Corps piloted household fuel-efficient stoves (FES) in eastern DRC in 2008 as part of a humanitarian response in camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The Mercy Corps team has since developed and tested the most efficient and appropriate household FES models currently available on the local market, with different models designed for use with varied combustibles (specifically wood and briquettes), and the team is learning more about facilitating the adoption of FES by different households. Mercy Corps has also been working with a carbon broker to initiate the process of verifying and ultimately selling carbon credits from the emissions reductions produced by the stoves. This will contribute to project scale up and sustainability with the potential to deliver more direct benefits to our partnering communities.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The M&E and PSO will spend approximately 70% of his/her time on activities related to Mercy Corps’ Sustainable Resource Management portfolio. S/he will be responsible for ensuring the monitoring of all stove & carbon activities, building capacity of related staff on reporting and using data to capture the wanted results, examining and improving the current M&E system (including a new documentation system for quality control and compliance), as well as other tasks as deemed appropriate by his/her supervisor. Other related tasks will involve coordinating stove information with potential consumers such as WFP and INGOs and collaborating with local partners on the stove production. The M&E and PSO will also assist with researching the viability of expanding fuel efficient stove projects, concentrating on industrial and urban household stoves. The M&E and Project Support Officer will work in collaboration with Mercy Corps’ Sustainable Resource Management team to test the initial potential for stove uptake for both urban household and industrial stoves, and carry out other groundwork necessary to enable Mercy Corps to draw up a realistic business plan for the stove expansion.
In addition, the M&E and PSO will spend approximately 30% of his/her time supporting the Deputy Country Director on strengthening and organizing program documentation. S/he will liaise with Program Managers to collect information on and support the development of detailed implementation plans, quarterly work schedules and quarterly program reports.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Edit and update Mercy Corps’ stove and carbon credit related documentation such as monitoring reports, baseline surveys, Gold Standard required documentation and stove related media pamphlets.
- Contribute to new business proposal and concept note development, such as the Global Clean Cook Stove Initiative.
- Track and ensure that repairs are made on up to 8,500 stoves in Kimoka, Kibumba, Kisigari and Rugari (with documentation of repairs and the stove serial number).
- Oversee drafting of manual for stove carbon M&E in French.
- Conduct a training session for GPS use.
- Compile manual for reporting, M&E and usage of HTC handset survey instructions in French.
- Complete weekly reports summarizing activities accomplished with concrete recommendations and action points.
- Complete rapid pilot study over a 1.5-2 month period on urban stove uptake and potential for sales.
- Assess challenges associated with carbon credits in DRC to be highlighted in developing a business plan, such as taxes, risk and political issues.
- Prepare and conduct a workshop to launch a new program documentation system for quality control and compliance purposes.
- Harmonize Detailed Implementation Plans (DIPs), Quarterly Work Schedules and Quarterly Program Reports.
- Organize the shared drive (server) for the country office so that information can be stored and shared effectively.
- Translate documents from English into French.
- Other duties as assigned.
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.
Accountability to Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Senior Technical Advisor, Livelihoods and Deputy Country Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Program Managers, Sustainable Natural Resource Management team
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor’s degree in international development, project management or similar field; Master’s degree preferred.
- At least 2-3 years experience working in Monitoring and Evaluation including training in and a proven understanding of data collection and analysis as well as principles of quantitative and qualitative data collection.
- Understanding of basic project management, such as training and organizing and implementing surveys.
- Experience conducting research and analysis from primary and secondary data sources.
- Experience living and working in a developing country; experience in Africa is an advantage.
- Fluency in English and French required.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The PSO will have excellent organization, planning and time management skills, including the ability to multi-task and work to deadlines. S/he will have excellent inter-personal communication skills, be a solutions-based thinker and implementer, respect timelines and take initiative. A successful candidate will be able to work independently with the capacity to collaborate and communicate needs and changes quickly and efficiently, without being easily discouraged. S/he will be direct about addressing any issue in a timely matter and have a good sense of humor. Flexibility in nature and adaptability to a sometimes austere environment are essential.
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
In 2006, the DRC had its first democratic elections in more than forty years. While conditions in the country are improving, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity, particularly in the east of the country. There are variable levels of insecurity depending on location (Goma vs. field sites). Years of conflict and corruption have badly damaged the country's infrastructure. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. There are virtually no telephone land lines in the DRC, although mobile phone coverage is widely available. Internet is also available in most Mercy Corps offices.
This position will be based in Goma, with travel to Mercy Corps field offices. This is an unaccompanied position due to the length of the assignment.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Please apply directly at:
http://mercycorps.silkroad.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.dspjo...
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