Description
Background Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action โ helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. The Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity (RRA) is a USAID-funded initiative, spanning five years and executed in collaboration with partners such as Mercy Corps, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), and Save the Children International. The Activity serves as a catalyst for economic recovery and growth in the vulnerable and conflict-affected region of Northeast Nigeria. Its overarching objective is to bring about lasting positive change by offering expanded economic opportunities, with the ultimate aim of lifting 600,000 individuals, including farmers, microenterprises, youth, women, and children, out of chronic vulnerability and poverty in the area. Applying an inclusive market systems development (MSD) approach, RRA leverages relationships with local markets to foster greater opportunities for all actors seeking to participate in the Northeast Nigeria marketplace. The growth of inclusive business models resulting from RRA partnerships with the private sector and government agencies engages smallholder farmers, women, youth, IDPs, the people of isolated communities, and other marginalized groups often excluded or exploited by the traditional market systems. The Activity has six core components:
- Providing up-to-date evidence for selecting market systems, livelihoods, and employment opportunities that contribute to inclusive and resilient growth and improved nutrition.
- Stimulating market systems growth and diverse economic opportunities.
- Building capacities of market actors to take advantage of market systems opportunities:
- Sequencing, layering, integrating, and collaborative learning to improve activity effectiveness, sustainability, and scale.
- Cushioning impacts of COVID-19 on households and micro-enterprises through cash transfers; and
- Mitigating the Secondary impacts of the Russian War on Ukraine.The Activity has continued to intervene in the earlier identified five (5) intervention areas 1) strengthening the agricultural input supply system, 2) facilitating resilient grain supply chains, 3) facilitating access to financial services, 4) supporting inclusion and microenterprises and 5) strengthening cross-cutting issues such as nutrition and food systems.
Overview of Activity Monitoring and Result Measurement (MRM) System Monitoring and results measurement (MRM) play a crucial role in assessing the impact, learning, adaptation, and effectiveness of the approach. The MRM system systematically collects and analyzes data, so that the Activity teams can assess progress, learn from experiences, and adapt strategies to maximize positive impact and sustainability. Continuous engagement with stakeholders and the integration of resilience measurements contribute to the overall success of these projects in building robust and adaptive economic systems. Given the complexity of the Rural Resilience Activity, its monitoring and results measurement system is also intricate, involving a multifaceted approach that encompasses diverse indicators, regular data collection mechanisms, stakeholder engagement strategies, and adaptive management processes to comprehensively capture and evaluate the Activity's impact on building resilience in rural communities. The key components are as follows:- Baseline Assessment: The Activity conducted a comprehensive baseline assessment as the first step. This involved gathering data on the existing market systems, identifying key actors, understanding their roles, and assessing the vulnerabilities and strengths of the targeted communities.
- Performance Indicators: RRA developed and defined clear and measurable indicators that are essential for monitoring progress. These indicators should align with the Activity goal and include both USAID standard indicators and Activity custom indicators. Some indicators are private sector facing such as income levels at firms and households and resilience indicators.
- Data Collection and Analysis: RRA implements robust data collection methods, such as surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions, to help gather information on RRA activities and outcomes. Data analysis involves assessing trends, identifying patterns, and understanding the causal relationships between interventions and results.
- Regular Monitoring: The Activity applied continuous monitoring to ensure real-time insights into its implementation. Regularly collected data allows intervention managers to identify challenges, adjust strategies, and make informed decisions to enhance the project's effectiveness.
- Mid-Term and End-Term Evaluations: RRA conducted mid-term and is in preparation to conduct end-term evaluations which will involve a more in-depth assessment of project impact. These evaluations help measure the achievement of intervention objectives, identify unintended consequences, and provide recommendations for future interventions.
- Adaptive Management: The findings from monitoring and evaluation activities have always informed adaptive management strategies. RRA teams consistently adjusted interventions based on lessons learned, responding to changing circumstances and ensuring the Activity remains relevant and impactful.
- Resilience Measurement: RRA has ongoing assessments the resilience of market systems involves understanding the capacity of communities and economic actors to absorb and recover from shocks. RRA in collaboration with TANGO also applied resilience indicators such as social capital, access to financial services, and the ability to diversify livelihoods.
- Knowledge Management: Establishing a knowledge management system helps document and share insights, lessons learned, and best practices. This contributes to the broader field of market systems development and resilience building.
- Complex-aware tools, such as outcome harvesting, are employed in the monitoring and results measurement system of the Activity to navigate the intricacies of the Activity's outcomes. Outcome harvesting acknowledges the non-linear and context-specific nature of development interventions, allowing for the identification and documentation of unexpected or emergent outcomes, which are often crucial in understanding the project's impact on the resilience of rural communities. This approach goes beyond predefined indicators, offering a flexible and adaptive framework to capture the nuanced and dynamic changes occurring within the complex rural context.Consultant Deliverables The consultant shall work on the following deliverables: Deliverables - Timeline 2024
- Identify priority deliverables and outputs for the consultancy
- Participate in initial scoping workshop by mid-March. The purpose of the workshop is to take a deep dive discussion on program technical approach, MEL and KM systems, ongoing research etc. (Mid-March)
- Inception report with plans for data transformation, analysis plan and communication products
- Engage with the team to review existing mix of data and identify points of impact stories.
- Work with the MRM team to appraise information collected on learning questions and plans to externalize prioritized learning questions as products. (March 27)
- Excel format of transformed data with data points for deep dive analysis. Also, identify additional data point needed (if any) with plans for collection.
- Work with the MRM team to collate existing data sets and conduct data transformation on mix of datasets and databases. (1st and 2nd week in April)
- Identified data points contributing to sense making plan for the data story telling.
- Support existing studies, plan, and collect additional data where required. (3rd and 4th week in April)
- Analysis and data story telling plan from transformed dataset. The number of products should be between 5 to 10. Products on learning questions should be a minimum of 5.
- Present analysis and data story telling plan based on transformed dataset and information collected on learning questions. This includes types of comms products (infographics, animations, canvas, and collages)
- Also support analysis from household resilience assessment and related studies. (May)
- Between 5 to 10 comms products. Minimum of 5 learning questions developed into products.
- Upon finalizing the analysis and data story telling plan the consultant should develop the products and work with key units in RRA, HQ and other identified important platforms to externalize the products. (May/June)Reports to the Chief of Party. Required Experience & Skills:
- Minimum of bachelorโs degree in economics, agribusiness, public health and any social or economic related course. Formal training in Market Systems Development or M4P preferred.
- 5 to 7 years of experience providing technical assistance on surveys, evaluations, and quasi-experimental/experimental studies.
- A minimum of 5 yearsโ experience providing MEL technical support to USAID/BHA, FCDO program or playing a MEL role
- Demonstrated capacity in designing and managing MEL system for complex market system development (MSD) programs.
- Experience providing technical support for MSD programs in thin markets in any sub-saharan African (SSA) country will be an added advantage.
- Strong analytical skills including ability to conduct meta-analysis, qualitative analysis and modelling analysis using multiple variable relationships over periods.
- Strong report writing skills with focus on research papers and study reports.
- Fluency in English is required. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the worldโs most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today. Equal Employment Opportunity
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 team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.