Strategic Learning Advisor (SLA) - GAINS

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To create a better world, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skills so that we can be stronger and have long-term impact.

Program / Department Summary Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of around 400 people working in Eastern DRC, with the overall country goal being to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Mercy Corps DRC’s key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to 1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development; 4) Support peacebuilding and local governance. Mercy Corps DRC’s humanitarian programs aim specifically to assist populations affected by the conflict and crisis in Eastern Congo. In September of 2023, Mercy Corps signed an agreement with the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA-USAID) for the implementation of the Graduating to sustainable Agriculture, Income, Nutrition, and food Security (GAINS) Program. The overarching goal of this 5-year Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA), with a start date of October 1st, 2023, and an end date of September 30, 2028, is: Food, nutrition and economic security is sustainably improved among vulnerable households.

General Position Summary The Strategic Learning Advisor (SLA) will work closely with all staff to ensure principles of Collaborate, Learn, Adapt (CLA) are recognized and acted on as core elements of RFSA programming. This staff member will ensure active, intentional, and adaptive learning within and across interventions, and will play a critical role in incorporating refinement activities and learning into implementation. The SLA will (i) refine, implement and report on strategic learning initiatives in the program, (ii) support evidence-driven adaptive management through dashboarding and CLA facilitation, and (iii) build the research, learning and adaptation capacity of the program and national team. This position will play a key role in helping build an environment of evidence-based programming and adaptive management at all levels. Additionally, the SLA will improve community engagement; peer-to-peer learning; knowledge capture, sharing, and application; activity-based capacity strengthening; and evidence and data utilization. The SLA, working with the COP and technical staff, will also ensure appropriate and continued coordination and joint-planning with other relevant USAID Bureau and Missions and other relevant donor activities, host-government initiatives, and private sector actors. The position requires high quality analysis and report writing skills which can be used to write/review consistent, high quality reports and technical briefs that are developed as learning products. S/he should be able to employ the use of traditional and digital learning approaches to develop and implement innovative, creative and effective ways to strategically capture and share technical knowledge, leverage good practices, and improve the effectiveness of Activity implementation. The SLA must have demonstrated experience in facilitating learning and knowledge sharing processes, in establishing and managing dynamic feedback systems to capture experiential learning and unintended consequences, and in fostering collaboration across teams and organizations.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Work closely with M&E, research, and partner team members to develop comprehensive learning strategies and agenda during start-up, which are incorporated in annual workplans and regularly updated.
• Work with CoP and senior management team to ensure adaptive program management and CLA principles are incorporated at start-up and throughout implementation.
• Participate in the senior management team to set the strategic vision for the Activity, including how research and learning will be integrated into the program design and implementation.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Identify and share creative, efficient, and effective ways to share learnings and information, engage audiences, and facilitate collaboration.
• Design and facilitate regular, strategic planning sessions and learning events, assisting the program in a learning journey as well as development of its annual plans.

  Learning and Adaptive Management

  • Create a stakeholder map and stakeholder analysis to guide collaboration with other programs, initiatives and institutions to link program participants to sustainable outcomes and enable the program’s theory of change.
  • Develop a program-wide strategy and supportive systems/structures for adaptive management and CLA; ensure these link to and support wider systems for program performance, including review and reflection meetings, feedback loops, and communication flows .
  • Develop and support a plan for ensuring collaboration between local actors, other USAID-funded activity stakeholders, local government stakeholders, donor agencies, private sector actors and other implementers operating in the same target areas.
  • Lead staff and partners in regular reviews of program activities to pause and reflect on programmatic learning based on implementation experience and monitoring data, to review and revise results chains and theories of change, and suggest programmatic changes in collaboration with the M&E Lead.
  • Support study and assessment processes, facilitating sensemaking workshops based on study findings and summarizing findings and recommendations in short learning briefs.
  • Capture and document changes made to program design as a result of formative and operational research findings and operation planning discussions.
  • Lead and support learning events such as CLA workshops at all levels to ensure to review and reflection on the evidence and ensure it is captured into program design and implementation
  • Work closely with COP, DCOP, M&E Lead and others to identify the program’s research and learning agenda and ensure it captures both Mercy Corps and USAID priorities.
  • Work closely with the M&E team and various technical teams to ensure the program is capturing and critically analyzing performance data and evidence.
  • Explore opportunities to collaborate with potential research partners, other programs and donors.
  • Facilitate inclusive and gender-sensitive research processes and approaches, engaging local organizations, institutions, and women, to design and implement national- and community-level data collection tools and contribute to data analysis and meaning-making of results.
  • Work closely with the M&E team to plan for and conduct the final internal performance review by the end of program activities

    Capacity Sharing

    • Lead the team to create a plan to operationalize and build capacity in CLA practice across implementing teams and partner organizations, including creating a culture of learning and systems thinking to stimulate an adaptive, iterative management approach;
    • Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop, review, and maintain an excellent knowledge management system, including regular reflection and analysis of program monitoring data and production of evidence-based recommendations and reports.
    • Assist the M&E Lead in other M&E-related capacity building activities, e.g. through the development of learning toolkits or by setting up webinars or brown bag meetings.
    • Promote and nurture a culture of reflection, critical thinking and learning within the Activity and among staff and partners.
    • Build the capacity of the M&E and other relevant program teams to design, analyze, rigorously interpret and present high-quality data from quantitative and qualitative research.

      Documentation, Packaging and Knowledge management

      • Work with COP, DCOP, Program Performance, Quality and Learning Director and other program staff to document lessons learned from implementing key program interventions, and disseminate communication and learning products to showcase project successes and results.
      • Produce high-quality learning briefs, case studies, white papers or other reports that showcase key insights from the program’s research and learning initiatives, as well as recommendations for the program, mission, agency and/or donors and other implementing partners.
      • Concisely communicate key program insights from learning activities with program audiences in a concise and appropriate manner.
      • Ensure close coordination and information sharing with consortium partners, sub-grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

        Representation

        • As requested by the COP, represent the program in front of USAID, support partners and agency-internal partners from the Technical Support Unit and the PAQ team, and other project stakeholders or professional bodies.

          Supervisory ResponsibilityHe (she) will work closely with the program MEL team and with research partners/collaborators.

          Accountability Reports Directly To: Program Performance, Quality and Learning Director Works Directly With: DCOP, P1 and P2 Leads and their teams, finance, administration and operations teams, HQ Regional Program Team, HQ Technical Support Unit, Program Performance and Quality (PAQ) team, and partner organizations. Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program 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 projects. Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

          • MA/S or equivalent experience in development studies, international relations, agriculture, nutrition, public health, research methods, knowledge management or a related field.
          • Minimum 3 years (5+ years if only undergraduate degree) of related work at a program or country level, including supervising staff. Proven use of program technology in a M&E function required.
          • Demonstrated experience in facilitating learning and knowledge sharing processes, in establishing and managing dynamic feedback systems to capture experiential learning and unintended consequences, and in fostering collaboration across teams and organizations.
          • Experience in strategic planning and performance measurement, including indicator selection, target setting, reporting, database management and developing performance monitoring plans that support learning agendas and contribute to program efficacy.
          • Experience with theoretical and practical background in research and skilled in participatory qualitative and quantitative methodologies and techniques, including experience in planning and managing surveys and developing and refining data collection tools required.
          • Strong qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills and knowledge:
            • Demonstrated understanding of intermediate statistics and ability to summarize and make predictions from multiple data sets. Power user with Excel required. Experience with statistical packages including STATA, R, or SPSS preferred
            • Demonstrated understanding of qualitative methodologies. Prior experience of using a qualitative analysis package: MAXQDA, Dedoose, Atlas.ti, any of the QDA packages, or other preferred.
            • Knowledge of and prior experience of using M&E and CLA technologies required. Ona/CommCare for data collection, Tableau or Power BI for data visualization and reporting preferred.
            • Familiarity with M&E and CLA approaches to measuring behavioral and normative change at the individual, interpersonal, community and societal levels required.
            • Familiarity with competencies-based approaches to agency and empowerment preferred.
            • Excellent written communications, including the ability to tailor communications to program and policy audiences at multiple levels.
            • Experience with gender and social inclusion analysis frameworks preferred.
            • Experience working on USAID programs is essential.
            • Previous experience living and working in challenging or insecure environments.
            • Prior experience working in DRC is highly desirable.
            • Fluent oral and written French as well as strong oral and written English
            • Tshiluba language skills are highly desired.

              Success Factors The successful candidate will be capable of multitasking, rapid decision-making, and creative problem-solving. S/he has initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity strengthening of local partners. S/he will be known for flexibility and creativity in project planning and building responsive systems, and is able to solicit and understand diverse perspectives, build consensus among a variety of stakeholders, and effectively and clearly communicate decisions.

              Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions Mercy Corps offers a competitive benefits package for positions based in the Kasai province, which is an unaccompanied duty station. Tshikapa is the capital of the Kasai Province, a lively rural city of 971,000 inhabitants where humanitarian actors are present. In the city center water and power are quite stable thanks to the cash power system and hotels, small restaurants, shops and banks are reasonably accessible. There are 3 main hospitals which provide adequate health care services, with evacuation options to Kinshasa or surrounding areas as required. Telephone landlines, internet and mobile network capacity exist but are frequently at a less than optimal level. The temperatures is often between 30-35 degrees. Mercy Corps' sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with evacuation options for serious illnesses. There’s reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive. 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. 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. Ongoing Learning In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development. 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 world’s 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 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.