Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Assistant or Associate or Specialist

Job Description

Chemonics seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Assistant or Associate or Specialist (depending on the skillset of the successful candidate) to support the ongoing Supporting Education in Syria (Injaz III) project. Injaz III aims to contribute to the stabilization of northeast Syria through working with civil councils, education committees, and community-based organizations to provide remedial education and Self-Learning Program, psychosocial support for children and their caregivers, vocational and secondary skills training, as well as support for the formal education system through teacher training and school infrastructure support.

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Assistant or Associate or Specialist will be responsible for assisting in the development and maintenance of the project’s MERL systems, ensuring appropriate data capture, working with partner organizations to ensure data quality, and assisting with analytical reports about Injaz activities and the Syrian context. S/he will report directly to the MERL Director and will work closely with other members of the MERL, technical, program, and field teams, as well as community-based organization partners based in Syria.

Responsibilities:

• Review and clean the program trackers when they are submitted from the field with the relevant partners, including clarifying discrepancies with CBO partners and reporting what could be issues to the relevant team members to address
• Develop training materials about how to use the trackers and other MERL activities for field staff and CBOs
• Assist in developing additional trackers and data collection tools for the program
• Participate in the development and implementation of both qualitative and quantitative research projects
• Participate in data validation efforts
• Contribute to regular reporting to the funder and responding to requests for information, including program dashboards
• Conduct limited translation work form English to Arabic or Arabic to English for trackers, research efforts, etc.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by the MERL Director

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (development, social sciences); two years of experience may be substituted
• Strong attention to detail
• Extensive experience using Excel
• Flexibility and creativity
• Strong organizational, management, and administrative skills
• Demonstrated analytical ability and capacity to prioritize multiple tasks
• Integrity and pride in doing a job well
• Fluent written and spoken English and Arabic

Desired

• One or more years of relevant MERL professional experience
• Knowledge of current events inside Syria
• Previous experience working for a donor or donor-funded program working in early recovery, democracy and human rights, conflict resolution, and/or education
• Experience developing or guiding qualitative and quantitative research, in particular conducting interviews and focus group discussions
• Experience in gathering and analyzing data (quantitative and qualitative) for the purposes of project or activity implementation
• Familiarity with PowerBI or other similar programs

Application Instructions:

Please send a cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position and what strengths you would bring to the MERL team, along with an updated CV that details the work experiences that are relevant to this position to: recruit@injazinitiative.org by November 14, 2023. No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted.

We welcome applications from all who are interested. Our goal is to find someone with experience and/or potential who has a passion for detail and for working on programing that seeks to support people in northeast Syria.

Chemonics is an employer that does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors. Chemonics values the protection of your personal data. If you are in the European Union, please read our EU Recruiting Data Privacy Notice to learn how we process personal data. You may access the notice via the following link: https://chemonics.com/eu-recruiting-data-privacy-notice/.

About the Organization

Founded in 1975, Chemonics is an international development consulting firm. In more than 70 countries around the globe, our network of 5,000 specialists share a simple belief: that the challenges we face today are best solved through the right partnerships — sharing knowledge, expertise, and experience to deliver results. As part of our culture and values, Chemonics is proud to be named a “Best Place to Work” in the Human Rights campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index. Where Chemonics works, development works. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or visit us at www.chemonics.com.