Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Officer

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

EXTERNAL POSTING

POSITION TITLE: Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Officer

POSITION LOCATION: Amman - Jordan

REPORTS TO: Project Director, NASHMIA

TECHNICAL REPORTING TO: Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) Officer

CONTRACT TERM: Full time, 1 year (renewable based on performance and fund availability)

LANGUAGES REQUIRED: Fluency in English and Arabic

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 30/05/2026

EXPECTED START DATE: As soon as possible

BACKGROUND:

WUSC is a Canadian global development organization working to catalyze positive education and economic outcomes for young people. We bring together and collaborate with a diverse network of partners (including students, volunteers, schools, governments, not-for-profits, and businesses) who share this mission. Together, we influence systems change, and foster Inclusive, youth-centered solutions that enable young people to thrive and belong. We work with all young people, with a focus on women and displaced populations. WUSC currently operates in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Canada, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $65 million. Our global team includes over 100 staff in Canada and more than 250 staff internationally, implementing a diverse portfolio of development projects in collaboration with numerous multilateral and bilateral donors, and philanthropic foundations.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Nurturing, Advancing and Sustaining High-potential Women-led Microenterprises through Innovations Accelerating growth in Jordan (NASHMIA) project is a five-year initiative which supports economic wellbeing for women and female youth in Jordan, particularly refugees and those living with disabilities. “NASHMIA” will enhance the capacities of ecosystem actors to drive competitiveness and sustainability of women-led climate businesses, as well as reducing gender specific barriers to women’s climate entrepreneurship and participation in the green economy. The Project will strengthen the capacity of Jordanian intermediary organizations through training, technical assistance, and ecosystem support to enhance their delivery of finance, business development, networking, co-working spaces, and integrated services for an estimated 3,000 women climate entrepreneurs in Balqa, Mafraq, Ajloun, Jerash, Karak, and Ma’an regions of Jordan.

The project is designed to align with Jordan’s national priorities for climate resilience, green growth, and green job creation and facilitate transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient economy. The project offers significant opportunities for positive environmental impact as it will support climate friendly enterprise growth, raise awareness about environmental sustainability among project participants and partners, promote the development of green skills among women entrepreneurs, and support key actors to strengthen the policies, programs, and services that enable the development of environmentally responsible climate MSMEs.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Officer will provide leadership on MERL activities and ensure quality oversight in order to meet project obligations and donor requirements. The MERL Officer is expected to provide technical expertise to ensure efficient, effective and timely planning and execution of the various project MERL processes and activities. Specifically, the MERL Officer is responsible for the following:

• Develop and regularly update the MERL Plan, in line with GAC’s Results-Based Management (RBM) principles, as well as organisational requirements;
• Ensure that all MERL-related tasks (such as planning, coordination of monitoring and data collection activities, training of staff, etc.) are effectively carried out in accordance with the project’s MERL plan;
• With the support of the Global MERL team and of other TAs (technical advisors), contribute to the development of the learning agenda for the project and to the identification of learning partners as appropriate;
• Promote the active participation of partners and stakeholders in country in all phases of the development and implementation of the MERL plan (from the design of the MERL plan itself and its tools, to the data collection exercises; from data analysis, to the dissemination and use of findings), providing support and capacity building as necessary and appropriate;
• Support WUSC (and partner) team, and implementing partners to plan for and execute MERL-related activities;
• Develop and regularly update all MERL tools and systems (including the Performance Management Framework) linked to key indicators for the purpose of informing program activities and reporting to the donor, and supporting continuous evidence-based learning and adaptive management in the process;
• Provide high quality technical support on planning, development and implementation of the MERL plan to project staff and partner staff; and
• Ensure regular communication and coordination with regard to the collection and exchange of MERL-related information with project staff and key stakeholders, as well as with WUSC (and partner) global team.
  
  
  
  

MERL Tools Design and Quality Assurance:

• Develop and periodically review monitoring tools for routine tracking of activities and collecting of program data;
• Provide technical support and capacity building as needed to ensure project tools are being used effectively by project and partners staff and that the collected data are used for learning and adaptive management, as well as for planning and reporting to the donor and other external audiences;
• Ensure that tools in use meet the needs of the project and that staff have the capacity to utilise them effectively for reporting and monitoring of progress;
• Identify training needs of staff working on the project and recommend actions for improving MERL capacity;
• Ensure that data collected are reliable, accurate and complete – to the extent possible in the project context; and
• Apply a continuous improvement approach toward all data collection processes.
  
  
  
  

Data Collection:

• Ensure that MERL activities are completed in a timely manner to contribute to high quality evidence-based learning, planning and reporting;
• Oversee on-going data collection processes, analyses and validation for project evaluation and learning purposes;
• Identify monitoring needs based on program implementation and collect data that effectively inform on-going progress;
• Ensure that accurate and complete MERL-related files and databases are set up, maintained and updated;
• Support qualitative data collection for the purposes of documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, case studies and stories of change; and;
• Support planning, logistics and coordination of WUSC (and partner) staff and project consultants or technical assistance visits as required.
  
  
  
  

Reporting:

• Ensure timely and regular MERL data are shared with project colleagues to feed into reporting cycles in an efficient and timely manner, in accordance with organisational and donor’s standards;
• Strengthen and harmonise data collection processes across project partners, including standardising tools, templates, and reporting timelines to improve data consistency, quality, and efficiency;
• Ensure that regular updates on project MERL processes are communicated and shared with project staff across all partner organisations as well as with key stakeholders;
• Maintain and regularly update the PROUD and take lead in the compilation of high quality and evidence-based donor reports;
• Respond to requests for information from WUSC (and partner) staff, project partners, and WUSC Senior Management; and
• Undertake any other tasks assigned by the line supervisor.
  
  
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of 4-6 years of experience in the field of monitoring and evaluation of development programs;
• Experience working with international development partners, international non-governmental organizations and donors, ideally with Global Affairs Canada (formerly known as DFATD or CIDA);
• Experience with RBM concepts and principles is required;
• Experience in both quantitative and qualitative methods and tools for data collection and analysis is required;
• Experience working with ethnically diverse communities and with projects implementing gender mainstreaming strategies;
• Experience with open source data collection tools and data management softwares (preferred);
• Understanding of climate adaptation and/or agro-forestry programs (preferred);
• Experience supporting multi-country and multi-language programs (preferred);
• Adherence to the Gender Equality approach and the values of social inclusion

Education

- B.A./M.A. in Monitoring & Evaluation, Statistics, Economics, Social Sciences, Public Administration, International Development, Research Methods, or a related field, or equivalent mix of education and experience

Language/s:

• Demonstrated high level written and verbal communication skills in English/Arabic

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• This is a full-time job position.
• Working hours and days are Sunday till Thursday, 7:30/9:30 A.M. – 3:30/5:30 P.M. with the possibility of working for extra hours in case any event is taking place.

APPLICATIONS:

WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation or abuse of any form.

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls please.

If you are interested in this position, please follow this link to apply through our website.