MERL Coordinator

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) Coordinator

No. of Vacancy: 1
Functional Area: Programs

Reports to: Project Manager – Telethon: Child Not Bride (Regional Office East) Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning Manager (Dotted: Country Office)

Location: Regional Office-East Travel required Plan International Nepal working districts

Grade: C2

Type: Open to all applicants, Project-based employment until December 2025; based in Regional Office-East

ABOUT PLAN INTERNATIONAL

Plan International is a development and humanitarian organization dedicated to advancing children’s rights and achieving equality for girls. With a presence in over 75 countries, we work alongside children, young people, supporters, and partners to create a just world. Our work is guided by core values such as transparency, accountability, collaboration, inclusion, and the overarching ambition to empower girls and young women as part of our legacy.

Plan International has been operating in Nepal since 1978, earning a strong reputation as a trusted development and humanitarian actor. We currently work in 23 districts across the country, helping marginalized children, their families, and communities access their rights to health, education, economic security, and protection.

Committed to feminist leadership and a gender-transformative approach, Plan International Nepal collaborates with local partners to ensure sustainable impact and foster equality, particularly for girls and young women.

Plan International Nepal strives for an inclusive, just, and safe society that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Our mission from 2023 to 2028 is to see all girls and young women standing strong enjoying their rights, and freedom with dignity in Nepal.

Plan International Nepal is looking for candidates who embrace feminist leadership, value diversity, and are driven to find innovative solutions to challenges. Ideal candidates should respectfully and boldly share their ideas, foster cross-department collaboration, practice active listening, uphold confidentiality, build trust, and demonstrate a strong passion for advancing children’s rights and promoting equality for girls.

ROLE PURPOSE

Monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) are all vital to the ambition of our Global Strategy to support 100 million girls to be able to learn, lead, decide and thrive. MERL underpins Plan International’s delivery of effective and accountable gender-transformative programmes and influencing. It is a critical part of our commitments under the Programme and Influence Quality Policy (PIQP) and the Programme and Influence Approach (PIA). The role will support MERL Manager and MERL Specialists in developing data collection tools, conduct data analysis and drafting reports as and when needed.

The main purpose of the Monitoring, Evaluation Research and Learning (MERL) Coordinator is to collect, review and share high quality, timely, accurate and complete programme/project based monitoring information, research and evaluation data to support and inform overall project/programme being implemented at the regional as well as country level. The MERL Coordinator will focus on providing the necessary capacity building to partner organisations to improve their project monitoring and evaluation system. S/He will also implement Plan International Nepal’s Accountability Mechanism.

Description

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

Internal and External Interfaces

• Budget accountability: N/A
• Reports to: Monitoring, Evaluation Research and Learning Manager
• Internal and External interfaces:

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Functional Competencies

Ensure effective project monitoring

• Partners are oriented and capacitated on use of periodic/routine monitoring data collection templates and processes.
• Periodic/routine monitoring data from partner organisations are collected, reviewed, consolidated and shared with CO MERL specialists, MERL Manager and PU/FO programme team.
• Inputs/Feedbacks received are incorporated.
• Case stories are collected from each project at least once in three months with quality photographs.
• Regular field (project site) visits and interactions with project stakeholders of concerned programme team to assess progress of project activities/interventions are organised; feedback (observations and recommendations) of the field visits are documented; concerned Programme Coordinators are provided with necessary support to identify and monitor actions to response feedback on a regular basis.

Strengthen capacity of partner organisations in monitoring and evaluation

• Capacity assessment of partners on project management focused on MERL is carried out and capacity development plan is developed to address identified gap, if any.
• Support and capacity building trainings provided to partners’ MERL focal staff in establishing effective project monitoring system through coaching, mentorship, on the job training, site visits and other technical supports.

Implement Plan’s accountability mechanism

• Participation of community people especially deprived communities in project cycle is ensured.
• Project stakeholders including community people are oriented on project scope before project start up and after any changes made in project scope.
• Project stakeholders are provided contact details (toll-free number, SMS, email address and contact person) for any feedback/grievances on staff behaviour and quality of project activities.
• Feedback received from projects stakeholders and community people are processed as per Plan International Nepal’s feedback mechanism.
• Review and reflection with government agencies, partner organisations, and community people including children, youth and girls is carried out at least twice in a year and agreed actions are documented and followed up.
• Partner organisations are provided necessary support to conduct regular social audit at project/community level.
• Necessary support provided to the MER Specialists for sharing findings, learning and recommendations from research and evaluation with community and partners as appropriate.
• Joint monitoring visits with government offices are organised at least twice a year.
• Project progress data compiled and presented in project advisory committee meetings at provincial and/or municipality level.
• Concerned Plan and partner staff are oriented on accountability mechanism.

Support in evaluation and research activities

• Participated with necessary technical support in CO initiated baseline studies, research and evaluation as and when needed.
• Study teams are provided with necessary support to coordinate field data collection.
• Programme team are provided with necessary support to implement management responses to recommendations of evaluation and research.
• Good practises are documented and disseminated.

Maintain external information at Province and Municipality level required for programme design and implementation

• Programme information (demographic, geographical, natural resources, government services/facilities, institutions (groups, CBOs and NGOs) and Plan support project information at provincial and municipality level maintained, shared with programme staff.
• Field Office level periodic MER report for sharing within organisations and external stakeholders prepared.

Maintain MERL and Programme/Project Module of ERP systems in field office

• New staff are trained in MERL and Programme/Project module of ERP with prompt help while using system.
• Update of programme/project data in the system in time is ensured.
• Necessary support is provided to Program Coordinators for the quality and timely process of project documents and use of gender marker and safeguarding review checklist.
• Completeness of information as required in project approval processing is ensured
• Monthly update of outputs and activities, people reach, milestones is ensured and followed up with the concerned for timely update.
• Timely completion of PCR is ensured.
• Update of visit reports and outcome of review/reflections meetings in the system is ensured.

Contribute in emergency responses in assigned location as per organisational need

• Role of MERL in Emergency performed as per MERL in Emergency process and procedure during emergency.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge and Experience

• Master Degree with minimum 3 years of experience or, Bachelor’s Degree in Rural Development, Social Work, Sociology, Public Health and other social sciences with at least 5 years of experience in the relevant sector.
• Clear understanding of the development sector, its operating and regulatory environment in Nepal.
• Clear understanding of the socio/political economic and cultural issues of Nepal, specifically post located districts of the country.
• Clear in-depth technical and practical knowledge and understanding of the relevant job domain.
• Knowledge in use of analytical system (database system, spreadsheet and/or statistical software).
• Use of mobile/digital data collection tools.
• Experienced in applying recognised standards of data quality assurance.
• Analyse, synthesise and draw out conclusions and learning from monitoring data and processes.
• Experienced in implementing result/M&E framework.
• Knowledge on project cycle management.

Skills

• Analytical, strategic thinking and negotiating skills.
• Ability to build effective relations for influencing and team work.
• Excellent organisation and prioritising skills.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely in English and Nepali
• Innovative and creative thinking with problem solving.
• Managing work relationships (internal/external), coordination and networking.
• Proven IT skills: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.
• Report writing and documentation.
• Ability to prioritise and multitask work when dealing with competing deadlines, sometimes with limited resources.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

• The position is based in Regional Office – East.

LEVEL OF CONTACT WITH CHILDREN

High contact: Job requires interaction with children while collecting data for monitoring, evaluation, research and feedback purpose.

“Say Yes ! To Keeping Children and Young people safe and Protected”

Application Deadline: Friday 28th Feb, 2025

Source: Kantipur Dainik, 15 February, 2025