MONITORING, EVALUATION, LEARNING and TECH SPECIALIST Lviv or Kyiv

About Mercy Corps

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 — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps’ Ukraine crisis response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Ukrainians and other conflict-affected people where they are: displaced inside Ukraine, refugees in Poland, Romania and Moldova, or trapped behind frontlines. We aim to reach 500,000 vulnerable people with multi-purpose cash assistance, in-kind humanitarian support, and protection services across four countries. Almost all of our impact will be delivered in partnership: with Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian and Moldovan civil society organizations through a granting program that matches humanitarian action with capacity strengthening, and with peer international NGOs through a consortium in Ukraine.  Mercy Corps is responding to the Ukraine crisis with large-scale consortium programming with a focus on Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA). The Consortium is a partnership between four international humanitarian aid agencies to model and deliver innovative, effective cash and other humanitarian assistance programs to support people affected by the Ukraine crisis within Ukraine.

General Position Summary

The MEL Tech Specialist will be a principal support resource for CommCare within the UCC. They will collaborate with stakeholders and partners on topics relating to field data collection using CommCare, develop and manage CommCare applications for UCC data collection activities, support MEL officers and enumerators using CommCare, and coordinate iterations of the applications in response to shifting conditions or program activities. They will incorporate best practices for data protection into CommCare applications, and use advanced functionality in CommCare to increase the efficiency and security of data collection activities. They will support planning and delivery of enumerator training on CommCare. They will work collaboratively with data engineers and analysts in the UCC MEL team to enable the creation of automated storage and analysis pipelines from CommCare to other data analysis/visualization software (e.g. Microsoft Power BI).

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Serve as a principal CommCare admin, setting user permissions and performing other management tasks within the technology.
• Develop CommCare applications that will be used in UCC data collection activities, in collaboration with the MEL officers working in program offices. Implement any needed variations/iterations for different data collection events while ensuring that data standards and structures remain aligned.
• Support planning and implementation of data collection events and enumerator training across UCC activities and offices. Support data collection events either remotely or in person.
• Serve as the main focal point for questions and technical troubleshooting relating to CommCare.
• Collaborate with UCC partners and stakeholders to agree on data standards, data sharing agreements, and standard operating procedures for primary data collection and data structures. Provide technical input on the feasibility of various options and incorporate agreed upon standards/procedures into CommCare applications.
• Maintain updated documentation on the CommCare applications and datasets collected.
• Collaborate with data engineers and analysts to leverage CommCare data for decision making.
• Implement data protection measures within CommCare in compliance with Mercy Corps’ Responsible Data Policy and with humanitarian data protection best practice.
• Lead design and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures for data protection in CommCare, which will be applicable to all CommCare users and data consumers.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

Required

• 2+ years of experience with administering CommCare for field data collection in international relief and development programming, and a demonstrated understanding of the features and functionality of the technology. (Note: Strong experience with comparable data collection technologies and a demonstrated capacity to quickly learn new technologies may be acceptable. This includes other ODK/XLS form based applications such as Kobo Toolbox, Ona, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience of developing and implementing XLS forms in mobile data collection applications
• Strong understanding of technical methods, purpose, and best practices for data security and standardization in international relief and development programming.
• Demonstrated experience engaging team members on working through technical challenges of mobile data collection applications and form development
• Demonstrated ability to communicate about data to non-technical audiences
• Proficiency in oral and written English and Ukrainian.
• Experience facilitating technical trainings and consultations..

Preferred

• Proficiency in Russian strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience with data visualization software (e.g. Microsoft Power BI)
• Demonstrated experience with DevOps (particularly GitHub) and CI/CD.
• Programming skills in Python, Node.js, JavaScript, or R.
• Experience with database, data lake, and data warehouse concepts and practical experience in implementing data management systems.
• Experience working with geospatial data.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have strong practical experience in building CommCare applications for data collection, and a comprehensive understanding of how to use the features and functionality of CommCare for easier, more streamlined data collection and management. They will have a personal commitment to data quality and security, and an interest in continuous learning about data protection requirements in international relief and development settings. They will be able to work collaboratively with internal teams of varying technical capacities and with peers in partner organizations, and will be an active problem solver when it comes to data collection events in the field, providing rapid, hands-on support in response to challenges encountered. They will be an independent and flexible problem solver, ready to adapt their technical work in response to changing circumstances.

They will further act in an ethical manner at all times regarding the privacy and security of program participant data, communicate ethical concerns up the chain of responsibility, and ensure the concerns are resolved appropriately.

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.

Safeguarding & Ethics: Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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.  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.