Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Coordinator (MERL Coordinator)

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    "description": "<p><span style=\"color: rgb(0, 73, 135); font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY</span></p>\n<p><br><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">POSITION TITLE                 </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Coordinator (MERL Coordinator) </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-weight: bold\">Sri Lanka National Only</span></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">POSITION LOCATION        : </span><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">Jaffna, Northern Province, Sri Lanka</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">REPORTS TO                     : </span><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">Senior Manager, GRIT</span><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">CONTRACT TERM             : </span><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">Two years </span><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">SALARY LEVEL                 :  </span><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">Based on experience and qualifications</span><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">APPLICATION DEADLINE : </span><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">10 June 2026</span><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">EXPECTED START DATE  : </span><span style=\"color: rgb(35, 111, 161); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold\">July 2026</span><br></p>\n<p><br><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Background:</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">WUSC is a leading Canadian international development organization committed to providing education, economic and empowerment opportunities to improve the lives of millions of disadvantaged youth around the world, particularly women and displaced people. WUSC’s vision is a world where every young person thrives and belongs, and its mission is to catalyze positive education and economic outcomes for young people. WUSC works as a facilitator and a convener, bringing together diverse resources and stakeholders to tackle complex challenges at a systems level. WUSC leverages a wide network of actors from civil society, post-secondary education, the private sector and youth themselves to design and implement initiatives that will bring lasting change for the benefit of youth.</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">WUSC operates in over 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of over $45 million CAD. WUSC has over 300 staff globally implementing many development projects in collaboration with donors, such as Global Affairs Canada, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Mastercard Foundation. With support from Global Affairs Canada and other funders, WUSC has worked in Sri Lanka (SL) since 1989, contributing to national development goals through partnerships with the Government of Sri Lanka, civil society, the private sector, and other key development actors. WUSC Sri Lanka country office currently implements three projects namely GRIT, STRIVE and IGNI+E; the specific project associated with this role is detailed below.</span></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold\">GRIT Project (Growth, Resilience, Investment and Training)  </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">GRIT is a 6-year collaborative initiative (2023-2028) that will build sustainable pathways to enhance economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive growth in Sri Lanka, especially for young women in the North of the country. The GRIT project is testing innovative, sustainable models to improve the enabling environment and reduce gender-specific barriers to the equitable and sustainable growth of enterprises at all stages: incubation, start-up, early-stage and growth-stage. The project’s focus is on enterprises owned by, operated by, or serving women in the North of Sri Lanka.</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">By investing in social marketing, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and partnerships, GRIT aims to achieve transformative change within the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sri Lanka that is sustainable and scalable. A wide array of key stakeholders, including incubators &amp; accelerators; fund managers; members of the diaspora community; women's groups, including women’s rights organizations; and key technical experts will be engaged throughout the project cycle. This collaborative approach will strengthen the nascent entrepreneurial and impact-oriented investment ecosystem in the country.</span></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Responsibilities: </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager (SPM) - GRIT, the MERL Coordinator is responsible for monitoring, evaluation and reporting activities under the GRIT project. GRIT is a gender-transformative project, and this role carries an explicit responsibility to ensure that gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) principles are reflected in what is measured, and in how data is collected, analysed and used.</span></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Stakeholders </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">This role serves four key stakeholders, each with distinct needs:</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold\">WUSC Sri Lanka:</span> the country office and WUSC headquarters require accurate, timely data for program management, adaptive decision-making and corporate reporting. The MERL Coordinator works under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager (SPM) - GRIT, and operates as part of WUSC Sri Lanka's broader MERL team. Day-to-day technical guidance and quality oversight is provided by the Senior MERL Advisor, who leads the project's overall MERL function; the Coordinator is expected to work closely with the Advisor on methodology, tools and learning. The Coordinator also works closely with the GRIT GESI team to ensure gender equality and social inclusion principles are integrated across data collection, analysis and reporting. At the country level, the Coordinator collaborates with MERL staff across WUSC Sri Lanka's other projects to ensure consistency in approaches and contribute to shared systems. The Coordinator also participates in WUSC's global MERL Community of Practice, contributing project experience and drawing on cross-organisational learning.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold\">Implementing partners:</span> local organisations who deliver GRIT activities. The MERL Coordinator’s mode of working is through these partners: building their capacity, strengthening their data systems, and supporting them to collect, validate and learn from evidence.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold\">The donor:</span> requires rigorous, evidence-based reporting against agreed indicators and results frameworks, with gender disaggregation and GESI analysis as a core expectation.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold\">Government counterparts:</span> require regular, clearly presented performance information. The MERL Coordinator takes the lead on this relationship, producing and presenting quarterly and annual performance reports and engaging proactively with relevant government mechanisms.</span><br></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Capacity Building</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Capacity building with partners is the foundation of this role. The quality of all monitoring, evaluation and reporting depends on partners having the skills, systems and understanding to collect data reliably, accurately and with a gender lens. The MERL Coordinator is responsible for ensuring this foundation is in place and continuously strengthened.</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Support assessments of the MERL capacity of implementing partners on an ongoing basis, identify gaps in skills, systems and data quality, and develop tailored capacity-building plans to address them.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Work jointly with partner MERL focal points to design or strengthen data collection systems and tools, ensuring they are aligned with the GRIT Performance Measurement Framework (PMF);<span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif\">     </span>fit for the local context; and, to the extent possible, sustainable beyond the timeframe of the project. </span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Build partner understanding of and commitment to gender-responsive data collection: what sex, age and disability disaggregation means in practice, why it matters for a gender-transformative project and partner learning, and how to collect it accurately and sensitively.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Provide hands-on training, mentoring and day-to-day technical support to partner staff, equipping them to collect, manage, validate and report data to programme standards.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Conduct verification and sense-checking of partner-submitted data as a quality assurance measure, identifying outliers, logical inconsistencies, missing disaggregation or gaps; and support partners to investigate and resolve issues rather than simply correcting data centrally.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Maintain a shared knowledge hub for the project that supports WUSC and partner learning and meets the information needs of all relevant audiences.</span><br></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Monitoring</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The MERL Coordinator leads the project’s monitoring function across all stakeholders. Gender-transformative indicators and sex, age and disability-disaggregated data must be systematically tracked and reported at every level.</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic\">Partners</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Support partners to implement monitoring tools and processes consistently, ensuring data is collected against agreed indicators with appropriate disaggregation.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Conduct regular field monitoring visits to partners and project participants; provide active, timely feedback on data quality, programme implementation and emerging issues.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Lead data quality assurance procedures across partner submissions, including data cleaning, validation checks and maintaining data integrity protocols.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Contribute to the deployment of gender-sensitive and inclusive community feedback mechanisms, ensuring partner-level processes are in place for timely analysis and response.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic\">WUSC Sri Lanka</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Ensure that the WUSC GRIT team administers<span style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif\">     </span> monitoring tools and undertakes monitoring processes consistently for WUSC-led activities, ensuring data is collected against agreed indicators with appropriate disaggregation.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Maintain the project’s MERL databases and oversee the continuous update of output and outcome progress in WUSC’s corporate data management platform.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Ensure consistency between partner data, WUSC-led activity data and the PMF; flag discrepancies and maintain data integrity protocols.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Work closely with the GESI and MERL Advisors to monitor gender-transformative indicators and track progress on equality outcomes across the project.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Collaborate with the MERL Advisor to track and follow up MERL-related action points from project review meetings, ensuring timely completion by project teams.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Evaluation and Learning</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The MERL Coordinator supports the design and implementation of evaluation activities, ensuring findings are credible, gender-responsive and used to inform adaptive management.</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">In collaboration with the MERL Advisor, support the design and implementation of evaluations, and learning studies in line with the GRIT MERL plan.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Lead and coordinate field assessments and surveys with project participants, partners, consultants and stakeholders, ensuring adherence to ethical and methodological standards, including safe and dignified data collection with women and equity-denied groups. </span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Provide operational support to external consultants and enumerators during evaluations and field exercises.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Support quantitative and qualitative analyses to generate credible evidence; all analyses must apply a gender and social inclusion lens, examining outcomes disaggregated by sex, age, disability and other relevant dimensions.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Ensure high quality and timely delivery of all MERL products as outlined in the GRIT MERL plan.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Reporting</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Reporting requirements differ meaningfully across the four stakeholder groups. The MERL Coordinator is responsible for producing accurate, evidence-based reporting for each, with gender disaggregation and GESI analysis visible throughout. </span></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic\">Partners</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Work with partners to develop and maintain standardised reporting tools and templates that are clear, accessible and consistent with the PMF.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Review partner reports for completeness, accuracy and GESI compliance; provide structured feedback and support partners to strengthen their reporting over time.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic\">WUSC internally</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Consolidate partner and WUSC-led activity data into accurate, analysis-ready datasets and user-friendly knowledge products for internal project management and adaptive decision-making.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Maintain updated progress against output and outcome indicators in WUSC’s corporate performance measurement systems.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Contribute analytical inputs and data summaries that support evidence-based reflection, data interpretation, and organisational learning in line with WUSC's MERL strategy.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic\">Donor</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Lead and contribute to the development of assigned donor reports, consolidating evidence from partners and WUSC-led activities to produce rigorous, well-evidenced reporting against PMF indicators.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Ensure donor reports present disaggregated data and GESI analysis substantively, demonstrating the project’s progress on gender-transformative outcomes.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Support generation of other knowledge products in line with donor requirements.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic\">Government</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Take the lead on GRIT’s engagement with government counterparts on performance reporting, serving as the primary liaison with relevant government departments and coordination mechanisms.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Prepare accurate, clearly presented quarterly performance reports for government, drawing on consolidated project data; produce supporting presentations and materials tailored to government audiences.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Represent GRIT at District NGO Coordination Meetings (quarterly performance reviews), presenting results and responding to queries, as and when required.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Maintain active co-ordination with NGO Coordinators at Districts Secretariats in the Northern Province for ongoing performance reporting and follow-up.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Research</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The MERL Coordinator supports the MERL Advisor in advancing the project's learning agenda with implementing partners and key stakeholders.</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Support the MERL Advisor to design and facilitate learning events, reflective practice sessions and knowledge exchange processes with implementing partners.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Contribute to the documentation and dissemination of project learning, including the preparation of learning briefs, case studies and other knowledge products as directed.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Assist in coordinating research and learning activities with external consultants or academic partners, as and when required.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Other</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Input and support the work led by the Senior MERL Advisor, as and when needed.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Participation in WUSC’s global MERL Community of Practice.</span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Any other duties and responsibilities assigned by the SPM and Country Director, when required.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Qualifications and Competencies:</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Education:</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">A university degree in a relevant field (social sciences, data science or other related field).</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Experiences &amp; Competencies:</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Minimum of three years work experience in monitoring, evaluation, research and learning, with an emphasis on reporting to diverse project stakeholders. </span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Strong technical skills in monitoring and evaluation, including demonstrated ability developing quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments and analyse<br>quantitative and qualitative data. </span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Proficient in Google Workspace, relevant data management platforms, quantitative and qualitative data analysis software (e.g. SPSS, NVivo) and data collection software/applications. </span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Experience working in partnership with local organisations and<br>government departments. </span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Demonstrated dedication to applying a gender equality, diversity and inclusion lens to monitoring, evaluation, research and learning.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Language:</span></p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Fluency in English and Tamil is essential. Sinhala is an added advantage. </span></li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Excellent writing skills required in English.</span></li>\n</ul>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Why work with WUSC </span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">WUSC offers a dynamic work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees and volunteers exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. Female candidates and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  </span></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold\">Application</span></p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">If you are interested in this position, Please apply through our website. </span></p>",
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