Location: Kathmandu with frequent travel to program field offices 

Position Status:  Full-time, Regular 

Salary Level:  M1

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has launched a new program to enhance food and nutrition security, reduce future humanitarian caseload and improve the resilience of communities to recurrent shocks in the Karnali Province in Nepal. The program will be a Multi-Year Emergency Food Security Activity funded by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Affairs, and implemented in 6 districts (Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Surkhet, Achham, and Dailekh, with cluster hubs in Surkhet and Jumla) in the Karnali River Basin area. The new program, called “Building Hope Along the Karnali River Basin (Bhakari)”, builds upon many of the successes of the Nepal team’s previous Food for Peace program which ended in January 2020, the PAHAL program, but with some new districts and a much heavier emphasis on emergency response. It includes program components of agriculture and market systems, disaster risk reduction, water for productive use, natural resources management, and a large emphasis on a gender and social inclusion approach, all with a highly integrated multi-sectoral approach. 

General Position Summary 

The Knowledge Management and Research Specialist will lead knowledge management, research and learning activities of the Bhakari program. They will work directly under the MEL Director and work in close coordination with the MEL team, Chief of Party (CoP), Deputy CoP, Regional Resilience Director and the program’s sector specific component leads.  They will support the MEL Director to identify and implement Bhakari’s learning strategy.  The position requires high quality analysis and report writing skills which can be used to write/review consistent high quality reports and technical briefs that are developed as learning products. They should be able to employ the use of traditional and digital learning approaches to develop and implement innovative, creative, and effective ways to strategically capture and share technical knowledge, leverage good practices, and improve the effectiveness of Bhakari program.

Bhakari adopts a GESI first approach. As gender and social inclusion (GESI), safeguarding, governance and environmental sensitivity are cross-cutting and core components of the all MC programs, the Knowledge management & Research Specialist is required to own these components and ensure these components are integrated into their work area.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

The specific duties and responsibilities of the Knowledge Management and Learning Specialist include, but are not limited to, the following:

Strategic leadership 

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to program strategy development. 
• Develop and lead the overall strategic learning agenda for the Bhakari program, connecting it with key priorities for USAID and Mercy Corps in Nepal and globally. 

Research and knowledge management

• Lead implementation of Bhakari Knowledge management and Research activities.
• Work closely with Bhakari Senior Management Team, Regional Resilience Director and others to identify Bhakari research and learning agenda and ensure follow up. Learning agenda should capture both Mercy Corps and USAID/BHA’s priorities.  
• Critically analyze the situation, identify data gaps and propose appropriate research methodologies to collect data.
• Manage research partners, research fellows and interns. Explore opportunities to collaborate with potential research partner, individual researchers or university graduates/interns etc.
• Work very closely with the research partner to ensure learning priorities are included in the baseline, endline and final evaluations, post distribution monitoring (PDMs) and other research activities as per BHA requirement and relevant to learning priorities. Key measurement benchmark activities such as the baseline and endline will be primarily managed by the MEL Manager, and the KM and Learning Specialist will provide a key support role.  
• Provide technical input during the development of study protocol including research design, tool development and analysis plan. 
• Select, analyze and use available data/evidence to highlight project achievement and learnings
• Identify and document learning opportunities and innovative approaches utilized within the program. 
• Lead and support learning events such as Collaborative Learning and Adaptation (CLA) workshops at all levels to ensure to review and reflection on the evidence 
• Utilize routine monitoring data to share during CLA sessions and inform adaptive management decisions 
• Capture lessons learned from the CLA sessions, at the district, cluster and central level.
• Work with other MEL team members, such as technology experts, to build data-centered dashboards and visual reports, to help program managers better understand and use data for decision making.
• Create an online knowledge management portal for the Bhakari Program, including all key technical resources and materials, both for internal and external sharing. 
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop, review, and maintain an excellent KM system, including regular reflection and analysis of program monitoring data and production of evidence-based recommendations and reports.  

Routine MEL support

• Contribute to Bhakari MEL strategy and work plan including development and update of MEL documents such as indicator performance tracking table (IPTT), Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS), training manuals/guidelines etc.
• Support MEL Manager to complete IPTT, SAPQ, Beneficiary Tracking Table and other data needs to ensure adherence to USAID and MC reporting requirements.
• Analyze the datasets to measure the progress at multiple levels, and their contribution to achieving the project’s goal and objectives.
• Interpret data and analyze results using statistical techniques for programs.
• Work closely with program staff to prioritize program information needs
• Under the guidance of MEL Director, work with sector team in analyzing and interpreting monitoring data that will feed into reports
• Prepare and share reports on findings from monitoring of project interventions, its process and achievements.
• Assist with Data Quality Assessments

Communication and documentation

• Analyze data and develop technical briefs and research products 
• Work with SBCC Specialist and Communication focal person to develop and disseminate communication and learning products to showcase project successes and results. 

Accountability to program participants 

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging participating communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Finance & compliance management 

• Ensure adherence to program management minimum standards in carrying out their duties, advising and supporting other staff in the same as required
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and program participants accountability standards
• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.

Security 

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Others 

• Ensure proper integration of safeguarding and GESI aspects into MEL planning and implementation. 
• Mercy Corps as a humanitarian agency is expected to respond as and when crisis and humanitarian situation engulfs. As an MC employee all staff are expected to be part of humanitarian and emergency response in addition to their regular roles and responsibilities.
• Conduct themselves both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not to jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Other duties as assigned by Supervisor and or Country Director.

Supervisory Responsibility: None 

Accountability 

Reports Directly to: Bhakari MEL Director

Works Directly with: Bhakari MEL team, Technical Program Managers at center, cluster and district level, SBCC Manager and Mercy Corps team (CoP, CD, Regional Resilience Advisor, etc.)

Knowledge and Experience 

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in International development, Knowledge Management, Social Sciences, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• At least five years of experience managing research activities.  Experience in survey and research design, both quantitative & qualitative and data analysis skills using software.
• Relevant knowledge management experience as follows:
• Experience in designing and implementing knowledge management and learning activities
• Demonstrated skill in training and knowledge management capacity development of field staff
• Demonstrated skill in coordinating information needs across technical sectors
• Experience of translating evidence into action. 
• Excellent communication and report writing skills both in English and Nepali for high quality technical briefs and research publications
• Effective verbal & written communication, multi-tasking and prioritization skills. Fluency in written and spoken English and Nepali required
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required
• Effective writing and organizational skills for report development, complete analyses and make presentations. 
• Previous experience working on USAID funded programs strongly preferred

Success Factors 

The successful Knowledge Management and Research Specialist will be conscientious, with an ability to make excellent judgment. They will display an entrepreneurial spirit that is both creative and flexible. They will combine strong communication skills, creativity, initiative, participatory leadership and tactful decisiveness to assist in the development and implementation of Bhakari knowledge management strategy. They will have proven experience and confidence, and humility, to work effectively with a large variety of people who will be diverse culturally, economically and in social status. They must be sensitive to political and cultural nuance and able to consistently apply excellent judgment to a variety of demanding and fast-changing situations. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

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.

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.

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.

Shortlisting will be done on the basis of your answers while applying, please answer the questions carefully. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Telephone enquiries will not be entertained.