Specialist, Evidence and Learning, MENA & MHPSS lead

Responsibilities:

• Individual contributor with senior-level expertise in program monitoring, evaluation, adaptation and learning (MEAL) and Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS).
• Strategic reflection for design and adaptation and MENA country strategy support;Ensure high-quality MEAL support, reporting, procurement and recruitment in MENA country programs.
• Assessment and feedback related to standards in the MENA region.
• Coordinate in a matrixed structure to pursue goals, standards and best practices with other teams and departments, with a focus on Coordination with program teams in MENA on technical support and training needs.
• Ensure skills development is incorporated into personal objectives and those of other staff by proactively identifying paths for growth and opportunities to build technical skills.
• Mainstream MHPSS across the G2G countries, including: conduct participatory protection and inclusion analyses to identify safety and mental health challenges faced by peacebuilders and activists, alongside measures for ensuring their safety, well-being, and protection; developing protocols, conducting training sessions, and facilitating connections with existing emergency support or funding mechanisms for MHPSS. 

Contributions

• Provide technical leadership in sub-strategy development, implementation and review with MENA teams and departments, seeking alignment with the organizational strategy.
• Set technical objectives and within teams that support our standards, and participate in planning to ensure department annual objectives are relevant for organizational needs.
• Provide technical leadership in reflection on strategy, and implement action plans to address bottlenecks to performance.
• Articulate priorities for staff performance in technical areas of expertise, and share input with teams setting objectives for staff.
• Guide teams to ensure they increasingly produce learning documents (includes research, MEAL, MHPSS and programmatic best-practices) that uphold Search standards for assessing program impact and building evidence, and provide review and approval for necessary documents.
• Lead teams to produce research and analysis that contributes evidence to the broader field in line with our learning agenda and global standards for assessing impact.
• Engage in program and strategy development, leading and reviewing drafts, with a focus on feeding evidence and lessons learned back into programmatic design.
• Use priorities and opportunities within the portfolio to provide technical backstopping, resources and training that improve our program quality and impact in line with the goals of the organization.
• Develop initiatives that support staff build skills within networks of technical expertise in the organization, in line with team priorities.
• Serve as a leader within technical networks to channel Search learning back into programming, serve as a focal point of technical expertise with external groups, and position Search as field leaders affecting policy and practice globally.
• Ensure staff build professional skills within the organization's learning platform and lead development of relevant training and resources for technical growth.
• Develop curricula for staff training in technical area of expertise in alignment with the paths for professional development in the organization;

Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Manages overall strategy and vision. Provides functional and program/project management. Anticipates and plans for needs and takes action accordingly. Provides guidance to matrixed team members.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search’s network of experts critical to the area of purview.
• Modifies a planned course of action in response to new information or new circumstances.
• Responds to changing circumstances and expectations readily.
• Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search. Develops program objectives that reflect broader Search strategies and approaches.
• Creates standards across functions globally within Shared Services teams and with a view from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things.
• Overcomes obstacles using ethical practices; formulates and evaluates morally and ethically justified solutions.
• Assesses risks and opportunities to lead decision makers to a favorable outcome.
• Checks the accuracy of one’s own and others’ work and sets up systematic checks and balances to support content and data integrity.
• Has knowledge of project management tools including technology as resources for efficiency and reduction of stress.

Type and Nature of Contacts:

• Routinely coordinates with colleagues, country programs and consultants on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations with tact.
• Represents, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
• Interacts with country offices and regional and global staff.

Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree with minimum 9 years’ experience in research, MEAL and/or MHPSS.
• Language: English and Arabic (mandatory) proficiency, good working knowledge of French.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel internationally at least 35%.

Supervisory and Budget Responsibility:

• Individual contributors and typically do not supervise staff members