Project/Consultancy Title: Technical Support and Advisor for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

Project Location(s): Pekalongan-Semarang

Background:

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.

Mercy Corps Indonesia (MCI), through the ‘Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance’ (ZCRA), an alliance of ten organizations, including international NGOs, the private sector, and research organizations, who have come together with the support of the Zurich Foundation to drive better policy and practice to reduce the negative impact of floods on people’s and communities’ ability to thrive. The Alliance is about to enter the first cycle of its third phase, which will run for 4 years, from January 2024 to December 2027.

Mercy Corps Indonesia, under the ZCRA program, is currently in Phase 3A of program implementation. The program combines community resilience strengthening with significant components on evidence generation, advocacy, and systems-level engagement. This complexity requires a strong MEL foundation to ensure the program’s achievements, learning, and adaptive management are well supported. During this phase, MCI has developed the MEL framework and logframe for ZCRA; however, operationalizing the MEL framework into a practical, comprehensive, and implementable MEL Plan remains a significant need. The MEL Plan must translate the framework into clear step-by-step processes, data workflows, roles, tools, and indicators to guide day-to-day implementation. The MEL Plan must also integrate the FIPR (Final Internal Performance Report) and MEL TechPlan elements (CommCare for data collection and PowerBI dashboard to visualize program progress and performance). The consultant will provide hands-on mentoring, daily guidance, and capacity building for the MEL Officer and relevant program team members to ensure sustainable internalization of MEL practices. Recognizing the need to enhance the MEL capacity and ensure coherence in the overall MEL framework, we seek the support of an individual consultant who can provide technical assistance, mentoring, and review to enhance the MEL system of the ZCRA program. This consultancy directly contributes to MCI’s commitment to learning and evidence-based programming within the ZCRA framework, strengthening its monitoring and evaluation structure, supporting continuous program improvement, and embedding MEL practices within the ZCRA team.

Purpose / Project Description:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance and capacity support to the ZCRA program on Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL). Although the MEL framework and logframe have been developed, the program now requires a practical and comprehensive MEL Plan that translates these high-level documents into clear, day-to-day operational guidance for the team. This includes defining how indicators will be measured, how data will be collected and verified, and how reporting will align with the Final Internal Performance Report (FIPR), Mercy Corps’ MEL standards, and Zurich Foundation requirements. The plan should also integrate MEL Tech components, including the use of relevant tools such as CommCare and Power BI, to ensure effective data management and visualization.

The consultant will help refine the program’s MEL framework, including the logical framework (logframe) and indicator matrix, and provide step-by-step guidance for implementing an effective MEL process that supports both accountability and learning objectives.

Additionally, the consultant will play a key role in facilitating internalization of MEL principles and practices across different levels of the program team — including program officers, coordinators, and field staff — to ensure collective ownership and consistent application of MEL processes, particularly related to data collection, verification, and reporting. This role is critical in ensuring that the program has the tools, understanding, and technical clarity required to operationalize MEL activities, document results, and apply learning for adaptive management and decision-making.

Consultant Objectives:

The main objectives of the consultancy are to:

1. Strengthen the MEL understanding and capacity of the ZCRA program team, including coordinators and staff involved in monitoring and data collection.
2. Review and improve the ZCRA logframe, indicators, and MEL framework to ensure internal consistency and alignment with program goals.
3. Support the MEL Officer in improving the MEL tools, data collection systems, reporting formats, and ensure updated TolaData with actuals is incorporated into the MEL reporting system.
4. Support the MEL Officer in improving the monitoring plan and/or MEL plan, incorporating Learning Plan and MEL Tech Plan (with functional applications of CommCare and Power BI dashboards), as well as FIPR requirements.
5. Support the MEL Officer in developing MEL tools including PIRS and IPTT for indicator tracking and reporting.
6. Support internalization of MEL systems and data quality assurance mechanisms across the ZCRA team to promote sustainability beyond the consultancy period.

Consultant Activities:

The consultant will carry out the following activities in close coordination with the MEL Officer:

• Conduct mentoring or consultation sessions on MEL principles, processes, and tools, including practical application for ZCRA context
• Provide on-demand technical advice for a better understanding and apply MEL concepts in daily work, during the period of work
• Review the ZCRA Logical Framework (Logframe), Theory of Change (ToC), and indicator set
• Provide recommendations for improving the coherence, measurability, and relevance of indicators, ensuring algnment with program objectives and Mercy Corps standards.
• Suggest refinements to ensure alignment with Mercy Corps and MEL requirements, including write-up and finalization and integration of PIRS and IPTT
• Support and guide the Monitoring and Evaluation Implementation in defining monitoring processes, data sources, and reporting flow (ensuring updated TolaData with actuals).
• Review or co-develop M&E tools to ensure consistency and usability across team levels (indicator tracking tables, templates, data collection, etc.).
• Provide mentoring and guidance in developing a MEL Plan that aligns with MELTech and FIPR requirements, also integration Learning Plan and MEL Tech Plan with data system with applications for CommCare for monitoring indicators and Power BI dashboard).
• Facilitate discussions that encourage shared understanding of MEL roles and responsibilities across different team levels.
• Promote internalization of MEL practices for program coordinators and staff responsible for data collection and monitoring.
• Provide practical examples and standard formats for consistent use.
• Assist in identifying lessons learned, trends, insights from monitoring data, and link these to adaptive management.
• Provide written recommendations on integrating learning into program design and planning.
• Submit progress updates and a final report summarizing activities, key findings, and recommendations

Consultant Deliverables:

The expected deliverables of the consultant are:

Timeframe / Schedule: 

4 (four) months, starting from January 2025 until April 2026. The maximum working days of the consultant are ten (10) working days per month (8-hour workday).

The Consultant will report to:           

ZCRA Program Manager and Advocacy Specialist

The Consultant will work closely with:

• ZCRA MEL Sr. Officer
• CARM MEL Senior Officer (Country Lead) for sustain support and coordination

Required Experience & Skills:

• Bachelor’s in social sciences, Development Studies, Climate Change/DRR, Human Rights, or Evaluation Studies with 5 years MEL experience OR Master’s in the same fields with 2 years MEL experience.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), preferably within development, humanitarian, or climate resilience programs.
• Proven experience in developing or reviewing a logframe
• es, MEL plans, and indicator frameworks.
• Strong analytical and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate technical MEL concepts into practical application.
• Good communication and mentoring skills for capacity strengthening.
• Deep understanding of MEL systems and the standards and guidelines applied within the Mercy Corps, ensuring alignment between program MEL practices and organizational policies.
• Familiarity with Mercy Corps MEL standards and the adaptive management approach is an advantage.

How To Apply

Interested candidates are requested to submit their detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) along with a proposed Daily Professional Fee email to procurement@id.mercycorps.org no letter than 20 December 2025

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 to 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

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 team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging 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.

Thank you,

Mercy Corps Indonesia