Market Systems Development - MEL & Adaptive Learning Consultant - Capacity Strengthening Support

Mercy Corps

About The Position

Mercy Corps Ukraine is seeking a Market Systems Development (MSD) MEL & Adaptive Learning Consultant to strengthen the team's capacity in designing and applying monitoring, learning, and adaptive management approaches aligned with MSD principles. This role focuses on building practical skills to track adoption, understand partner performance, assess commercial viability, and generate actionable learning to inform MSD intervention implementation and decision-making. The consultancy will be iterative and adaptive, closely integrated with broader MSD technical capacity strengthening efforts, ensuring collaboration and alignment across technical design, implementation, measurement, and learning. The primary objective is to enhance the team's ability to plan and implement MSD interventions, monitor outcomes and impact, demonstrate Value for Money (VfM), and learn from and adapt programming. This will be achieved through practical coaching, application of MSD MEL tools, and co-development of an internal MSD MEL Toolkit, contextualizing the DCED standard. The goal is to build a sustainable, practical MSD MEL practice within Mercy Corps Ukraine that supports evidence-based decision-making, adaptive management, and scalable impact.

Requirements

Advanced degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Economics, Business Administration, International Development, Social Sciences, or a related field.
Minimum 7 years of experience in MEL, adaptive management, and learning systems for development programs.
Demonstrated experience with Market Systems Development (MSD), private sector engagement, economic development, financial inclusion, or livelihoods programming.
Proven expertise in MSD results measurement, including results chains, learning agendas, intervention validation, adaptive management, and partner performance monitoring, applying the DCED standard.
Experience designing and facilitating capacity strengthening initiatives, including training, coaching, and mentoring of MEL and program teams.
Strong ability to translate technical MSD and MEL concepts into practical tools, templates, and guidance for program implementation.
Experience developing MEL frameworks, monitoring tools, learning products, and knowledge management resources.
Excellent facilitation, communication, analytical, and report-writing skills.

Responsibilities

Provide tailored technical assistance to strengthen the team’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) capacity in support of MSD interventions.
Help the MEL and program team apply MSD-oriented approaches to results measurement, learning, adaptive management, and intervention validation through practical learning sessions, coaching, and advisory support.
Build practical skills in tracking adoption and usage, monitoring partner and program performance and incentives, assessing commercial viability, and generating actionable evidence to inform decision-making.
Strengthen the team's ability to independently apply MSD MEL principles and tools throughout the intervention lifecycle, including planning, pilots, program adaptation, and scale up.
Support the team to establish MEL systems that capture results, measure outcomes/impact, attributable change, and demonstrate value for money (VfM) and recovery.
Support strategic planning for the adaptation and scale up of MSD activities.
Adopt a portfolio-level perspective, supporting the development of systems and approaches applicable across Mercy Corps Ukraine’s MSD programming.
Contribute to establishing coherent, country-level MEL systems, standards, and practices that strengthen consistency, efficiency, and learning across the portfolio.
Support the MEL team in the development of an internal MSD MEL toolkit, consisting of tested templates, practical guidance notes, and examples from program implementation.
Conduct a participatory MSD MEL systems and capacity review, combining existing survey findings, consultations with team members and managers, and review of current MEL systems and practices.
Identify group and individual capacity strengths and gaps, with a strong focus on practical application.
Develop a prioritized, resource-conscious capacity strengthening plan that integrates training, mentoring, and systems development.
Design and facilitate applied learning session(s) that establish a foundational understanding of MEL for MSD, introducing core MSD MEL concepts aligned with the DCED Standard.
Provide coaching and mentoring (individual and small group) tailored to identified gaps.
Support prioritized key staff to apply MSD MEL approaches directly to ongoing MSD interventions and programs, including troubleshooting challenges and strengthening confidence in using MSD MEL frameworks and tools.
Use learning questions, evidence generation, and structured reflection processes to support adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making.
Ensure capacity strengthening is contextualized across the portfolio, including direct business development support and MSD intervention.
Emphasize improving measurement of spillovers, incentives, and system-level effects to support better strategic planning.
Provide ongoing technical advisory and operational support to apply systems in real time, troubleshoot implementation challenges, and strengthen consistency and quality of MEL practice.
Provide hands-on support to design, adapt, and operationalize MEL systems and tools, ensuring alignment with DCED standards and integration with MC Ukraine’s institutional MEL systems and technology.
Guide the creation of an internal MSD MEL Toolkit, including adapted templates, practical guidance notes, and tested examples from implementation.