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

Background

Mercy Corps is a leading global humanitarian and development organization working with communities in the frontlines of conflict and climate change. We partner locally and globally to help people cope in the midst of crisis, adapt to a changing world, and thrive into the future. In 2025, we reached more than 36 million people with urgent aid and long-term solutions.

Enhancing resilience is at the heart of what Mercy Corps does and how we work. Mercy Corps strengthens sources of resilience to enhance the capacities of people, markets, and institutions to handle shocks, reduce risk, build more equitable and responsive systems, and improve well-being. Through our programs, partnerships, and influence, we support communities to cope, adapt, and ultimately thrive.

Since the escalation of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported more than 1.2 million conflict-affected people in Ukraine and neighboring countries. We have provided humanitarian assistance for people in emergency situations and supported war-affected micro, small, and medium businesses, including farmers and agribusinesses, to recover their business activities. Increasingly, Mercy Corps is implementing Market Systems Development (MSD) approaches in Ukraine, seeking systemic solutions that build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economic opportunities for conflict-affected populations. Notably, nearly all our programming is delivered in partnership with civil society organizations — integrating program delivery, mutual growth, and experience exchange with a genuine commitment to localization.

Mercy Corps Ukraine is investing in strengthening internal team capacity on MSD programmatic and MSD Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) to enable more effective design, implementation, measurement, and adaptation of MSD programming across the portfolio. This includes building the team’s ability to plan and implement MSD interventions, monitor and measure outcomes and impact, demonstrate Value for Money (VfM), and continuously learn and adapt programming. To support this effort, Mercy Corps is engaging two complementary consultants: one focusing on MSD MEL and adaptive learning (this Scope of Work), and the other on broader MSD technical capacity strengthening (separate Scope of Work). The consultancies are designed to be closely coordinated and mutually reinforcing.

Purpose Description:

The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen the Mercy Corps Ukraine’s capacity to design and apply monitoring, learning, and adaptive management approaches aligned with MSD principles. The focus is on building practical skills to track adoption, understand partner performance, assess commercial viability, and generate actionable learning to inform MSD intervention implementation, adaptive management and decision-making.

The consultancy will take an iterative and adaptive approach, flexibly responding to emerging programmatic priorities and team needs. It will be closely integrated with broader MSD technical capacity strengthening efforts, ensuring strong collaboration with the MSD Capacity Strengthening Consultant and alignment between technical design, implementation, measurement, and learning.

Objectives:

The primary objective of this role is to strengthen the team’s capacity to plan and implement MSD interventions, monitor and measure outcomes and impact, demonstrate Value for Money (VfM), and learn from and adapt MSD programming. This will be achieved through practical coaching, application of MSD MEL tools and methodologies, and the co-development of an internal MSD MEL Toolkit that captures tested approaches, tools, and lessons for ongoing and future programming, contextualizing and integrating key aspects of the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) standard.

This capacity strengthening effort will contribute to building a sustainable, practical MSD MEL practice within Mercy Corps Ukraine that supports evidence-based decision-making, adaptive management, and scalable impact.

Consultant Objectives:

The MSD MEL & Adaptive Learning Consultant will provide tailored technical assistance to strengthen the team’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) capacity in support of MSD interventions. Through a combination of practical learning sessions, coaching, and advisory support, the consultant will help the MEL and program team apply MSD-oriented approaches to results measurement, learning, adaptive management, and intervention validation.

The consultant will work closely with the MEL and program teams to 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. The consultant will focus on strengthening the team's ability to independently apply MSD MEL principles and tools throughout the intervention lifecycle, including planning, pilots, program adaptation, and scale up. The consultant will support the team to establish MEL systems that capture results, measure outcomes/impact, attributable change, and demonstrate value for money (VfM) and recovery, as well as support strategic planning for the adaptation and scale up of MSD activities.

The consultancy will adopt a portfolio-level perspective, supporting the development of systems and approaches that can be applied across Mercy Corps Ukraine’s MSD programming rather than remaining program-specific. While recognizing that individual programs may require contextualized application, the consultant will contribute to establishing coherent, country-level MEL systems, standards, and practices that strengthen consistency, efficiency, and learning across the portfolio.

A key outcome of the assignment will be supporting the MEL team in the development of an internal MSD MEL toolkit, consisting of tested templates, practical guidance notes, and examples from program implementation. The toolkit will serve as an institutional resource to support consistency, knowledge retention, onboarding of new staff, and future market-based programming.

The assignment is expected to contribute to the establishment of a sustainable MSD MEL practice within the program, enabling the team to generate meaningful insights, support adaptive management, and assess the potential for sustainability and scale of MSD interventions.

This translates into four strategic priorities:

1. Team capacity assessment and identification of group and individual capacity strengthening needs and plans

1. Practical Learning Sessions on Foundations of MSD MEL

1. Tailored individual and small group capacity strengthening based on identified needs

1. Tailored technical support applying learning into concrete programmatic deliverables and application of learning into practice based on the DCED standard.

Activities of the Consultant

The consultant will deliver this assignment through an iterative, flexible approach that adapts to program priorities and emerging needs. Activities will be closely coordinated with the MSD Capacity Strengthening Consultant to ensure coherence between technical MSD implementation and MSD MEL systems. The consultant is expected to engage across program teams, supporting an integrated portfolio-level approach while ensuring practical applicability within individual programs.

The consultant will be responsible for providing technical guidance, coaching, and capacity strengthening support to the MEL team to enhance their ability to design and apply MSD-oriented monitoring, evaluation, learning, and adaptive management approaches.

Specifically, the consultant will:

1. Conduct MSD MEL Capacity Assessment and Develop Capacity Strengthening Plan

1. Conduct a participatory MSD MEL systems and capacity review, combining:

1. Existing survey findings

1. Consultations with team members and managers

1. Review of current MEL systems and practices (including institutional MEL and tech platforms)

1. Identify group and individual capacity strengths and gaps, with a strong focus on practical application.

1. Develop a prioritized, resource-conscious capacity strengthening plan that integrates training, mentoring, and systems development throughout the assignment.

1. Deliver Practical Learning Session(s) on Foundations of MSD MEL

1. Design and facilitate applied learning session(s) that establishes a foundational understanding MEL for MSD. Introduce and explore core MSD MEL concepts aligned with the DCED Standard, including:

1. Systemic change and results chains

1. Market actor performance and incentives

1. Adoption, behavior change, and sustainability pathways

1. Adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making

1. Provide coaching and mentoring (individual and small group) tailored to identified gaps

1. Support prioritized key staff to apply MSD MEL approaches directly to ongoing MSD interventions and programs, including:

1. Troubleshooting real challenges

1. Strengthening confidence in using MSD MEL frameworks and tools

1. Using learning questions, evidence generation, and structured reflection processes to support adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making.

1. Ensure capacity strengthening is contextualized across the portfolio, including:

1. Direct business development support

1. MSD intervention

1. Emphasize improving measurement of spillovers, incentives, and system-level effects to support better strategic planning.

1. Provide ongoing technical advisory and operational support to apply systems in real time, troubleshoot implementation challenges and strengthen consistency and quality of MEL practice.

1. Provide hands-on support to design, adapt, and operationalize MEL systems and tools, ensuring:

1. Alignment with DCED standards (pragmatically applied)

1. Integration with MC Ukraine’s institutional MEL systems and technology and applicable across the full program portfolio

1. Support development and refinement of practical deliverables, including:

1. Results frameworks, results chains and key performance indicators

1. Measurement and management systems for partnerships and systemic change

1. Monitoring and learning tools embedded in program workflows

1. Guide creation of an internal MSD MEL Toolkit, including:

1. Adapted templates, that enable teams to apply MSD MEL approaches in practice

1. Practical guidance notes that clarify how to measure and interpret system-level and attributable change

1. Tested examples from implementation that can support future programming and staff onboarding

Consultant Deliverables:

1. MSD MEL System and Capacity Assessment and Capacity Strengthening Plan

1. Review of MEL systems and practices with action plan based on the assessment, including steps to be taken beyond the assignment.

1. Rapid assessment of MEL team capacities

1. Capacity strengthening plan outlining:

1. Existing strengths and areas for development;

1. Group and individual learning priorities;

1. Proposed learning and coaching approach;

1. Proposed workplan and engagement schedule, including schedule of learning sessions and coaching support;

1. Recommendations for continued capacity strengthening beyond the assignment.

1. MSD MEL Learning Sessions

1. One - two (to be jointly) agreed practical learning sessions focused on key MSD MEL instruments and methodologies

1. For each session, the consultant will provide supporting materials, practical exercises, and recommendations for application within ongoing MSD interventions.

1. Tailored coaching and mentoring for key staff

1. The consultant will provide ongoing coaching and technical advisory support to key MEL staff throughout the assignment, including scheduled coaching sessions, review of draft tools and products, and guidance on applying MSD MEL approaches in practice.

The consultant will develop a brief summary of coaching sessions, key recommendations, and agreed follow-up actions.

1. Technical Assistance

1. Specific support to design, adapt, and operationalize MEL systems and tools, as agreed

1. Practical deliverables, as agreed

1. Internal MSD MEL Toolkit

The consultant will develop a report with an overview of technical assistance provided with key recommendations and agreed follow-up actions.

All deliverables will be co-developed with Mercy Corps Ukraine teams to ensure ownership, usability, and sustainability. Outputs are expected to contribute not only to individual program needs but also to the establishment of portfolio-wide MSD MEL systems, tools, and practices that can be consistently applied and adapted across current and future interventions.

Timeframe / Schedule:

The consultancy is estimated to span up to 50 working days, concluding no later than 31 March 2027

The Consultant will report to:

Kateryna Ponomarova, Program Quality, Evidence and Learning Director

The Consultant will work closely with:

The Consultant will work closely with Mercy Corps Ukraine’s program leadership, program teams, and the MEL team to provide targeted mentorship and technical support for MSD intervention implementation. In addition, the consultant will engage across multiple program teams to support an integrated, portfolio-level approach, contributing to the development of country-level systems and practices that can be applied across programs while allowing for contextual adaptation.

The MSD MEL & Adaptive Learning Consultant will further work in close collaboration with the MSD Capacity Strengthening Consultant (technical counterpart) to ensure alignment across technical implementation, adaptive management, learning, and results measurement efforts. The respective MSD MEL and technical capacity strengthening plans should be developed in close consultation, with opportunities for cross-engagement, referral, and adaptation between the two roles throughout the consultancy period.

Required Experience & Skills:

• 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.

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

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.