Junior Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) Interns (2 Positions)

Positive Action for Development (PAD) is one of the most vibrant, rapidly expanding, and results-driven civil society organizations in Ethiopia. PAD is currently scaling up its interventions across the humanitarian, NEXUS, and development spectrum—expanding operations throughout the country, including in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Harari, Afar, Somali, Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Ethiopia’s southern regional states. As PAD broadens its reach, it remains firmly committed to inclusive, equitable, and conflict-sensitive programming—respecting the diverse realities of communities while fostering peaceful coexistence and sustainable development.

Vision: PAD strives to see a community of hope, humanity, and social justice.

Mission: PAD brings people together to work in partnerships; promotes hope, humanity, and social justice for every human life in all its fullness; and improves the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups for social and inclusive economic growth by actively engaging in positive actions, promoting responsive care and support, and addressing the root causes of poverty in Ethiopia.

General Overview:

This document outlines the standard roles and responsibilities associated with this position. The descriptions of the post cannot be exhaustive, and the post holder may be required to undertake additional duties that align with the key responsibilities described herein. The roles and responsibilities are also subject to change.

Job Summary:

The Junior MERL Officer supports the MERL Officer in ensuring accurate and timely monitoring of project activities by assisting in the review of daily and weekly plans and reports. The role includes capturing key achievements, challenges, and proposed solutions, as well as contributing to performance assessments against project plans. The Junior MERL Officer provides preliminary feedback to project teams and flags issues requiring further attention. The position also contributes to ensuring compliance with deadlines for plan and report submissions, assists in preparing weekly and monthly MERL plans and reports, and coordinates with field MERL staff or focal persons to track daily project performance. The role ensures smooth communication flows and supports the MERL Officer in maintaining high standards of accountability and project quality.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The key roles and responsibilities for the Junior MERL Officer include, but are not limited to:

• Assist in reviewing daily and weekly project plans and reports to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Extract and summarize key achievements, lessons learned, good practices, challenges, and proposed solutions from field submissions.
• Support performance review processes by compiling relevant data comparing progress against plans and targets.
• Provide initial feedback to project teams to help strengthen planning, reporting, and implementation.
• Ensure that Means of Verification (MoV), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and deliverables included in plans and reports meet required standards.
• Check that indicators are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) and properly defined.
• Support timely reminders for submission of plans, reports, and other essential deliverables as per deadlines.
• Assist in the preparation of weekly and monthly MERL plans and reports.
• Coordinate with field-level MERL staff or designated focal persons to track ongoing project performance.
• Escalate identified issues to the MERL Coordinator promptly for further review or action.
• Facilitate communication between project teams, field staff, and the MERL Coordinator to ensure smooth information flow.
• Systematically capture/collect, develop, store/document, and disseminate organizational knowledge, multimedia content (pictures, audios, videos), and relevant links, ensuring appropriate approvals are obtained prior to dissemination.
• Enforce the consistent use of tools such as KoboToolbox, SharePoint, and OnePAD, and verify the accuracy of data entered into these systems.
• Participate in regular MERL team meetings and contribute to collective learning.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualification :

• BSc or above in Statistics, Economics, Development Economics, Agricultural Economics, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and related fields of study.

Experience Required:

• No experience is required

Skills Required:

• Familiarity with data collection and analysis tools such as KoBo, ODK, CommCare, SPSS, STATA, etc

Number required: 2 (Two)

Duty Station: Addis Ababa (50% travel required to field offices/project sites)

Salary: As per the organization’s Salary Scale

Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply

Equal Employment Opportunity

• Positive Action for Development (PAD) promotes fairness, equity, and diversity in the workplace. We welcome applications from qualified individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, or other personal status. Hiring decisions are made based on skills, experience, and suitability for the role.
• We are committed to creating a respectful and inclusive environment where all staff can thrive, contribute meaningfully, and grow professionally.

Zero Tolerance for Misconduct

• PAD has zero tolerance for any form of abuse, harassment, exploitation, or misuse of power. We take safeguarding seriously and expect all staff, volunteers, and partners to follow our policies and uphold our values at all times. All successful candidates will go through background checks and be required to follow PAD’s code of conduct and safeguarding principles.

Recruitment Flexibility

• PAD reserves the right to recruit more than one candidate from this announcement or keep qualified applicants in our database for future similar roles.

Important Notice on Recruitment Fraud

• PAD does not request any payment at any stage of the recruitment process. If you receive any suspicious messages claiming to be from PAD, please report them to our office through official contact channels. www.padethiopia.org.