Portland, OR – MicroMentor Business Outcomes Research Analyst

DATES OF INTERNSHIP: May – August, 2017 (flexible)

LENGTH OF INTERNSHIP: 3-4 months

INTERNS SUPERVISOR & CONTACT INFORMATION: Client Success Officer, MicroMentor

Mercy Corps responsibilities

For the duration of this internship assignment the intern will receive:

• Training and supervisory support
• Workstation with computer, internet, and phone access
• MicroMentor e-mail account
• Access to Mercy Corps online tools
• All other tools, materials and communication requirements for this project to be undertaken

Intern responsibilities

Intern will remain responsible for all costs associated with:

• Travel to and from Mercy Corps HQ
• Accommodation, travel and living expenses
• All other costs associated with this internship

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Program Context

MicroMentor is an initiative of Mercy Corps’ Innovations Team. At MicroMentor, our mission is to leverage the power of mentoring to help small businesses thrive. We do so by offering entrepreneurs direct access to a pool of committed professional volunteer mentors via an easy-to-use online community. MicroMentor has an expanding community making 10,000 mentoring every year. Entrepreneurs matched with a mentor have shown significant results in terms of improved job creation, business survival, and revenue growth.

Project Context

The primary responsibility of the intern will be to work with the MicroMentor M&E officer to design, deliver and analyze the 2018 Business Outcomes Survey. The final report you will draft is the principal deliverable that MicroMentor uses to communicate our social impact to stakeholders, and influences the success of fundraising, partnerships, and user acquisition efforts. The work of previous BOS interns is featured in our annual Impact Reports and the latest version can be found at: http://solutions.micromentor.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/MicroMentor-2017-Impact-Report_email_size.pdf

Key Activities

• Quickly familiarize oneself with MicroMentor’s M&E framework within the context of wider sector-specific impact indicators and measurement practices
• Assist in the standardization of survey design, delivery, and analysis
• Responsible for report generation (Salesforce and MicroMentor platform) and data cleansing (Excel)
• Conduct data collection via email surveys, phone surveys, and SMS
• Share responsibility in coordinating data collection methods with a team of volunteers at Portland HQ and in Mexico City
• Compile and analyze survey data to yield credible and methodologically sound outcomes (may include some statistical analysis)
• Identify success stories and compile qualitative data in a systematic and meaningful way
• Document the process and deliver a final written/visual report of business outcomes and recommendations for improvement to the team

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this assignment, the intern will have learned…

• Standards of outcome measurement for the microenterprise sector
• Effective data collection techniques, including phone, text, and online surveys
• How to conduct a time-bound and complex organizational impact study
• Techniques for translating both quantitative and qualitative data into a mission-focused narrative
• Best practices for communication and collaboration with multiple stakeholders

DELIVERABLES:

• Achieve at least 35% survey response rate and deliver 10 success story leads
• Clearly and thoroughly document research methodology
• Contribute to standardization and improvement of BOS processes and procedures
• Organized analysis of data using statistically and/or academically sound
• Final written report detailing results of the survey in terms mission metrics, to serve as a draft for the final published impact report
• Final presentation of results and recommendations to the MicroMentor team

IDEAL CANDIDATE SHOULD POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:

• Upper level undergraduate students and graduate students are strongly preferred
• Pursuing degree in economics, statistics, international development, mathematics, public administration, business administration, sociology or related field
• Experience and/or coursework in research methods, experience interviewing stakeholders and field research a plus, strong written and verbal professional communication skills desired
• Database or spreadsheet (Excel) experience is required
• Extra consideration given to candidates with solid understanding of statistical analysis, previous work with STATA, SAS, Tableau, or similar programs, as well as Salesforce
• Have a strong interest in pursuing a career in business development and economic empowerment
• Must be able to spend 8 hours a time (with breaks) using telephone and computer

Mercy Corps interns and volunteers represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and 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.

Diversity is powerful. To achieve transformational change, we seek out team members with different origins, beliefs, backgrounds and ways of thinking. Diversity helps us unlock complexity.