Senior MEAL Officer 102 views

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

For

Senior MEAL Officer

Country Office: Ethiopia

Work Base: Borena_ Yabello

Availability: As Soon As Possible

Salary Scale: as per the organization salary scale

Contract Duration:  End of December 2021 with high possibility of extension

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger-USA is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. We save the lives of malnourished children and we enable entire communities to be free from hunger. With more than 8,000 staff in over 50 countries, our programs reached 17 million people in 2019.

About the Country Program in Ethiopia

Action Against Hunger has been operational in Ethiopia since 1984 responding to both chronic and acute needs through a multi-sectoral strategy where Nutrition, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support activities are integrated to have a meaningful impact on people’s resilience.

Action Against Hunger currently operates in 5 different regions (Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz and Gambella) with a portfolio of 20m USD/year of emergency, resilience building, research and innovation programs. We have a country team of around 600 staff in 17 regional and satellite offices. Our main donors in Ethiopia in 2020/2021 are: BHA, ECHO, Europaid, UNHCR, UNICEF, GFFO, BPRM, SIDA, EHF, WFP, CIAA and others.

I.                    Summary of position

 The Senior MEAL Officer is responsible for the overall day-to-day management of the MEAL activities at the base. He/She will ensure proper implementation of the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning activities, monitor day to day activities in the field, and oversee proper delivery of activity progress reports, donor and partner reports. Furthermore, they will support the MEAL TA in the rolling out of MEAL tools, and will assist regarding any data analysis and quality checking needs for data entry that may arise. Finally, the Senior MEAL Officer will provide support in drafting any monitoring and assessment reports that may be required.

The Senior MEAL Officer role’s purpose, engagement and delivery is:

• Purpose (The substantive focus of the job encompassing scope, depth and difficulty of work both conceptual and applied)

Objective 1: Implement the monitoring and evaluation activities at the field:

•          The identification of needs and demands for MEAL roles & activities from field PMs;

•          The development and implementation of MEAL framework of programs;

•          Ensure that MEAL standards of the program and the mission are being implemented and respected;

•          Ensure that program targets and objectives are being met per proposal guidelines;

•          Ensure the proper follow-up and consistency of Activity Progress Reports;

•          Undertake baseline, midline and endline survey’s ensuring quality in data collection, analysis and reporting;

•          Ensure timely undertakings in surveys like PDMs, KAP etc.;

•          Undertake continuous field monitoring visits and draft reports on the visits, including actions taken and recommendations;

•          Review field level donor and government reports for consistency with the MEAL standards;

Objective 2: Effectively implement the accountability system:

•          Acquaint themselves on the FCB of Action Against Hunger;

•          Follow-up and recommend workable operation in the FCB system;

•          Ensure feedbacks are collected & review and compile the monthly accountability reports;

•          Review the FCM minimum standards of Action Against Hunger and work in setting the goal per operational area in terms of FCM;

•          Continuously engage with program team on the effective implementation of FCM;

Objective 3: Effectively and efficiently, utilize communication, coordination and partnerships:

•          Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals;

•          Consulting with the PM to determine support needs in field level MEAL;

•          Support the field team in quality data management;

•          Support the field team on analytical tools and methodologies; Communication and partnerships

•          Make complex things simple for the benefit of others;

•          Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back;

•          Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their non-verbal behaviour, adapting your style and approach to fit;

•          Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open;

•          Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect;

•          Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organizational goal;

•          Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them; Steward resources

•          Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone who can make them happen;

•          Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost effective way;

•          Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise;

Strive for improvement

•          Constructively challenge existing practice;

•          Seek better ways of doing things, taking into account the possible implications;

•          Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these fall outside own scope of work;

•          Look inside and outside Action Against Hunger for new ideas and evaluate them for own work;

Objective 4: Reporting

•          Take active role in ensuring timely and proper program reporting of the base;

•                      Summarize program and donor reports, internal and external evaluation reports, learning documents and case studies, ad-hoc reports, and provide inputs where necessary.

•                      Take active role in the analysis of program achievements during donor and other reporting, together with the Program Managers and Field Coordinator

Objective 5: Learning:

•          Facilitate experience shared and review meetings at the field level between sectors;

•          Establish a system for gathering, organizing, documenting and sharing of learnings and best practices; Document and share best practices and learnings through publications, web sharing and other means within the mission;

Engagement: (The focus of interaction both internally and externally needed to deliver a service seek collaboration and build effective partnerships)

Internal

–          Filed Coordinator : hierarchical relationship + exchange of information

–          MEAL Technical Advisor: exchange of information + technical support

External

–          Local governmental and non-governmental partners

–          exchange of information, coordination, training, supervision

–          influence on choice of technical options

–          Local authorities : exchange of information, participation in regular M&E activities

–          Local representatives of international aid organizations

–          exchange of information

• Delivery: (The focus on the execution of the work and the role on the team for supporting business/operational functions in terms of timeliness and quality)

            Reporting Responsibilities

•         Review of APR’s
•         Donor reports and proposal input
•         Internal and external evaluation reports
•         Learning documents and case studies
•         Ad-hoc reports (assessments reports, newsletters, etc.

II.                  Supervisory Responsibilities

N/A

III.                Gender Equality Commitments  

•        Foster an environment that supports values of women and men, and equal access to information.
•        Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
•         Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.
•          Value and respect all cultures.

IV.               Fiscal Responsibility

N/A

V.                 Physical Demands

•        While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.
•        The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

VI.               Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required.

Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.

I.                    Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Bachelors degree in humanitarian affairs, international development, public health, epidemiology, economics, or other social/developmental sciences
• At least 3 years of proven experience in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Accountability of humanitarian or development programs
• Demonstrated knowledge of M&E concepts and international humanitarian quality standards
• Experience with mobile data collection (preferred)
• Experience with GIS (preferred)
• Fluency in English (both written and spoken skills)

II.                  Required Skills & Competencies

Educational Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in humanitarian affairs, international development, public health, epidemiology, economics, or other social / developmental sciences
• At least 3 years of proven experience in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Accountability of humanitarian or development programs
• Demonstrated knowledge of M&E concepts and international humanitarian quality standards
• Experience with mobile data collection (preferred)
• Experience with GIS (preferred)
• Fluency in English (both written and spoken skills)

Required skills:

Essential

–          Professional, motivated, open, creative, mature, responsible, flexible and culturally sensitive

–          Excellent communication, writing and analytical skills

–          Proven ability to translate evaluated results into learning strategies

–          Experience in monitoring and evaluating  donor (i.e. ECHO, SIDA, PRM, EHF) funded activities

–          Skills on statistical and other software (MS Excel, SPSS, SPHINX, STATA, EPI Info, ENA for SMART, GIS, etc.)

–          Microsoft Office Skills (Outlook, Excel, Power Point, Word)

–          Experience in humanitarian M&E

–          Experience in designing and leading internal and external evaluation

–          Experience designing and leading capacity building and training for national teams

–          Familiarity with Management Information Systems (Databases) and GIS

–          Knowledge of  project cycle management

–          Commitment to ACF mission, values and policy

Preferred

–          Previous experience with nutrition, WASH, food security and livelihoods programming.

–          Previous experience with cash based interventions (i.e. cash for work, cash transfers or cash vouchers)

–          Experience with mobile data collection processes and platforms

–          Experience with GIS and spatial analysis

–           Familiarity with Management Information Systems (Databases)