MEAL Officer Full Time

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday.
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that.
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated.

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.  We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

ROLE PURPOSE:  

Under the general supervision of the North Area MEAL Manager and Field Office Operations Manager of Woldia, the MEAL Officer – will coordinate ETH-Access to Quality Early Childhood and Education in Emergencies 2 (CDA) MEAL & MEAL related activities of being implemented In Amhara Region in partnership with Amhara Development Association (ADA) under Save the Children North Area Office. He/she is responsible to ensure that the delivery of the programs is in line with SC approach, Donor requirement, SCI MEAL framework and specific programmatic approaches. He/she will ensure & strengthen that strong MEAL system is in place so that the implementation of the programs is of high quality to be accountable to beneficiaries, partners and donors.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

MEAL System Development

• Design system and contextually appropriate MEAL implementation strategies to make the SCI MEAL system functional and contribute for program quality.
• Leading and/managing research aspects including taking an active role in framing research questions and development, adaptation and testing of monitoring & evaluation and TORs
• Undertake responsibility of the rolling-out of SCI MEAL system for Woldia field office.
• Ensure CDA project are using Quality Benchmarks as part of their day-to-day implementation and quality monitoring practices
• Make sure that MEAL evidences are used for CDA management decision making.
• Participate on the design and roll-out of standardized monitoring tools and methodologies.
• Coordinate on time implementation of Project/ Programme baseline and Evaluation findings
• Ensure that area operation and project staffs understand SCI MEAL system and its application in all projects with uniform fashion.
• Lead and support the field level CDA project MEAL technical working group to ensure quality programming against quality bench marks through participatory methodologies (including child-friendly methodologies).
• Provide technical support and participate as required in all other aspects of MEAL at field level for example surveys, assessments, baselines surveys, evaluations, joint projects reviews / lessons learning workshops/events.
• Ensure periodic reports are as per the standard quality, standard template, and time frame and communicated accordingly.
• Be the key link between Field operation office level MEAL teams and Addis-based CDA-MEAL team, ensuring that data and reports are of a high quality and submitted on time
• Work to ensure that all projects have context based “Complaint Response Mechanism (CRM) for the functionality of SC accountability.
• Ensure all projects incorporate child safeguarding issue in their monitoring checklist to regularly monitor its implementation status.
• Ensure all CDA MEAL deliverables uploaded and trucked on SCI MEAL automation system parodically and continuously.

Technical MEAL Support and Capacity Building

• Provide technical support to IP program and MEAL staffs under ADA operational areas to ensure that the MEAL system is operational for CDA MEAL deliverables
• Undertake data analysis and provides descriptive statistical information to appropriate data user
• Provide technical support for IP-MEAL staffs that helps to ensure program data are well secured through electronic backup system and hard copy filing.
• Assist and give a technical support to all projects to develop and how to implement MEAL plans.
• Provide guidance for projects to collect quality monitoring data in a timely manner and collate / organize data for reporting to the country office.
• Manage to create organizational culture that promotes MEAL and understands its link to quality and accountable programming
• Plan and implement capacity building tasks to create knowledgeable IP-MEAL team through providing trainings, mentoring and other technical supports.
• Put systems that leanings from projects are properly tracked and shared and properly documented and used for new program/project designing.
• Provide inductions to new staff on MEAL and work with all staffs in the organization to increase capacity in Accountability through training and direct support.
• Closely work with partner organizations (Government and local NGO) to support that the MEAL system is operational and make use of MEAL tools and methodologies.
• Manage to maintain regular communication and interaction with partners to facilitate and promote learning and information sharing between SCI and the partner organizations.

Documentation, learning and Advocacy

• Ensures proper documentation of experiences and lessons across all projects /programs at field level
• Work to create mini data base that helps to document basic information that helps for program designing, project proposal writing etc.

Database Development and Management

• Lead the development of new database to respond to program data and reporting needs.
• Develop automation of data reporting and visualization (including data dashboards) serving the country as well as field MEAL team.

Learning and Knowledge Management 

• In close collaboration with program team facilitate in generating, storing and sharing knowledge (most significant change story, meta-analysis, research/evaluation summary reports, etc).
• Ensure utilization of learning and knowledge generated in decision making and programme improvement (maintain up to date project action tracker and monitor the utilization and application)
• Support programmes in the identification of learning objectives and evidence gaps.
• Be part of the national CDA-MEAL Community of Practices and provide project learning and best practices to the Community of practice.
• Prepare data visualizations (charts, graphs, maps) and data stories for SCI knowledge sharing and communication purposes.