MEAL Officer Full Time NEW

DEPARTMENT/ TEAM /PROGRAM: MEAL

AREA OFFICE/ LOCATION: Northeast / Semera

GRADE: 4

CONTRACT LENGTH:

Reports to: MEAL Coordinator

Matrix Manager: Program Manager

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 2: either the post holder will have access to personal data about children and/or young people as part of their work; or the post holder will be working in a ‘regulated’ position (accountant, barrister, solicitor, legal executive); therefore, a police check will be required (at ‘standard’ level in the UK or equivalent in other countries)

Risk and Compliance:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Fraud, Bribery, and Corruption policy and code of conduct. The key responsibilities include understanding and complying with the SCI policies and procedures, not committing any act of fraud, bribery, or corruption, understanding risks in their area/role, and implementing mitigation measures, report any suspected fraud, bribery, or corruption immediately, declare conflicts of interest in accordance with internal procedures and complete mandatory training related to ethics and anti-fraud measures

ROLE PURPOSE:

The MEAL Officer will be responsible for monitoring project activities, including conducting post-distribution monitoring and supporting project assessments in close collaboration with data collectors. The role also involves supporting external evaluation processes, ensuring the effective implementation of accountability systems in project intervention areas, and capturing learning insights for the field office under the Strengthening Climate Resilience through the Integrated Landscape Project, in close coordination with the project field team and the MEAL Coordinator

SCOPE OF ROLE:

The MEAL Officer will be responsible for collecting essential performance monitoring data, conducting quality benchmark monitoring, and preparing monthly accomplishment reports for submission to the MEAL Coordinator.

Furthermore, he/she will support and facilitate MEAL-related tasks in collaboration with the MEAL team to ensure the timely delivery of activities with the desired quality standard

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Finalize and operationalize the MEAL Plan, IPTT, SOPs, aligning indicators with PMF/logical frameworks of the project
· Finalize and operationalize other MEAL toolkits, such as MEAL PIRS, Action Tracker, Feedback Tracker, and Quality Benchmarks
· Develop and update MEAL plan and log frame on PRIME, ensuring indicator progress and means of verification are adequately updated by project teams.
· Lead set-up of database design, digital data collection (Kobo), data management pipelines, and Power BI dashboards for near real-time performance monitoring.
· Establish Data Quality Assurance (DQA) procedures and verification sampling frames

Reporting

Oversee routine monitoring cycles, ensuring completeness, timeliness, and disaggregation (gender, age, inclusion, and participation of women, youth, children, and persons with disabilities in project‑relevant activities and decision‑making.
· Design and implement DQAs, spot checks, back-checks, and collect the relevant beneficiaries’ data from project livelihood officers.
· Supervise the project progress with a standard checklist in project intervention kebeles and triangulate among their monthly progress reports, then identify data quality gaps are implemented.
· Facilitate the design and execution of baseline and endline studies and oversee the selection and supervision of external evaluation consultants.
· Support use of mixed methods (quantitative, qualitative, FGDs, key informant interviews) to distribute the item post-distribution monitoring Survey and generate the ethical acceptable and valuable insight report for the next distribution.
Data analysis and reporting

Produce a monthly Performance report and the project’s internal performance tracking report, and verify the data quality uploaded to the PRIME meal system.

Based on the IPTT progress, provide analytical inputs to adaptive management recommendations and support the Project Manager in evidence-based decision-making

Generate the Quarterly KPI report of the project and also share the project quarter reports for governments with close collaboration of the project Managers.

BEHAVIOURS: (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future-oriented, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honesty; encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

• BA/BSC Degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Statistics, Agriculture, Livelihoods, Rural Development, Economics, advanced degree preferred.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

Experience:

• 3 years MEAL experience in livelihoods, economic empowerment or market systems programs, with at least 2 years directly to FSL projects.
• Strong practical experience with digital data collection tools (Kobo/ODK), data management systems, and dashboarding tools.
• Experience in pastoral contexts, preferably Afar region; knowledge of the Afar language mandatory

Skills :

• .Excellent report writing and English proficiency.
• Strong interpersonal, advocacy, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to travel and work in rural areas
• Experience in pastoral contexts, preferably in the Afar region.
• knowledge of the Afar language is mandatory

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and
• Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

• We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.