MEAL Specialist Full Time NEW

PIN currently invites qualified applicants for the position of: MEAL Specialist for MEAL unit.

Length of Contract: definite

Place of Work: – Based in Addis Ababa with frequent field travel to PIN’s project sites in different regions as required.

Salary: 775 USD

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the MEAL Unit manager and Consortium manager (functionally), the MEAL specialist is responsible for assuring that the quality of the EC-funded Empowering Future for Women, and Youth Beyond Agriculture consortium project’s MEAL mechanism is up to the donor and PIN standards and the MEAL outputs are delivered in a timely and quality manner.

The MEAL specialist is in charge of the MEAL aspect of the project and is thus responsible for the overall MEAL design, methodology and tools to be harmonized across the consortium project. S/he is responsible for managing the consortium MEAL technical working group, including organization and facilitation of regular meetings, compilation of notes from the meetings, as well as assuring that the activities and tasks are assigned and delivered as per the outlined timeframe. In addition, s/he is responsible for the MEAL inputs and contributions to the donor reporting.

Duties and Responsibilities

System design, planning and promoting MEAL across project

• Ensures Project Consortium’s MEAL planning, monitoring and evaluation processes meet the donor/ sector standards and comply with both internal and external requirements
• With the support of relevant KLD advisors (MSA, MEAL, Climate change, Edu) ensures that the remaining monitoring tools are designed and the framework for regular monitoring is established and functional using the Zite, KoBo and Power BI applications.
• Participate in creating the final external evaluation framework as well as selection and support of the external evaluator.
• Using data across the project to monitor the quality and overall impact of the interventions on the target populations.

Regular monitoring, implementation, progress tracking and reporting

• Provides technical support in activity and conduct of result-based monitoring (Surveys, FGDs, KIIs, etc.) in the field, including ensuring that project teams and MEAL officers and enumerators follow the instructions/agreed methodology.
• develop data collection methodology, tools and ensure the actual data collection is conducted with quality.
• Checks the quality of data collected continuously as it comes in, and follows up on any errors or challenges arising in the process and takes timely corrective measures.
• Supports project teams in preparation for regular project review meetings, including regular update of ITT and meaningful reporting on indicators.
• Regularly informs line manager about findings and about any issues arising from findings (present data in concise reports and fact sheets using PIN templates and share these with line manager for reporting and circulation – clusters, communities, etc. – as appropriate).
• Initiates independent monitoring visits of projects with the aim of receiving or validating data/information on specific activities and strengthening accountability (activity monitoring, Community Feedback and Response Mechanisms, etc.).
• Initiates Independent Result based field monitoring to oversee activities on the ground, produce report, share for the project team and conduct discussion.
• Collects lessons learnt from the project implementation.
• Any other related tasks as agreed and discussed with the MEAL Department/unit.

Internal and external reporting

• Provide regular technical support in routine and results-based monitoring to the Consortium partners, including support in meaningful reporting on indicators, if required.
• Lead any MEAL related biannual annual reporting.
• Maintain regular communication with MEAL officers from Consortium partners ´organizations to provide ongoing support and assistance.
• Lead the MEAL technical Working Group of the Consortium based on its ToR, incl. calling and facilitating regular meetings, taking notes from the meetings and preparing and sharing detailed time frame for the MEAL related activities + up-dating the ToR, if needed.
• Participate in community outreach meetings to introduce project activities, targeting, CFRM channels, if required.
• Participate in conducting surveys or other data collection activities (observations, FGDs, KII), when required.
• Conduct independent monitoring of project activities.
• Coordinate all partners regular monitoring data collection, compiling collected, regularly update and reporting.
• Conduct data analysis or support project teams (Consortium members) in data analysis and reporting.
• Analyze data across the project (from all Consortium members) to see the impact on communities and project beneficiaries.
• Manage consultants and Research partners (especially External Evaluator) to ensure that commissioned researches and evaluations are carried out to the standard and successfully completed.
• Provide technical support to the Consortium partners MEAL officers in evaluations and other research activities, incl. engaging in ToR preparation, selection of consultants, review of evaluation design and data collection methodology, data analysis, involvement of stakeholders and dissemination plan.

Partnership coordination, staff Management, Mentorship, and Capacity Development

• Support and monitor partner MEAL Officers progress on specific projects, providing management oversight on progress and problem-solving in case of challenges.
• Define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed so that the MEAL Officers is able to perform his/her roles as required.
• Coordinates partner NGO MEAL staff, monitor implementation of their activities and ensures compliance with donor and PIN rules.

Organizational accountability, learning and capacity building.

• Facilitate discussion on the most important findings and recommendations from MEAL and report to Consortium manager on regular basis.
• Facilitate dissemination of MEAL findings across the project Consortium.
• Prepare data for Consortium manager for qualified decisions over the project strategies

Community Feedback & Response Mechanism (CFRM) strengthening and use of findings.

• Together with PIN CFRM team, support project teams in planning for and during implementation of Community Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM).
• Coordinate with CFRM team to ensure CFRM analysis is being conducted regularly and lessons learned are feeding programming.
• Supports CFRM Officer to guide the project team in the use of all CFRM project templates as per PIN Ethiopia CFRM Policy and Procedures.
• Closely work with partners, project team, advisors and CFRM team to ensure CFRM is included in a well-organized manner across the consortium project.

Capture, document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices

• In collaboration with program team, regularly assess, track and document lessons learned and best practices and prepare discussion sessions.
• Proactively seek and promote best practices as part of monitoring, evaluation and program effectiveness practices.
• Facilitates discussion on the most important findings and recommendations from MEAL and reports.

Organizational learning and capacity building

• Maintain overview of lessons learnt in MEAL, promote good practices and identify ways to strengthen the planning, monitoring and evaluation processes within the project / Consortium.
• Prepare presentation of the evaluation / other MEAL activities findings for internal sharing and a brief fact sheet for external use.
• Ensure archiving of the MEAL documents in Share Point / ELO.
• Maintain living inventory of evaluations / other research activities completed within the project / across the Consortium, including summary of lessons learnt and the best practices.
• Identify MEAL capacity development needs of the project staff, provide MEAL training to project staff or organize external training.

Work with different donor and good understanding of donor requirements.

• The position holder executes MEAL activities with projects funded by EC.
• Good understanding on various donor compliancy and checklists.

Communications and working relationships

• Collaborate and coordinate with the other MEAL teams and other relevant personnel (e.g. project and program managers) across Consortium on the MEAL framework development and practices when required.
• Proactively seek and promote best practice as part of monitoring, evaluation and program effectiveness practice.

Dealing with Problems/Problem solution

• Develop and implement new methodologies for improving the overall project MEAL system.
• Identify weaknesses in monitoring and evaluation practice on Consortium level and develop targeted solutions alongside the identification and promotion of high-quality evaluation practice.
• Strongly cooperate with the project teams on problem solutions.
• Regularly participate in project review sessions / other meetings and support project teams in finding solutions for implementation.
• Any other related tasks as agreed and discussed with the MEAL Unit Manager.

ACCOUNCOUNTABILITY AND SAFEGUARDING including Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH)

• Carry out the duties in accordance with the PIN Code of Conduct and Key policies.
• Participate in training and awareness raising (CoC and KP, Safeguarding…).
• Implement Safeguarding measures throughout the project cycle including a risk analysis related to SEAH and Child protection for each project and develop a mitigation plan accordingly.
• Ensure that his/her team members attend training and awareness sessions and carry out the duties in accordance with PIN Code of Conduct and Key policies.
• Ensure that due diligence and/or capacity assessments of partners include an assessment of partners’ implementation of key safeguarding and risk policies/ procedure including the prevention of SEAH.
• Create and maintain a fulfilling and protective environment.

General obligations and responsibilities

The Employee is obligated not to purvey any information concerning any of PIN activities to outsiders (including former PIN employees, who may no more be informed about current process in PIN).

PIN is a relief and development organization whose aim is to help and assist needy people. The Employee’s position within the institution requires contacts with outside; he or she therefore conveys a certain image of the PIN. PIN expects its Employees to behave in appropriate manners at all times and in all places. All members of staff should ensure their attitudes correspond to PIN principles, both during and after working hours.

The Employee takes over the responsibility for all entrusted material or cash. The Employee is obligated to cover all damages or losses caused by his carelessness. The Agreement of Liability of Assets has been signed separately.

Benefit

• Standard work schedule of 40 hours per week from Monday to Friday
• Per diems for working and Accommodation outside of the duty office depending on the location
• Transport Allowance
• Bank loan facilities
• 20 days of paid annual and after 5 years of work an extra paid day for every year
• Extra days of paid leaves for selected holidays
• Medical insurance, including spouse and children
• Accident insurance for all injuries during work time based on the law
• Pension contribution of 11 % from PIN
• Paternity leave of extra 2 paid days above the mandatory 3 days
• Maternity leave according to the law and extra financial motherhood support
• Monthly mobile phone hybrid tariff
• PIN supports fast career growth and internal mobility
• International environment with opportunities to learn from other PIN’s country programs
• Extensive Capacity Building program, both internal and external trainings, including the Induction training
• Internal online learning opportunities, such as access to PIN’s e-learning platform and webinars
• Annual staff retreat
• Friendly and fair work environment with small collective where everyone knows each other

• Minimum Bachelor degree in Social Science, development study, economics , statistics and related fields of studies.
• Minimum 2 to 5 years of MEAL experience in management level
• Experience in consortium MEAL and on similar position
• Experience in developing consortium project M& E plans, training staff , capacity building quantitative and qualitative data collection , analysis and reporting and other aspects of M&E.
• Culturally sensitive, the ability to work in teams/ isolated situation and stressful environments and under pressure of meeting deadlines.
• Knowledge about core humanitarian standards
• Previous working experience in the INGO environment
• Computer friendly (Word, excel, power point, outlook etc)
• knowledge of spoken & written Amharic and English.
• 3 strong references (will be crosschecked/contacted