Senior MEAL Manager

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Inside Syria, 7.6 million people are internally displaced and 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 4.8 million in hard-to-reach areas. There are 4 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. With an annual budget in excess of $140 million and a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 3,000 staff and workers in the region, IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, education, women’s protection and empowerment, NFI and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary

Reporting directly to the MEAL Coordinator, the Snr. MEAL Manager will strengthen the MEAL efforts, approaches and systems to foster learning and accountability for our clients; support IRC’s global and measurement ambitions of Strategy 100 and the Country Strategic Action Plan. The Snr. MEAL Manager will oversee the MEAL aspects of all sectors within the Northwest Syria (NWS) hub MEAL team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Technical Support Oversight (70%)

·Establish and maintain strong MEAL systems and practices in NWS that are in compliance with the Syria CP MEAL strategy, global guidelines and standards, encompassing both programs implemented by IRC as well as programs implemented in partnership with partners;

·Ensure that all activities IRC and/or partner implemented activities are properly tracked and monitored through the Syria CP/IRC and/or project specific monitoring tools and practices;

·Provide MEAL technical assistance to program teams and provide technical inputs into the set-up, implementation and close-out stages of program management, i.e. measurement methodologies, plans and tools, and data collection, quality assurance, management and analysis;

·Support the implementation of internal or external program evaluations

·Organize and support culture of learning that is focused on using data for making programmatic and evidence-based decisions;

·Contribute to the MEAL Unit’s, and wider country program’s, programmatic and organizational learning efforts;

·Work with the Syria IM and T4P Manager and the NWS Snr. Data and Reporting Officer to identify information or data management gaps to develop and apply (digital) technology solutions;

·Consult with the Regional Senior Client Responsiveness Specialist and the NWS Snr. CR Officer for ensuring that the latest and most developed CR practices are in place.

·Assist program and partnership units to maintain and improve upon compliance initiatives that intersect with M&E;

·Recruit, support and oversee the technical quality of work by MEAL unit team members supporting the unit’s and program teams’ implementation of MEAL systems.

·lead the implementation of assessments and research activities in NWS aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC programming, as well as to inform IRC advocacy;

·Contribute to the greater sharing and use of data (including client feedback data), research and learning within IRC’s program sectors, to ensure interventions are responsive to needs and informed by a sound understanding of the humanitarian context in NWS.

·Support the development of strong proposals and generating high-quality reports that reflects achievements of ongoing or ending projects.

·Ensure that Theories or Change (TOCs) and Logical frame works (Logframes) of all newly developed proposals are based on the Syria CP strategy and Macro Logframe;

·Ensure that all activities and achievements are reported on a monthly basis into the Syria CP Aggregated Data Management System (ADMS) and that all reports are validated for being final, accurate, and complete;

·As the primary budget holder for MEAL activities in NWS, the Snr. MEAL Manager must manage, and track all MEAL budgets and related expenses in NWS and other Amman based MEAL support functions.

·Facilitate the dissemination of MEAL findings to programs by preparing learning materials, briefs, fact sheets, and presentations.

·Oversee the dissemination and implementation  of adequate Client Responsiveness mechanisms across NWS per the Syria CP/IRC SOPs and policies for ensuring that client feedback channels are accessible by clients and community members.  

·Ensure that CR data from both IRC and partner implemented projects are systematically collected, recorded, analyzed and utilized for program adaptation, learning and to inform future program designs and decision making.

Leadership and Partnership (20%)

·Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of NWS MEAL team members in relevant technical and managerial competencies;

·Coordinate with the MEAL Coordinator and Snr. Program Quality Coordinator for ensuring that IM staffing within the programs is consistent with the Syria CP M&E Policy and SOP.

·Implement remote management capacity building approaches to build the strengths of the team in NWS;

·Support in the identification of capacity building needs and coordinate with the MEAL Coordinator for addressing and responding to them;

·Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews;

·Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions;

·Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures, and communicates through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Partnership and Capacity Building (10%)

·Build the capacity of program and partners’ staff in relevant technical and management competencies.

·Schedule, organize and lead the delivery of training sessions for IRC and partner staff based on the pre-set capacity building plan approved by the MEAL Coordinator.

·Provide feedback to the MEAL Coordinator and technical Coordinators on all program technical data quality and systems strengths and issues to improve.

·Champion robust partner relationship management characterized by the core partnership principles from IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) of responsibility, results-oriented approach, equality, transparency, and complementarity

·Ensure appropriate proactive and reactive communications and engagement with IRC partners to implement   sub-grant   agreements   and   complete   program   deliverables through   regularly scheduled partnership management meetings

·As requested, present the IRC or MEAL team in internal or external meetings.

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports Directly to:  Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) Coordinator

Position directly Supervises: M&E Manager, Snr. Data and Reporting Officer, Snr. Client Responsiveness Officer

Key Internal Contacts: All programme staff in addition to the following departments/units; Grants, Partnership, Finance, Access and Security, and Supply Chain.

Key External Contacts: Partner organizations, other humanitarian actors, working groups or clusters, Contracted (TPM) Monitors.