Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer

Title: Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer 

Location:  Gambella, Ethiopia

Employment Category:  H2

Reporting To:  Area Manager

Start of Contract & Duration:  Six Months with the possibility of extensions

Posting date: July 27, 2022

Required Employee: 1                    

INTRODUCTION

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC promotes and supports solutions to the problems faced by refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and migrants. The organization has offices across the region and has been operational in Ethiopia since 2009.  With funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, DRC is currently implementing a range of activities across Ethiopia and Djibouti, including WASH and shelter provision, child and youth protection, gender-based violence response, awareness-raising of migration risks, protection monitoring of migration routes, and livelihoods support for returning migrants or those at-risk of migration.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Officer will provide technical support to all projects and oversee all MEAL activities, including assisting project teams in defining indicators, developing data collection tools and data collection methodologies, and leading data assessments and project audit in the Gambella field offices. The Officer will collaborate closely with the Addis Ababa-based MEAL technical team, Gambela-based MEAL Specialist and program team to ensure compliance with DRC’s MEAL requirements and best practices.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure full compliance with DRC’s Minimum Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Standards in all projects implemented by the Gambella field office.
• Lead the development of MEAL components of project proposals, including the development of indicators and project-specific MEAL plans. MEAL plans and DIP will be developed in close collaboration with program teams and will be used to populate DRC’s Performance Monitoring Tracker (PMT), which will be used by the program and MEAL teams to provide monthly updates and analysis of progress against indicators. 
• In close collaboration with the Addis Ababa-based MEAL technical team, Gambella-based MEAL specialist, and the program team, develop sector-specific data collection tools and ensure their proper use by implementing teams. The position will ensure the timeliness and quality of data collection, and ensure all captured data is managed according to protection information management standards and best practices.
• In collaboration with Gambella-based MEAL Specialist, lead field-level assessments, including baseline, mid-term, end-line, and post-distribution monitoring surveys.
• In collaboration with Addis Ababa-based MEAL database officer and Gambella-based MEAL Specialist, ensure data for all projects is properly reported and verified in a MEAL reporting system.
• Liaise with Addis Ababa-based accountability specialist, Gambella-based protection team and promote safeguarding and PSEA awareness creation in MEAL activities 
• Produce monthly analysis reports with updates on the implementation status of all assigned projects. This will entail flagging areas of concern, developing recommendations for corrective actions to share with the Area Manager, implementing teams and the MEAL Manager, and documenting lessons learned.
• In collaboration with the Addis Ababa-based MEAL team facilitate field-level learning events to capture, document, and disseminate lessons learned for internal and external purposes.
• Under the guidance of the Addis Ababa-based MEAL team, conduct internal project audits with an eye to ensuring means of verification are documented and reflect data reported by the implementing teams.
• Identify and conduct MEAL-related capacity-building needs and opportunities for DRC’s program staff in the Gambella field office and assume responsibility for facilitating training on Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), and beneficiary feedback and response mechanisms.
• In collaboration with the country-level Accountability specialist, assume responsibility for the implementation of and compliance with DRC Ethiopia’s Beneficiary Feedback and Response Mechanism, and all associated tools and SOPs, in the Gambella field office.
• Coordinate with regional technical lines bureaus and the Refugee and Returnees Service (RRS) for reporting purposes and during project monitoring exercises and terminal evaluations.
• Provide support in preparing and reviewing reports and verifying consistency between collected data, means of verification, PMT and donor reports.

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master

DRC’s core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.  
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.  
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.  
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.  

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)

• Bachelor Degree or above in Social Science, Statistics, Project Management, M & E or other related fields.
• A Minimum of three years of  related work experience on monitoring and evaluation
• Previous experience in refugee and humanitarian context with  International NGOs, UN agencies, line ministries and/or local authorities in humanitarian settings
• Demonstrated experience translating log frames and results frameworks into monitoring plans, developing data collection tools and protocols, leading data collection and management process, designing and managing databases, and analyzing data.
• Proven technical skills in monitoring and evaluation and experience with both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Excellent analytical, presentation, and report writing skills.
• Experience using software applications such as Excel, Access, or statistics software such as SPSS, STATA.
• Previous experience with electronic or mobile data collection.

• Experience in developing databases for project and programmatic data tracking
• Experience in participatory assessment and community-based monitoring approaches
• Experience with capacity building of national staff, and in convening and facilitating trainings and workshops
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills – fluency and capacity to write in English and Amharic is required
• Knowledge of local language Nuer or/and Anyuaa language (spoken) will be an asset.
• Cultural sensitivity, and commitment and understanding of the values of DRC. Good communication skills.
• Commitment to learning and implementing organizational policies and procedures
• Proven ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.

EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)

• University degree in statistics, economics, social sciences or  related discipline

LANGUAGE: (indicate fluency level)

• English (fluent)
• Amharic (fluent)

TO APPLY

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit an updated CV and cover letter explaining their motivation and why they are suited for the post. 

We only accept applications sent via our online-application form on https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationForm/SinglePageApplicationForm.aspx?cid=1036&departmentId=19012&ProjectId=165289 under Vacancies.  

Please forward the application and CV, in English through the stated website no later than August 10, 2022. 

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.ngo

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gendergap.
Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status, or other protected characteristics

We encourage only qualified Ethiopian Nationals to apply. DRC considers all applicants based on merit.