Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer

Job Description

IRC is Responding to the world’s worst humanitarian crises in a great variety of roles, the International Rescue Committee’s staff is a force for humanity and hope. If you’re skilled and passionate, we’d like to add your energy to ours.

We are one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provide relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. We are committed to innovation and creative partnerships.

Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, we assist people from harm to home.

Country Background:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. IRC has been working in Ethiopia since 1999 and is implementing coordinated, community-managed programs aimed at improving the quality of lives and recovery of livelihood of the disaster affected population, including host communities, through promoting individual participation, strengthening institutions, and emergency response.

JOB OVERVIEW:

Reporting to and technically supported by the Senior MEAL Manager, the MEAL Officer works in close collaboration with program teams to optimize monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning capacities and opportunities of the IRC mission in Ethiopia , Adama Field Office, to ensure high-quality programming for the clients we serve and support the global ambitions of IRC Strategy 100, and the Country Strategic Action Plan. The MEAL Officer oversees, leads and implements MEAL activities of all active Grants/Projects in the Adama Field Office (covering Oromia region) within the Country MEAL team.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and Partnership

- Support all technical aspects and actions of MEAL regarding the specific field Office; respond to program needs; foster high standards and practices for quality data collection, analysis, and reports. Enable accountability to clients, partners, and donors. - Implement and support MEAL system and approaches in your areas of expertise and foster learning as per the IRC MEAL Standards. - Represent IRC at technical meetings, forums, and other events & build partnerships within IRC and area of expertise. - Champion access and use of data for shared learning, sound decision-making, and data-informed programmatic adaptations.

Technical Oversight

Run the MEAL system and processes for the field office in harmony with the MEAL Country and Global Strategies throughout the project cycle which include:

- Collaborate with MEAL and non-MEAL staff to ensure that data is collected, compiled, checked for its quality and completeness in compliance with IRC and donors’ standards for quality. - Conduct regular data quality checks and audits and analysis to ensure high-quality data, compile a report with relevant indicator data per grant, showing targets versus actuals. - Beneficiary counting: a quarterly gender and age disaggregated overview per grant per sector should be provided. - Document and share learning, evidence, and data from previous projects to inform project proposal design. - Implement MEAL plans, revise (digital) data collection tools, follow-up on processes for online data management, quality checks, and audits, and updating of data visualization. - Undertake regular analysis of monitoring data and work closely with program officers and managers to facilitate decision-making for real-time program adaptation. - Produce quality reports and updating dashboards with key findings that foster learning and decision-making and share in project cycle management meetings and team meetings. - Identify, document, and share key findings and client feedback to improve services and results for our clients.

- Support deployment of surveys such as baseline/end line, Post Distribution Monitoring, and the commission of evaluations in coordination with colleagues and partners. - Support the use of standard mobile data technology and online dashboard to enhance timeliness and quality of data collection, analysis and visualization. - Join and contribute to IRC’s effort in meeting its internal and external accountability commitments through the implementation of sound accountability, client feedback, and response mechanisms. - Provide technical support to other field offices when there is a need or where there is less number of grants in the permanently assigned field office. - Work closely with Safe Programming Team and Sectors to ensure gender equality and client safety. - Facilitate capacity building for program staff (especially the MEAL focal points/sector managers on skills and knowledge related to M&E and accountability and learning, including IRC global initiatives.

Human Resources

- Coordinate, lead, mentor MEAL Officers/Assistant(s); foster timely and high-quality achievement, and an inclusive and respectful team climate. - Promote the growth and development of others in IRC teams and partners: present high-quality technical training and learning material for partners, colleagues, and junior staff. - Participate in the recruitment and onboarding of M&E/MEAL Assistant, field incentive workers and enumerators.

Qualifications

- A technical degree or equivalent - additional relevant work experience. - A minimum 3 year of working experience in a related field. - Possess basic technical knowledge of M&E approaches and techniques in some or all of the following areas: Outputs, Outcome monitoring; Theories of Change, Logical frameworks, Data collection, Basic data analysis, Accountability, Client feedback mechanisms. - Experience in conducting primary quantitative data collection and data entry. - Basic proficiency and experience with mobile data collection such as Kobo, CommCare, ODK Collect is required, knowledge of Tableau, PowerBi, or GIS software tools are additional assets. - Good computer skills in MS Office, especially Excel; and Word – with experience in writing reports. - Self-motivated and pro-active attitude with good organization, planning, and analytic skills, including prioritizing work, multi-tasking, and attention to detail. - Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and in constantly evolving work environments; - Demonstrated analytical, systematic-thinking, and problem-solving skills are definite assets; - A strong understanding of accountability and proven ability to build Client Feedback Systems - Language [basic knowledge of the local language commonly spoken in the field office] - Willingness to travel to various field-level offices/sub-offices or sites [60%]

At IRC - we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment.

We acknowledge and honor the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other human demographic.