National Project Personnel- MEAL Specialist

Organizational Setting

In response to the rapidly deteriorating food security situation caused by the outbreak of war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, FAO has developed a Rapid Response Plan (RRP) to provide life and livelihood saving interventions for the most vulnerable small and medium-sized farming households. The RRP has been designed to meet critical, time-sensitive agricultural deadlines for production and harvest, and addresses market functionality and access for vulnerable populations FAO is utilizing a programmatic approach to implement the RRP whereby individual contributions from resource partners contribute to the overall achievements of the programme. FAO is investing in productivity of the regions least affected by conflict in the immediate term while closely monitoring for further investment in areas which become accessible as the context evolves.

The RRP has been designed to meet critical, time-sensitive agricultural deadlines for production and harvest, and addresses market functionality and access for vulnerable populations in Ukraine. The RRP focused on achieving three (3) strategic objectives: SO 1: Maintenance of critical food production systems; SO 2: Support for agri-food supply chains, value chains and markets; and SO 3: Ensure accurate and ongoing analysis of evolving food security status and needs. FAO is seeking for USD 115.4 million for the implementation of the Rapid Response Plan (RRP) to support 981,627 individuals (327,209 households) for activities to be carried out through December 2022, and the evolution of the current crisis in Ukraine will determine the continuity of the RRP into 2023. FAO is currently implementing 13 projects under the RRP with support from its operational office in Lviv and Polyana, a temporarily non-operational office in Kyiv, and plans for a field office in Dnipro.

Reporting Lines

The National Monitoring, Evaluation, Aaccountability and Learning (MEAL) Specialist will operate under the overall supervision of the DRO/Head of the FAO Ukraine Country Office; the direct supervision of the Head of Programme Development; and under the technical guidance of the International M&E Specialist.

Technical Focus:

The MEAL Specialist will be responsible for data management as well as design, coordination and implementation of a Monitoring and Evaluation (MEAL) framework for the projects and specifically carry out the following tasks:

Tasks and responsibilities

• In coordination with the international MEAL Specialist, support in beneficiary selection, verification and validation for both cash and in-kind interventions across different oblast. • Support in the development of monitoring tools and conducting monitoring visits for distribution monitoring, and Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM), and assessments. • Support other team members in conducting case studies, and field visits to communities of interventions, implementing partner on MEAL needs, and other partners’ centers to conduct Focus Group Discussions and interviews with beneficiaries and other stakeholders (If needed) • Support program learning and decision-making by posing thoughtful questions, engaging with project data, reflecting upon and sharing with project management the information gathered from community members and partners • Implementing MEAL internal activities and responding to all comments and feedback would be resulted from those activities. • Support the implementation of FAO’s MEAL system at programme and project levels, promoting programme quality through accountability and learning practices. • Support with the mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues (especially Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP), gender, and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)) into programming. • Monitor and report any MEAL-related challenges and gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist implementing partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. • Support program learning and decision-making by posing thoughtful questions, engaging with project data, reflecting upon and sharing with project management the information gathered from community members and partners. • Foster participatory planning and monitoring by training and involving primary stakeholder groups in the M&E of activities. • Ensure program team collect high quality monitoring data timely manner collate/organise data for reporting. • Support the development of innovative data collection and monitoring tools. • Support field-level project M&E activities (including digital data collection) and assisting partners in their efforts to collect and ensure timely evidence-based analysis of project data per specified mechanisms and tools. Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare MEAL-related aspects of reports per established reporting schedule. • As needed, train enumerators and Implementing partners on administration various questionnaires and data collection tools related to project monitoring, baseline and evaluations. • Collect data from hotline operators on weekly basis, analyse as required and produce report. • Ensure program team collect high quality monitoring data timely manner collate/ organise data for reporting. • Manage and maintain accurate database, develop tools using KOBO Collect, and maintain an upto date indicator tracker. • Any other tasks as necessary.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• At least a Bachelor's Degree in related field and 2 years of professional experience. • A minimum of two (2) years of experience in the field of data management, MEAL or RBM. • Working knowledge of English is mandatory. • National of Ukraine.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Previous experience with local or international NGOs on Accountability • Experience in participatory action planning, monitoring, and community engagement with a range of humanitarian actors, including governments, UN agencies, academic institutions, networks, national/local NGOs, and community groups • Proven experience in establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, methodologies, and reporting on findings. • Experience in data management and using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) as well as Kobo Collect and SPSS. • Experience and understanding of programming cycles and key milestones and processes. • Experience with the UN would be an asset.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.