Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Specialist at Church World Service

Primary Purpose:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Specialist will provide the technical leadership necessary to ensure that CWS Africa meets its monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning commitments.

The MEAL specialist plays a key role in putting in place state of the art data management tools and systems to ensure data collected is analysed and used to inform programming. S/he also drives improvements to accountability mechanisms, i.e. Complaint and Feedback Mechanism (CFM,) and supports building an organisational culture around learning. S/he also plays a vital capacity-building role, leading the unit while empowering staff (international and national) to advance their skills.

The Meal Specialist supervises the Program Monitor.

Essential Duties: 

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Ensure all approved projects have an approved MEAL plan.
• Take the lead on designing new monitoring tools for better integrated monitoring at project-level of beneficiary assistance.
• Ensure project MEAL data points are updated with accurate data monthly, and key findings are shared with management at the program review meetings.
• Ensure the usage (on a midterm basis) and improvement of the tools that measure country program-wide performance and achievements.
• Oversee the design and implementation of Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) Workplan, data collection and analysis.
• Provide technical assistance and quality assurance to MEAL Unit staff (including but not limited to the design of MEAL plans, data collection tools, monitoring work plans, data management and analysis) to ensure the MEAL Unit adequately supports program.
• Lead on, or participate in, needs assessment exercises, including the development of assessment protocols, data collection tools, data analysis and reporting
• Present program M&E, research, and learning to internal stakeholders and the program team in a way that influences decision-makers and promotes adaptations from learning.
• Provide inputs (i.e. data analysis) to monthly Program Meetings to ensure projects stay on track with their achievements and make corrections/improvements based on the evidence generated.
• Facilitate dialogue and collaboration between MEAL and Program Teams at field level, in collaboration with Coordinators and Managers.

Accountability

• Ensure continued functioning, use of and improvements to the beneficiary feedback and response mechanism, and adherence to regional standards and expectations.
• Contribute to staff understanding and capacity building of accountability principles.

Learning

• Collaborate with colleagues to ensure learning events are conducted for implemented projects before the closure of the project to document learnings and best practices for future. 

 Information and Communications Technology

• Provides guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that the MEAL systems meet the program data, evidence, and learning needs, including the sharing of information internally and externally, and help address shortfalls in MEAL and data management that affect program implementation.
• Act as the CWS Africa program focal point for organization-wide or cross-sectoral MEAL-related data management, consolidation/aggregation or reporting requirements.
• Support the Compliance unit to work with program teams to develop robust data generation, management and utilization systems.
• Support Compliance and program teams effectively share MEAL resources for learning, knowledge management and communication across programs and locations 

Qualifications: 

Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years total experience.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation accountability and learning, including relevant experience building and managing M&E systems and teams and relevant experience supervising data collection and analysis.
• Experience with USRAP preferred.

Skills: 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work in person and remotely with geographically dispersed and culturally distinct teams.
• Strong ability to facilitate a collaborative environment among colleagues and stakeholders to promote effective coordination.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Self-motivated, able to take initiative, resilient and able to work independently.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work cooperatively.
• Adapts and copes with pressure. 

Education & Certifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree (or 4 years of work experience in lieu of a bachelor’s degree)
• Master’s Degree is preferred

Abilities: 

• Work and make decisions independently and contribute to overall operations at management levels
• Exercise good judgment and seek guidance as appropriate when confronted with unanticipated problems in the field;  
• Maintain a high performance standard with attention to detail, completing tasks within set timeframes; 
• Exercise good judgement and seek guidance as appropriate when confronted with unanticipated problems;  
• Deal effectively and courteously with a large number of associates, outside agencies, refugees and members of the general public; 
• Manage large and diverse workload under pressure with competing priorities.
• Maintain the integrity of official records;  
• Analyse and solve complex problems and make sound decisions;  
• Work with minimal supervision
• Maintain a high performance standard with attention to detail;  
• Work independently and contribute to overall operations of RSC Africa;   
• Actively participate in the implementation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).  
• Be flexible with changing of daily duties as needed.