MEAL Coordinator, Somali Cash Consortium

About the role: This is a 2-year replacement on unaccompanied terms based in Hargeisa, Somaliland with frequent travel to the different Concern / Cash Consortium programme areas in the country and Nairobi on a salary of Band 4 (€45,457 – €50,509).

You will report to the Somali Cash Consortium Programme Director, and you will work closely with the Programme Managers/Coordinators and M&E Focal Points of Consortium Members, relevant line ministries, and other Consortium Management Unit (CMU) staff, particularly the programme team and the Information Management Analyst. You will directly supervise other CMU MEAL staff as other team members will be recruited.

We would like you to start at the beginning of June 2024.

Background:

The Somali Cash Consortium (SCC) is led by Concern Worldwide. Since its establishment in 2018, the SCC has implemented large-scale humanitarian cash transfer programmes in the country and long-term cash based social transfers project – with funding from ECHO, EU, KfW/UNICEF, Danish, and Swedish embassies. Consortium members include ACTED, COOPI, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council Save the Children and IMPACT Initiatives. Further details are available here

Job Purpose:

Reporting to the Somali Cash Consortium Programme Director and working as a member of the Consortium Management Unit (CMU), the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator will contribute to the strategic thinking, planning, and overall coordination efforts of the Consortium. S/he is responsible for setting up and managing the work of the Consortium M&E Technical Work, ensuring relevant data are collected and applied to decision making. S/he will be responsible for coordinating with, and strengthen capacities of the M&E Unit set up within relevant ministries in order to ensure research and studies findings are released to a wider audience for the sake of capitalising on learning, capturing impact, and raising awareness on key matters.

Key Responsibilities:

• As a member of CMU, s/he is supporting the development and management of consolidated internal and donor-level consortium reporting systems.
• Leading the development and managing the dissemination of learning and advocacy initiatives and outputs (e.g., position papers, studies, etc.).
• Managing the development of all MEAL-related tools and oversee all partners’ data collection.
• Representing the Somali Cash Consortium at technical coordination and working-group meetings as needed.
• Contribute to project proposal development.
• Supervise M&E staff within the CMU.
• Provide on the job support to CMU staff on MEAL-related work.
• Coordinate with and capacity building the M&E Unit set up within relevant ministries.

Specific responsibilities:

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Set up and lead M&E Technical Working Group, to ensure smooth development and maintenance/adaptation of M&E processes, tools, analysis and modes of engagement, while at the same time engaging with government line ministries and donors as required and appropriate.
• Act as focal point and work cooperatively in the planning and implementation of M&E activities throughout the programme cycle (baseline, midline, end line, evaluation) with Consortium Members.
• Research and advise on up-to-date M&E techniques, including remote quality control measures, in line with the programme objectives.
  • Review and revise M&E reports providing feedback and quality assurance on data analysis and writing before sharing to external parties. This includes supporting in the writing of donor reports.
  • Lead on report writing for studies conducted by the CMU and its partners and liaise / coordinate with consultants for studies commissioned externally
  • Participate in, and actively contribute to programme coordination meetings and planning sessions.
  • Advise Consortium Members and other programme stakeholders (including government whenever appropriate) to ensure that M&E plans are in place and followed, and that reporting templates are up-to-date, effective and appropriate.
  • Lead the design of surveys, liaising as necessary with Consortium Members and Concern’s Programme Approaches Learning Unit (PALU) team and technical advisors in Dublin.
  • Maintain consistent, high level, and up to date communication flows with the Consortium Members, donor and government as well as respond and follow-up on ad-hoc requests from donors and Consortium Members.
  • Contribute to the consolidation of programme revisions and contribute to writing of new proposals as required.
  • Support the M&E Unit within relevant line ministries, provide coaching and mentoring and contribute to developing their M&E capacity.
  • Support the development of a learning agenda for Social Transfer projects together with relevant government ministries, and lead on the research studies for the humanitarian programme.
  • Conduct field visits to monitor the progress of the humanitarian and social transfer programme, while providing feedback to partners on the implementation and agree on way forward for concerns raised.

Accountability

• Ensure that accountability is embedded within all programme activities and ensure compliance with the requirements of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).
• Monitor the results and processes of Consortium Members’ Complaints Response Mechanisms (CRM), to ensure maximum protection of programme participants and the efficient and transparent use of resources.
• Advise on the establishment and maintenance of proper feedback mechanisms in line with accountability standards.
• Support the M&E Unit in the relevant line ministries in developing an accountability strategy.
• Support the Cash Working Group (CWG) technical MEAAP workstream in providing guidance to the wider humanitarian community on accountability and MEAL in CVA.

Learning

• Advise and support M&E teams within Consortium Members on the implementation of programme assessment mechanisms, surveys and evaluations.
• Ensure that all assessment/evaluation reports meet Concern and DAC criteria, and promote the integration of recommendations and lessons learnt in project planning and future programming.
• Lead on operational research components connected to programme implementation.
• Capture evidence and learning from programme M&E and Consortium processes in order to test approaches and ensure that they are replicable / scalable and fit for purpose – as well as lead on drafting and dissemination of position papers and reports on the implementation of the different Social Transfer models and humanitarian CVA.
• Work with the Consortium Members and Concern Grants and Information Manager to coordinate collection of stories, case studies, pictures, etc. for raising the profile of the humanitarian situation in compliance with donor visibility requirements.
• Support the M&E Unit in the relevant line ministries in developing and implementing a learning agenda linked to the Social Transfer Programme.

Information Management

• In conjunction with members of the various programme teams, design remote management data collection tools including use of Digital Data Gathering tools, primarily through ODK ONA and Red Rose.
• Improve the storage and dissemination of information within the programme.
• Lead the relationship with the RedRose Beneficiary & Transfer Managing System (BTMS) technical staff, as well as share lessons learnt with HQ/Concern country offices starting to use the platform as required.
• Advise on appropriate data collection technologies, including database storage and management and contribute to its development and improvements.

Capacity Building

• Advise M&E staff in Consortium Members and contribute to their capacity building
• Lead on the capacity building activities of the M&E Unit in the relevant line Ministry
• Lead on the capacity building activities of the M&E staff of SCC local partners
• Supervise the work of the M&E staff within the CMU and develop a capacity building plan

Skills and Experience Required:

Essential:

• At least 5 years’ experience in the humanitarian/international development sector, specifically focusing on M&E of humanitarian and development programmes (i.e., strong understanding of M&E principles and processes, including database management, reporting, etc.).
• Bachelor’s qualification in international development or other relevant discipline.
• Experience working in remote management contexts.
• Previous experience working within consortia settings and strong coordination/negotiation skills specifically with the ability to effectively coordinate among Consortium Members and actively contribute to creating a high-paced, flexible, team-oriented culture.
• Sound knowledge and practical experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection methods.
• Sound knowledge of statistical concepts, with experience in sampling methodologies and data analysis.
• Experience working with Digital Data Gathering systems (ONA, ODK, RedRose) and data visualisation (Power BI).
• Experience with Cash Transfer Programmes, ideally applying mobile money-based cash delivery.
• Demonstrable experience in the nurturing of organisational learning in programmes.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal.
• Strong facilitation and training skills.
• Ability to work effectively with, and contribute to, multidisciplinary teams and provide team leadership as required.
• Strong understanding of research methodologies and the nature of evidence
• Computer literate with Microsoft Office, Outlook, Excel and Word
• Experience working in an insecure setting, with complex power structures and volatile situations – thus requiring to abide to strict security protocols.

Desirable:

• Experience working in horn of Africa or similar fragile contexts
• Evidence of continued professional development, particularly a professional qualification/certificate in monitoring and evaluation and/or programme cycle management.
• A strong understanding of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) programming.
• A background in operational research.
• Knowledge of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and Sphere standards.
• Strong interest in the application of innovate Information and Communication Technology
• Experience in using Excel’s Power Query, Microsoft BI, Common Data Service and/or Power Apps.