MEAL Coordinator – Somali Cash Consortium

About the role: This is a 2-year, new role with unaccompanied terms based in Mogadishu, Somalia with frequent travel to the different programme areas in the country and to Nairobi on a salary of Band 4 (€44,133 – €49,038)

You will report to the Somali Cash Consortium Programme Coordinator and you will work closely with the Programme Managers/Coordinator 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 analyst. You will directly supervise the CMU MEAL intern.

We would like you to start in February 2023.

Background:

The Somali Cash Consortium is led by Concern Worldwide. Since 2018, the Somali Cash Consortium has implemented large-scale humanitarian cash transfer programmes in the country. Consortium Members include ACTED, COOPI, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council Save the Children and IMPACT Initiatives. An EU funded three-year Social Transfer Programme has begun in December 2020.

Job Purpose:

Reporting to the Somali Cash Consortium Programme Coordinator and serving as a member of the Consortium Management Unit (CMU), the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Manager 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 Working Group, ensuring relevant data are collected and applied to decision making. S/he will be responsible for coordinating with and capacity building the M&E Unit set up within relevant ministries and to ensure research studies and findings are released to a wider audience to bring awareness of the programme and its impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Member of Consortium Management Unit (CMU)
• Supporting the development and managing the implementation of internal and donor-level Consortium reporting
• Leading the development and managing the dissemination of learning, communication and advocacy initiatives and outputs
• 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 leading M&E Technical Working Group, charged with developing M&E processes, tools, analysis and modes of engagement, ensuring government and donor engagement as required and depending on the programme
• 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
• Strengthen links with M&E departments in other Consortium Members through effective and on-going coordination, information-sharing and results dissemination
• Research and advise on up-to-date M&E techniques, including remote quality control measures, in line with the programme objectives
• Support the Programme Management Working Group, charged with developing implementation tools and strategy
  • 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
  • Participate in and actively contribute to programme coordination meetings and planning sessions
  • Advise Consortium Members and government to ensure 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 a consistent and high level of communication with the Consortium Members, donor and government as well as respond and follow-up to ad-hoc donor and Consortium Member requests
  • Contribute to the consolidation of programme revisions and contribute to writing of new proposals as required
  • Support the M&E Unit in relevant line ministries, provide coaching and mentoring and contribute to developing the capacity of the M&E Unit
  • Support in developing the learning agenda of the Social Transfer programme 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, providing feedbacks to partners on the implementation and agree on way forward for concerns raised

Accountability

• • Ensure 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 in Somalia

Learning

• • Advise and support M&E teams of Consortium Members on implementation of programme assessment, 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 it is future proofed and fit for purpose – leading the 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 to coordinate collection of stories, case studies, pictures, etc. for raising the profile of the humanitarian situation in Somalia
    – 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 member programme teams, design remote management data collection tools including use of Digital Data Gathering tools, primarily using 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 and share lessons learnt with Concern country offices starting to use the platform and HQ 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 Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA)
    – 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
• Bachelor’s qualification in international development or other relevant discipline
• Experience working in remote-management context
• Previous experience in M&E of humanitarian and development programmes and strong understanding of M&E principles and processes, including database management, reporting etc
• Previous experience working within consortia 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

Desirable:

• Experience working in Somalia
• Evidence of continued professional development, particularly a professional qualification/certificate in monitoring and evaluation and/or programme cycle management
• A strong understanding of Gender programing
• 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

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short-listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance – for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent – please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

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Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.