Monitoring, Evaluating, Learning, and Accountability (MEAL) Manager

General job description:

Working within the framework established by the organization, the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Manager ensures the consistency and quality of the delegation’s M&E strategies and activities. S/he coordinates and supervises the MEAL team and takes responsibility for decisions and actions in the M&E field, operating in coordination with program, technical, and project managers.

The Manager ensures that the delegation’s teams are given appropriate and effective methodological support consistent with the approaches, methods, and tools used within the delegation in the M&E field.

S/he ensures that MEAL applies to and is an integral part of all Tdh departments, and that the MEAL team plays a support role for the rest of the organisation.

S/he supports an institutional culture that encourages critical thinking, joint analysis, collective learning and teamwork, as part of the organisation’s focus on quality and accountability.

S/he helps develop a dynamic approach to MEAL inside and outside Tdh (as part of regional partnerships, networks, centres of expertise, working groups, etc.).

Main responsibilities:

Strategic MEAL

• Helps develop and implement the delegation’s strategic MEAL orientations in coordination with the Head of Delegation, Programme Coordinator and Programme Team and, Regional / HQ Quality & Accountability staff. Support the transitioning from a “emergency” focused MEAL strategies towards more longer term and nexus based approaches and methods.
• Helps implement a appropriate and effective MEAL systems that brings together project and programme partners during the monitoring plan design phase, data collection and analysis, for an optimal use of data for project steering, and strategic development. Orient the development of 2 elements particularly at stake in Tdh – Iraq : establish learning strategies for the projects and enhance sound data analysis processes.
• Promote the use of MEAL approaches that are participatory, qualitative, and child-friendly and that enable to forster accountability, outcomes tracking and empowerment of stakeholders.
• Guide the setup of Feedback & complaint response mechanisms thare are based on safe, relevant and accessible channels and embedded in a broader strategy to promote accountability (together with community engagement, information sharing, gender & diversity).
• Ensures ethical principles related to M&E are respected, especially those concerning gender equality, equity and “do no harm”. Protects confidential data, applies the principles of informed consent, and protects children during the collection, processing, analysis and use of data.

Management

• Manages team members answering to him/her, from the recruitment phase to the end of their employment. Adopts good management practices in keeping with Tdh’s values. Applies the delegation’s staff management policy.
• Ensures the optimal allocation and proper management of the delegation’s M&E resources (including financial, logistical, technical and human resources). Monitors MEAL budgets monthly.
• Plans MEAL activities and oversees their implementation; manages and supervises related resources.
• Ensures optimal coordination, co-creation and joint analysis with project and programme teams and with partners.
• Participate in Project Review meetings, Budget Follow up Meeting and learning or strategic events, making sure that a critical joint reflection is applied during those event to highgliht potential issues, failures, and identify prevention or mitigation measures to address them.

Technical support

• Monitors developments in the MEAL field while building the delegation’s knowledge and capitalizing on lessons learned in this area. Participate in Tdh MEAL community of practice.
• Develop sections on MEAL methodologies and plans, budgets, indicators and logical frameworks in project proposl.
• Provides methodological support during the development of MEAL plans, and ensures a consistent approach is adopted across all projects and programmes.
• Contribute to design, moderate learning exercises (internal, with partners)
• Provides support during the collection, analysis and entry of data for programme indicators beneficiary reach for donors reports and Tdh institutional report.
• Ensures MEAL tools are appropriate, relevant and operate correctly. Ensures the quality of data management tools and processes in terms of design, collection, storage, processing, analysis, presentation and use.)
• Informs the Project Leader and/or Programme Coordinator of any unmet targets, contextual changes (risks and opportunities) and negative effects on beneficiaries.
• Provides advice and methodological support during the recruitment of experts for M&E projects (by drafting terms of reference and recruiting and supporting consultants).

Management of MEAL data

• Ensure that MEAL data is handled according to responsible management (including beneficiary registration and data collection in line with the MEAL framework.
• Helps ensure that MEAL data is used optimally during operational and strategic decision-making at the delegation in accordance with head office and donor requirements, especially with respect to institutional reporting.
• Ensures the M&E projects under his/her responsibility are visible and the subject of communications.

Learning/training

• Ensures Tdh MEAL directives, methodological guidelines and tools are understood and implemented in the delegation and by partners
• Takes measures to build the skills of teams and partners in the MEAL field.

Reporting

• Ensure high quality reports to illustrate activity outcomes, impacts and assessment findings are produced for internal and external communication purpose.
• Contribute to MEAL section of the donor reports

Security and child safety

Understands and applies security policies, the Child Safeguarding Policy and fraud prevention policies.

Salary:

2415$

Qualifications & Preferred Skills

Education:

1. Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in relevant fields such as social sciences (sociology, anthropology), international development, psychology, economy, or a related field,

2. Complementary training related to the MEAL field; Core humanitarian Standards, data collection and analysis methods for the humanitarian & development sector, Responsible data management, Project Cycle Management, Gender & Diversity Analysis.

Qualifications and Experience

Competencies: This position requires personal, social and leadership competencies (PSLC) and technical and methodological competencies (TMC), and managerial and strategic competencies (MSC)

In particular:

1. Ability to work independently and make decisions, as well as to provide support and advice
2. Ability to create a cooperative and collaborative environment, team player
3. Command of support and advice roles and competencies
4. Excellent conceptual and strategic analysis skills, systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment
5. Rigor, precision, transparency and intellectual honesty
6. Excellent oral and written communication skills (in constructive negotiations) in all areas (internal and external), active listening skills and respectful conflict transformation skills
7. Flexibility, availability and adaptability
8. Results-oriented focus and problem-solving abilities
9. Ability to learn from negative experiences, capitalizing on errors and seizing opportunities
10. Demonstrated successful experience in engaging with communities, partners, and children

Language: Excellent oral and writing skills in English and Arabic. Kurdish and Turkmen are an asset