TEAM/PROGRAMME: MEAL and Program Innovation

LOCATION:  Addis Ababa with 50-70% travel to the field

GRADE:  1 B

POST TYPE: National

Child Safeguarding:

Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Adaptation and Learning (MEAL) Advisor in charge of be a key MEAL focal point for an anticipated five-year USAID-funded Early Childhood Care Education in Emergency /ECCEIE/ activity in Ethiopia.  The MEAL Advisor is responsible for leading the establishment and implementation of the MEAL system of the Activity, including obtaining, analysing, organizing, and interpreting project data and ensuring MEAL requirements of the donor and that of Save the Children are adequately met. Ccoordinate the situation assessment in the first 3 months of the project start date to enable a smooth start of the learning phase. This is a leadership role and will serve as a MEAL focal point of the Activity in Ethiopia. The MEAL Advisor will implement the MEAL systems and is constituent processes, with a focus on holding and maintaining the indicator dashboard for key ECCEiE project indicators in humanitarian settings. The Advisor will manage and be responsible to provide MEAL technical support to the MEAL managers/Coordinators based in the field offices and will be actively involved in promoting learning and adaptation through documentation of lessons learned and dissemination.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Senior Evidence and Learning Advisor(in Solid Line Management) and CO MEAL unit Director and TAs  (in dotted line management)  

Staff directly reporting to this post: MEAL Coordinators based at Woreda Level

Budget responsibility: TBD

Context: Development and/or Humanitarian

 KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

Management and Leadership

• Works with the project’s leadership team, contributing to the development and implementation of annual program work plans, performance milestones, and project monitoring.  

• Provide overall leadership and supervision on the MEAL function, supporting successful delivery of the project.

• Ensure that the required budget allocates appropriately for the implementation of MEAL activities and provide oversight of the MEAL budget, ensuring its effective and timely utilization.

• Manage MEAL staff, including handling ongoing coaching, supervision and performance management and annual evaluation; develop the capacity of the team and facilitate their professional growth.

• Encourage a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.  

MEAL System Development and Management

• Lead the development of the MEAL plan, including the identification of key performance indicators, MEAL standard operating procedures and MEAL tool of the project. 

• Lead the roll-out and implementation of the project's MEAL system, strategies, requirements and country-level activities; roll-out orientation/training sessions to MEAL and relevant program staff of the Activity and its implementing partners.

• Maintain MEAL systems and tools used to track project implementation progress and analyze information on inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact of the project.

• Ensure data quality through the implementation of effective data verification mechanism and undertaking routine data quality assessments at all levels.

• Lead and coordinate the development of required program reports, in accordance with Save the Children and donor requirements and standards.

• Undertake/coordinate periodic joint field supportive supervision to project implementation and implementing partners’ sites.

• Ensure a strong beneficiary accountability mechanism is implemented.

• Identify MEAL capacity gaps and facilitate training opportunities for project staff. 

• Contribute to GoE M&E system strengthening efforts at national and local level including supporting the use of data for decision making at all levels

• Contribute to the development of national and local level ECCEiE indicators and SDG 4.2 tracking at national level including the use of early learning and development assessment data, data on classroom environment quality using tools such as IDELA or other GoE recommended tools

• Build the capacity of  GoE and partner staff on effective ECE MEL systems

• Ensure communities and children have access to safe and responsive mechanisms to handle their complaints and feedbacks

• Champions the use of accountability data and community participation analysis to influence strategic decision-making and advocacy 

Learning and Knowledge Management

• Build a database system for managing project-related data and evidence.

• Lead the implementation of Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) mechanism to ensure intentional learning, collaboration, and adaptive management.

• Ensure that relevant project documentation is well organized and best practices, lessons, success stories, case studies, etc. are well captured, synthesized, packaged, produced and shared to relevant stakeholders using different technologies and methods.

• Ensure MEAL evidence is available to management for decision making and continuous performance improvement.

• Plan and manage any research-focused deliverables or other evaluations throughout the life of the program, and oversee any MEAL-related consultancies.

• Organize/facilitate regular project implementation and performance review sessions and learning events.

• Define MEAL-related inputs required from partners and oversee the quality of deliverables

Technical Support and Capacity Building

• Undertake continuous staff capacity assessment and develop capacity building plans

• Provide trainings and capacity building for field-level staff as required

• Ensure relevant staff received proper orientation, induction, training to help them deliver their MEAL responsibilities

• Sets standard and agreed performance objectives for all direct reports

• Conducts at least regular monitoring meeting in a year and have documents as evidence

• Conducts midterm performance review at midyear for direct reports

• Conducts end line performance evaluation for direct reports, documents and submits to HR 

Programme design, research, evaluations, assessments and other studies

• Ensure evaluations are undertaken as per the threshold and area offices maintain up-to-date evaluation trackers to monitor delivery and action planning

• Lead/participate in project/ programme baseline, evaluations, researches and assessment activities in his/her areas of jurisdiction 

• Synthesises data and disseminates evidence for programme improvement, advocacy and campaign purposes

• Innovates with technology to find different methods for presenting data to non-experts

Representation, Advocacy & Coordination

• Represent the project and participate in different MEAL related forums bringing together like governmental and non-governmental organizations working on the same or related themes.

• In collaboration with the CO MEAL team, organize Community of Practices and/or other learning platforms to enhance cross-project and organizational experience sharing and learning.

• Collaborate with the CO MEAL to implement organizational MEAL policies and requirements including the implementation of quality benchmarks.

KEY COMPETENCIES - A selected candidate is expected to possess the competences shown below.

Technical and Primary Competencies:

• Design activity specific and roll out of robust, adaptive and effective MEAL System and tools

• Understanding and applications of result based and highly participatory and empowering M&E system

• Write of strong and high quality documents such as reports, technical papers

• Advance adaptive and innovative MEAL initiates/activities

• Strong data analytic and presentation

• Introduce and roll out digital solutions in MEAL

• Prepare training materials and undertake various capacity building trainings to staff and partners

• Problem solving 

Generic Competencies

• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities. Promote innovation to find new and better approaches to driving progress for children.

• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalised children

• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery and with strategic partners for sustained impact on child rights

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values

• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same

• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others

• Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters

• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency

Job Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor Degree in statistics, demographics, public policy, international development, economics, or related field 

• Minimum of ten (10) years’ experience and demonstrated practical skills in monitoring and evaluation of multi-sectoral international development programs 

• Excellent knowledge of monitoring and evaluation principles and practices 

• Familiarity with MEAL in the context of education programming, including early childhood education/development measurement  

• Experience in strategic planning and performance measurement, including indicator selection, target setting, reporting, database management, and developing monitoring and evaluation and/or performance monitoring plans  

• Knowledge of the major evaluation methodologies (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, and impact) and data collection and analysis methodologies 

• Experience in planning and managing surveys  

• Experience developing and refining data collection tools 

• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing monitoring systems and conducting evaluations, including with age- and sex- disaggregated data as well as data from national systems such as the national health management information system 

• Demonstrated ability and skills in analysis and report writing 

• Able to work within a tight timeframe, manage M&E team members and meet deadlines and deliverables to partners and donors 

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English  

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s degree or Bachelor plus an advanced certificate in M&E, statistics,   economics or related social science fields 

• Previous experience on implementation of USAID programs  

• Demonstrated experience in multisector early childhood development, health, and/or education programming 

• Knowledge of local language 

• Proven MEAL skills using data analysis software 

Familiarity with the political, social, and cultural context of Ethiopia, including relevant policies and strategies.

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI’s global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Gender Equality Policies, supported by relevant procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application in one file, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. 

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.

How to Apply

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. 

Use this LINK to Apply

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy