MEAL Officer

JOB SUMMARY:

The purpose of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer position is to support MEAL processes for CARE programming, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of services provided to beneficiaries. Reporting to (and with guidance from) the MEAL Manager, this role will support MEAL processes for specific projects, in accordance with agreed standards and principles. This will include working with program specialists to develop monitoring tools, training and supporting partners’ M&E staff, collating and cross-checking data, and compiling reports.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS: 

Job Responsibility #1: Provide technical support and day-to-day support on MEAL activities for specific project/s, working closely with project managers and the MEAL Manager. 

• Support and monitor partner MEAL processes, including post-distribution monitoring, and ensure all required documentation is collected
• Work closely with the MEAL Manager to ensure that our MEAL work meets CARE’s MEAL minimum standards

Job Responsibility #2: Review, cross-check, compile, manage, analyze and report on incoming M&E data (Approx. 30% of time)

• Review incoming MEAL data (informal and formal) from consultants, third party monitors and partners related to project/s the position is responsible for
• Review, clean and cross-check data against other sources, with a strong focus on identifying any issues relating to data integrity or fraud
• Work closely with program managers to ensure data on project deliverables and achievements against the logframe is as accurate and up to date as possible, and managed according to agreed processes and standards
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and write MEAL reports (synthesizing key data from multiple sources)

Job Responsibility #3: Collect, record and respond to feedback (Approx. 25% of time)

• Receive and record complaints and feedback coming through phone calls, emails and other channels
• Oversee processing and resolution of complaints and feedback, including through liasing with CARE and partner focal points
• Analyze and report on received feedback
• Oversee smooth operation of the feedback mechanism, including through communication activities

Job Responsibility #4: Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor (Approx. 10% of time)

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Education and training

Required: Bachelor’s degree in statistics or the social sciences (psychology, sociology, etc.)

     Desired: Master degree in similar field.

2. Managerial Know How

Involves integrating and harmonizing requirements of diverse functions in operating, support, and administrative situations. It may be exercised through consultation as well as direct action; Management requires a combination of planning, organizing, controlling, and reviewing along with direct and indirect execution. Choose one of the following: Task; Minimal; Related; Diverse; Broad.

• This position requires (Minimal) managerial know-how. 

3. Experience

Required:

• At least one year of experience in development and/or humanitarian organizations, including significant experience of working with partners
• Proven experience in monitoring and evaluation
• Proven experience in data collation, analysis and reporting
• Sound understanding of the concepts behind and practical application of humanitarian codes and standards such as SPHERE, the People In Aid Code, HAP etc.

4. Technical skills

Required:

• Strong skills in inter-personal communications, able to work effectively with multiple stakeholders in a complex, multi-actor environment.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work effectively across a wide variety of cultural contexts.
• Strong team player, able to develop and maintain effective working relationships within a distributed and dynamic team.
• Flexible, creative and solution-oriented approach in an innovative environment
• Competence with MS Office applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic

5. Human relations skills

Consists of active practicing skills in the area of human relationships. In the work context Human Relations Skills include all capabilities that are needed to interact on a direct person-to-person basis, and through varied approaches build understanding of, acceptance of, or commitment to, courses of action that are important for the organization. These skills may be applied in relation to peers, subordinates or peers within the organization, or to people outside the organization.  (See Guidelines for definitions).

• The Human Relations Skills for this position are designated as Basic

COMPETENCIES

CARE Core Competencies:

• Respect - Behaving in a manner that reflects a true belief in and appreciation for the dignity and potential of all human beings. Gaining other people’s confidence and setting an environment of trust and openness.
• Integrity - Maintaining social, ethical, and organizational norms; firmly adhering to codes of conduct and ethical principles inherent to CARE.
• Commitment to Service – this competency is woven throughout all aspects of the employee’s performance.
• Excellence - Setting high standards of performance for self and/or others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed; ensuring interactions and transactions are ethical and convey integrity.
• Diversity - Promoting, valuing, respecting and fully benefiting from each individual’s unique qualities, background, race, culture, age, gender, disability, values, lifestyle, perspectives or interests; creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes diversity.

Other desired Competencies:

• Customer oriented: making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relations. A customer is defined as any person inside or outside the organization with whom you have a service relationship.  It includes supervisors and other employees.
• Proactive Problem Solving: Makes routine decisions in the course of work.  Understands the issues, compares data from different sources to draw conclusions, and chooses a course of action that is consistent with authority delegated to the position. 
• Planning & Organizing: Establishing courses of action for self and others to ensure that work is completed efficiently and effectively in accordance with CARE’s core values.
• Communicating with Impact: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain their message.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality;

PROBLEM SOLVING 

Thinking Challenge:  Patterned

Thinking Environment: Standardized

ACCOUNTABILITY 

Is the answerability for actions and for their consequences. It is the measured effect of the job or position on end results. It has three dimensions in the following order of importance: Freedom to Act; Impact on End Results; and Magnitude.

A) Freedom to Act is the degree to which personal or procedural control and guidance for work (or lack thereof) exists. This is a function of the organizational framework, the personnel and policy direction, and the flows, processes, and systems that are established in the organization. Choose one of the following: Limited; Prescribed; Controlled; Standardized; Regulated; Clearly Directed; Generally Directed; Guided; or Strategically Guided. (See Guidelines for definitions).

• This position would be designated as Standardized

B) Impact on End Results considers the principal nature of the job’s influence on end results, which ranges from very direct control to very indirect support. Choose the Impact category that reflects the basic purpose of the job most clearly. Ancillary; Contributory; Shared; Primary (See Guidelines for definitions).

• This position would be Contributory

C) Magnitude: Financial: What parts of CARE’s revenue and/or expenses are impacted by the job’s primary goals? Use current fiscal year amounts. e.g. project budget, fundraising or contract goal, budget managed or monitored, donations processed, purchases made, contracts negotiated/signed, benefits costs.

• What is the $/EUR amount related to job’s primary goals?

• What is the $/EUR amount of signing authority for this position?

CONTACTS/KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

List the primary external and internal relationships, which the employee is expected to maintain. State the purpose of these interactions. 

Position Title

Relationship Purpose

Internal:

MEAL Manager

Direct Report

Program Managers

Partnership Manager

Program QualityCoordinator

External:

Partner staff

Consultants

Third party monitors

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Travel: This position will be based in Beirut with regular travel in the region
• Safety and Security: CARE’s Safety and Security Officer is available for advice and guidance.