Head of the MEAL Department Tempo Inteiro

The Action Contre La Faim is hiring a Head of the MEAL Department.

Specif Objectives (Not Complete)

Ensure the quality, relevance and technical innovation of the MEAL strategy on the mission, supporting the Program Department at the coordination and grassroots level in the implementation of quality projects and increasing its accountability to beneficiaries, intervention communities and all stakeholders (state authorities, implementing partners, donors).

Mission 1: Contribute to the definition of the country strategy and the positioning of the MEAL department

• Its contribution to the country strategy and the ACFIN sectoral strategy;
• The definition and quality of the MEAL Country sectoral strategy document in agreement with the ACF International and National frameworks;
• The development of a strategy in terms of human and budgetary resources of the MEAL department at the mission level;
• The integration of the MEAL sector with other technical sectors (WASH, FSL, MHPSS, NUT-Health) in the MEAL strategy;
• The integration of cross-cutting inclusion, gender and protection issues into the MEAL strategy;
• Participation in the development of the emergency preparedness and response plan;
• Monitoring the implementation of the MEAL mission strategy, its revision, and its accountability;
• External prospecting of any MEAL initiative likely to be of interest to the strategy or its operationalization, experience sharing with MEAL sector actors in the country and the region, and exploration of technical partnership modalities;
• Capitalization of the MEAL sector at the mission level, centralizing it and bringing it back to headquarters (technical developments, pilot projects, innovative or poorly documented approaches, operational methods that can serve as a reference for the ACF network, successes/failures, etc.);
• Ensure that lessons in MEAL are documented, shared and integrated at a strategic level in the design of projects and technical plans and at an operational level in day-to-day decision making;
• Ensure that MEAL findings feed into key internal forums, including country strategy meetings, coordination meetings, project kick-off meetings and project close-out meetings;
• The development of its technical skills in line with the evolution of the sector.

Mission 2: Coordinate the identification of MEAL needs, the formulation of MEAL components of project proposals and the internal and external reporting related to them

• Identify the approaches/activities and resources required by MEAL according to the nature of the project and the intervention context, formulate and budget them in support of the bases and ensure the final technical validation;
• Formulation of MEAL parts of project proposals in accordance with donor formats and deadlines, actively liaising with other relevant program departments, and the field implementation team;
• Validation of the narrative and budgetary MEAL components in case of contractual amendment of a project;
• Validation of indicator calculation methodologies within the logical frameworks when the evaluation methods involve the MEAL department;
• The validation, within the deadlines, of the MEAL parts of the internal and donor reports, as well as the amendments of the projects with the contribution of the teams.

Mission 3: Coordinate the functioning of the MEAL department by supporting the implementation of programs/projects in terms of monitoring, evaluation and learning

• Validation of the indicator measurement plan for each project;
• Technical support to MEAL field staff in budgeting and planning MEAL activities in accordance with the indicator measurement plan and contractual requirements and according to contextual realities (access considerations, protection risks and available resources), with the Field Coordinator or Deputy Field Coordinator;
•  Technical support to MEAL field staff in the creation of quantitative, qualitative or mixed survey/evaluation/analysis methodologies (ToR, methodological note, collection tools and processes) and their validation, in coordination with the programs;
• The relevance of beneficiary targeting methodologies in relation to contractual obligations and operational constraints, through technical support to MEAL field staff and programs in the beneficiary targeting process and the validation of targeting methodological notes and related tools (ToR, DTB, CR);
• Ensure that field staff provide rigorous training for internal and external enumerators that includes the ACF mandate, key project information, and the application of ethical and rigorous data collection procedures;
• The validation in methodological terms of any survey/evaluation/analysis report in which the MEAL department has collaborated, through the successive validation of the different key stages (initial methodology, data analysis, report);
• Technical support (direct and remote) to MEAL field staff with information sharing or alerting the Field Coordinator, also in terms of integration with program departments;
• Coordination of MEAL external consultancies (needs assessment, KAP, baseline-midline-endline, external evaluation): drafting of external consultancy ToRs, follow-up and support to the publication/selection/contracting process with the Logistics Department, organization of the consultancy from an operational and technical point of view and its follow-up, and technical validation of deliverables;
• The development of methodological approaches/tools aimed at strengthening the quality of the data collected and their analysis, in particular a mixed or qualitative approach;
• The development of processes/tools to support the learning process of the programs;
• Active participation in the MEAL technical groups within the framework of the mission consortia and the lead of these when ACF is Consortium Lead;
• Actively support the mainstreaming of gender, protection, inclusion and environmental and climate considerations in any methodological approach, as well as in the operational implementation of MEAL activities;
• The consideration of compliance risks in the implementation of MEAL activities through the production of SoPs aimed at mitigating them, and the regular performance of spot-checks (DQA etc.).

Mission 4: Support the mission in strengthening the accountability of its programs to beneficiaries, communities of intervention and all stakeholders

• The development, qualitative strengthening and adaptation of the feedback and complaint mechanism to the specificities of each intervention area and/or modality, ensuring the integration of protection, gender and inclusion issues to ensure safe, dignified and meaningful access for the most vulnerable;
• The creation of a process and tools for analyzing and disseminating the feedback/complaints received, allowing for their operational use;
• The analysis of feedback/complaints received at the mission level and their dissemination internally and externally to support the mission in directing its strategy;
• Coordinate with the Safeguarding and Compliance departments to support them in the development of approaches/processes/tools that require MEAL sensitivity;
• Supporting the development of community participation approaches/processes/tools within the framework of Accountability.

Mission 5: Create and structure the Information Management System (IMS)

• Set up a centralized Information Management System, ensure that this system is used at mission level and conduct trainings to the field team to roll out the new system and tools, systemized mobile data collection systems and ensure other technologies are in place to strengthen monitoring and reporting of MEAL activities;
• Provide technical support in the use of the Information Management System and conduct regular data quality assurance, implementing Data Quality Assurance (DQA) processes and tools;
• Ensure compliance with the general data management policy, adapting it to the context (field realities and donor requirements) and resources on the mission;
• To develop a structured and harmonized mechanism for analyzing the data collected, adapted to the needs of the field;
• Manage Open Data Kit (ODK) and the Kobo platform for the mission; lead the deployment of mobile data collection within the mission, to include training, troubleshooting, and support for ODK use in the field.

Mission 6: Manage the teams

• The functional management of the MEAL Managers;
• The development of Individual Action Plans, in collaboration with the Field Coordinators or Deputy Field Coordinator when functional management, for each of its people;
• The evaluation of the technical performance of all the MEAL teams mentioned, in collaboration with the Field Coordinators when functional management;
• Ensure the recruitment when necessary of his team, and support the recruitment process of all MEAL positions of the mission according to the HR guidelines in force;
• The development of the MEAL skills of the mission, in particular by ensuring the creation of a training plan and its follow-up, and the animation of training and workshop.

Skills Required

Diploma/ Level of Studies

• Graduate degree equivalent to 5 years in monitoring and evaluation, international relations/affairs, humanitarian affairs, international development, public health, statistics, epidemiology, demography or related field

Experience

• Humanitarian experience: at least 4 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, including at least 2 years in an NGO;
• Intervention context experience: experience in emergency response would be a plus, experience in chronic crisis and/or development response would be a plus, experience in difficult security context with high protection risks would be a plus;
• Structure type experience: 1 experience in a structure implementing multi-sectoral projects required;
• Experience in terms of position: previous experience in MEAL department coordination position would be a plus, multiple MEAL Manager Experiences required.

Technical skills MEAL

• Sampling;
• Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies;
• Proficiency with Open Data Kit (ODK), Kobo;
• Data management and protection;
• Accountability principles, including operationalization of a feedback/complaint mechanism.

Other technical skills

• Skilled in writing project proposals (narrative & budget), donor reports;
• Experience in organization and animation of training;
• Skills that would be a plus;
• Knowledge of GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS) and their potential applications in humanitarian MEAL;
• Knowledge of Power BI, Power Automate and dashboard production;
• Knowledge of NVIVO software for qualitative data;
• Writing or participating in writing country strategy.

Cross-cutting competencies

• Ability to work in a difficult security environment & under pressure;
• Strong ability to adapt, prioritize and work;
• Sensitivity to inter-culturalism, good communication skills;
• Strong interest in teamwork & especially in programmatic integration;
• Strong interest in working on compliance (fraud and corruption risk management), protection and safeguarding;
• Ability to delegate & strong attraction to skill building;
• Environmental and Climate Sensitivity;
• Personal commitment to promoting gender equality in humanitarian work;
• Sensitivity to policies of prevention against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
• Excellent writing & speaking skills in English – mandatory;
• Fluency in Portuguese would be a plus.

How to Apply

File composition:

• CV;
• Letter of Motivation;
• NUIT;
• BI;
• Certificates (Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered).

Note: Specify the title of the position in the email. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered).  Procedure: Selected candidates will be contacted by telephone for a technical test. The dossiers received will not be returned. Any application submitted after this deadline will not be considered. Action against Hunger is committed to preventing risks related to abuse, sexual exploitation and promoting gender equality and diversity. The ACF Mozambique mission encourages women’s application. The recruitment process for Action Against Hunger is free of charge, no form of compensation will be asked of a candidate. It reflects key policies and its charter through its professionalism and impartiality. If you observe behavior contrary to these values during this process, please inform the appropriate teams. All people hired by Action Against Hunger will also be checked for compliance with the so-called “anti-terrorist” lists, respecting the rights of employees and the confidentiality of personal data.

Contract duration: One year

Receiving base: Pemba, Cabo Delgado

Availability: Immediate

Remuneration: 252,503.00 Mtn (Gross monthly Income) and 13th Month paid in December (prorata depending on the starting date)

Benefits: Health insurance including partner and children (providing certificates); 2 days per month paid leave