MEAL Manager (Gedaref) – DRC

Job Description

Organization	Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
Workplace:	Gedaref
Department/Country:	Sudan
Contract type:	Expatriate or national contract
Application due:	18/09/2023

Overall purpose of the role: 

This managerial position is under the overall guidance of the Head of Programs. The MEAL Manager leads the monitoring and evaluation (M&E), information management (IM), and accountability units and ensuring that country-wide MEAL activities and strategy are in place to support quality programming and a strong evidence-base for the relevance and impact of DRC Sudan Humanitarian response. 

The MEAL Manager is responsible for feeding into strategic decisions and program design based on the evidence and outcomes of ongoing monitoring and evaluation work which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks, providing support and/or technical MEAL and IM guidance to country operations while overseeing country activities. MEAL Manager ensures that the Sudan country office is compliant with Core Humanitarian standards (CHS). MEAL Manager will work closely with Area Managers, Project Managers and Technical Coordinators to improve program quality and performance and ensure adoption of best practices and lessons learned across the operational areas in Sudan.

Responsibilities: 

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Act as the lead for DRC Sudan Monitoring Evaluation and Learning activities in line with the DRC’s global Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Minimum Operating Procedures (MEALMOPs).
• Develop and oversee the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation methodologies, M&E plans and workplans, tool development, data collection, data cleaning, analysis, and report writing and output production.
• Contribute to the proactive dissemination and to the use of knowledge gained through MEAL activities among project teams and other relevant departments throughout life of the program.
• Manage budget requirements, development and spending for MEAL/IM and project assessment activities and set direction by prioritizing and organizing resources to achieve objectives.
• In coordination with program and technical managers, support design and implementation of needs assessments within the areas of intervention to support the evidence-based design of programming.
• Lead the facilitation of quarterly level base learning events, and other ad hod learning events in close coordination with project managers and technical coordinators to produce lessons learned reports and other related documentations capturing key internal learnings from program/project interventions.
• Participate in country-level strategic planning sessions and assist project managers, technical coordinators, and senior management in the development of annual plans, strategies, and program design using strong evidence from program M&E and other research initiatives.
• Participate in project kick-off meetings, review meetings and close-out meetings to highlight cross-project components aimed at replicating good practices and strengthening synergies between projects or programs.
• Assist the Grants department in developing strong indicators and logical frameworks for new projects.
• Participate/lead on the procurement process and management of external assessment and evaluation consultancies
• Lead on monitoring and evaluation of partner implementation.

Accountability

• Coordinate the implementation and continuous update of the accountability systems for DRC projects working closely with Area Managers and Technical Coordinators.
• Continually adapt and improve the country program’s beneficiary and feedback complaint mechanism and set-up new systems, information sharing approaches, and modalities for promoting community participation to be maximally inclusive, accessible, and effective.
• Serve as the organizational focal point on Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), ensuring local compliance and reviews across all standards. Liaising with regional colleagues responsible for accountability, compliance, and risk management.
• Supervise the annual or biannual CHS self-assessment and prepare the resulting accountability improvement plan (AIP).
• Support regular code of conduct (CoC) and Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM) refresher training for staff, country wide.
• Ensure creation and distribution of the monthly non-sensitive complaints report.

Information Management

• Contribute to the development of the MEAL’s information management strategy by reviewing information needs and gaps and evaluating current information management processes and tools.
• Design/develop, test, maintain, support, and improve the IM system that maintains and organizes data on DRC activities and provides support in reporting, project tracking and data analysis.
• Develop database security measures to safeguard information against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification, or disclosure, especially in terms of sensitive beneficiary information.
• Ensure that information systems and processes are compliant with applicable standards and guidelines related to information management and data protection, including donor standards and requirements
• Ensure effective data management by improving existing or developing new data collection tools and methodologies, designing, and managing database systems for analysis purposes.
• Draft information products such as reports, charts, and infographics by turning data into graphic products to facilitate the dissemination of information to external stakeholders.

Team Management

• Directly line manages 4-6 staff including setting objectives and co-creating workplans, performance development, team building and capacity building for the larger MEAL field team; Oversee the provision of technical support, coordination, and task assignment/workplan setting to the MEAL and IM field teams based in the specific areas of implementation, accompanied by frequent field visits.
• Develop the capacity of MEAL field teams and the Sudan-based MEAL team to in a range of MEAL competencies required throughout the program lifecycle, including but not limited to qualitative research methods, data cleaning and analysis, data visualization and proficiency in programming such as Power Bi, Excel, and Kobo.
• Ensure that appropriate tools and coordination activities are in place to ensure proper planning of MEAL activities and good coordination from within the team (ie. weekly team meetings, task trackers, etc)
• Internal and External Coordination
• In coordination with program and technical managers, represent DRC externally with Donors, Partners and the wider aid community through sectoral working groups and other coordination forum as relevant.
• Provide capacity building activities in research, MEAL, accountability, and IM to implementing partners as needed per the capacity building plans, jointly created with partners and the Partnerships Specialist.as well as oversee all coordination with partners on the joint design and implementation of MEAL activities.
• Negotiate and ensure DRC’s compliance with external data sharing agreements with consortium partners.
• Actively contribute and collaborate with regional/global counterparts to promote M&E and IM best practices and joint learning across DRC programs.
• Perform other duties as directed by the Head of Programmes.

Experience and technical competencies 

a) Essential

• A Bachelor’s degree in relevant field (international development, social sciences, statistics, public health, etc.) + at least 5 years of relevant experience
• A Master’s degree in relevant field + at least 4 years of relevant experience
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience within the field of monitoring and evaluation, of which 3 in a similar management role
• Experience working with International NGO’s, UN agencies
• Experience working in monitoring and evaluation of FSL, protection, Shelter and WASH sectors in an emergency and post emergency context
• Experience in developing/ guiding information management systems for large humanitarian programs.
• Experience in participatory assessment and community-based monitoring approaches.
• Experience in partnership with Local Civil society and Government institutions
• Clear understanding of Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS).
• Experience with capacity building of staff in MEAL and IM, and in convening and facilitating trainings and workshops
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills (English) 

b) Desirable

• Knowledge of ArcGIS/QGIS, NVivo (or other qualitative analysis software)
• Fluency in local language or the language of communities (Arabic)
• Experience of working in insecure environments and of security management; when relevant.
• Experience in developing/ guiding information management systems for large humanitarian programs, as relevant.
• Familiarity with the relevant data collection software, preferably Kobo Toolbox, Activity info, Commcare, ODK, DEEP, nvivo, ONA etc.
• Experience in statistical software, SPSS, R and visualisation tools such as PowerBi.
• Certification in Advance MEAL programme/course

Languages: 

• Full professional proficiency in English
• Arabic is desirable

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 
• Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Conditions

Contract:    Twelve months’ contract with possibility of extension, subject to funding and performance. Salary and conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for International staff or under terms of employment for National Staff in Sudan.  This position is graded at M.F

Start Date:         ASAP

Duty Station:     Gedaref

Reports to:         Head of Programme 

Application and CV

Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications, sent together with a CV, will be considered. 

Please submit your application and CV in English via our online-application form on www.drc.ngo under Vacancies by 18 September 2023.

Interviews will be done on a rolling basis and interested candidates are encouraged to apply immediately.