Albarka Health Spring Foundation (AHSF) is a non-governmental organization officially registered with the Nigerian government through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC/IT NO: 91613). Established in October 2016, AHSF is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for vulnerable populations across communities in North East Nigeria. AHSF operates in both emergency and developmental contexts and primarily focuses on identifying gaps that impact populations or heighten their vulnerability, addressing these gaps through resource-based planning and implementation.

We are currently seeking candidates to fill the following position:

Job Title: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Officer

Locations: Kaga, Magumeri & MMC Askira Uba – Borno

Employment Type: Contract

Contract Duration: 2 Months

Expected Start Date: As soon as possible

General Position Summary

The MEAL Officer plays a crucial role within the Program Performance and Quality (PAQ) Unit and is tasked with overseeing and coordinating all MEL and program quality performance aspects for AHSF Humanitarian projects. The role encompasses data collection, management, and analysis, covering all Northeast programs.

Position Summary

The key responsibilities of the MEAL Officer include:

  • Providing leadership and strategic direction for monitoring and evaluation (MEAL) efforts.
  • Developing and operationalizing a comprehensive MEAL system, incorporating data collection, performance tracking, and quality assurance.
  • Designing projects based on needs assessments, results chains, and gender considerations.
  • Overseeing data collection, employing both qualitative and quantitative techniques.
  • Analyzing data using statistical software and effectively communicating findings through reports and presentations.
  • Building the capacity of MEAL staff through training and mentorship.
  • Managing evaluations, coordinating with external consultants, and integrating findings into the MEAL system.
  • Collaborating with program managers and stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of MEAL processes and budget management.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Technical Leadership:

  • Provide leadership, training, and mentoring in M&E Plans, tools, survey design, methodology, data analysis, and other skills needed for assessing program impact.
  • Lead or collaborate with external evaluators on program assessments, baseline, and evaluations while establishing effective systems for learning.
  • Ensure that programs utilize the necessary M&E systems and tools to improve individual programs and contribute to the broader National-level M&E system.
  • Align, collect, and report relevant indicators to the organizational-wide M&E systems and other external systems as necessary.
  • Support teams in collecting sex and age-disaggregated data and using gender-sensitive data collection methods.
  • Participate in country and sector-level strategic planning sessions, aiding in the development of annual plans.
  • Identify research opportunities and partnerships that address priority topics and connect to AHSF field emergency response programming and national/regional strategic plans.
  • Lead both internal and external Data Quality Assessments (DQA).

Information Management:

  • Adopt a holistic country-level M&E system that utilizes open-source software and flexible cloud solutions to collect, monitor, and verify program activities.
  • Offer guidance, recommendations, and leadership to ensure that M&E systems meet the needs of Program Managers and Country Leadership.
  • Contribute to program design, ensuring adherence to AHSF’s M&E best practices, including the use of standardized indicators, form templates, and documentation methodologies.
  • Maintain a comprehensive schedule of private and institutional funding reports and review project/program reports for accuracy, clarity, and high-quality data.
  • Develop program and operational reporting templates to facilitate information flow in programs.

Capacity Building and Mentoring:

  • Develop and oversee the implementation of a strategy to enhance the capacity of M&E staff and partners, fostering a culture of learning.
  • Build the capacity of relevant team members to develop and maintain an excellent M&E system, including regular reflection and analysis of program monitoring data.
  • Collaborate with Program Managers, Human Resources, and Finance to incorporate M&E skills into all program position descriptions and budgeting.
  • Contribute to the knowledge management repository with M&E best practices, making it accessible to all staff and partners.
  • Cultivate a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive for excellence.

Internal and External Coordination:

  • Collaborate with sector clusters and regional and national counterparts to promote M&E best practices.
  • Strengthen connections with internal resources, including the Learning Management System, Digital Library, and Connect, to enhance organizational learning when relevant to M&E.
  • Maintain close working relationships with M&E counterparts in other international NGOs, local NGOs, and associations in Nigeria.

Organizational Learning:

In line with the commitment to organizational learning, all team members are expected to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities benefiting AHSF and themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

Team members are expected to support efforts toward accountability to beneficiaries and to national/international standards guiding international relief and development work. This includes actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in project design, monitoring, and evaluation.

Details of Responsibilities

Leadership in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL):

  • Develop and communicate a clear vision and mission for MEAL.
  • Manage the development of evidence-based strategic and operational plans, including goals, objectives, risk assessments, and resource implications.
  • Design, update, harmonize, and communicate MEAL plans with standardized indicators, data collection procedures and tools, roles and responsibilities, and budgets.
  • Foster partnerships with local and international stakeholders involved in the MEAL system.

Development and Operationalization of a Comprehensive MEAL System:

  • Design and implement an MEAL plan, including data collection methods, tools, and indicators.
  • Establish an Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT) and a Performance Management Plan (PMP) for project progress tracking.
  • Ensure the integration of cross-cutting objectives such as gender and environment in the MEAL system.
  • Develop a data quality assurance plan and implement strategies to improve data quality.
  • Create a communication strategy to effectively disseminate MEAL findings.

Project Design and Planning:

  • Conduct needs and capacity assessments to inform project design.
  • Utilize results chains and the Theory of Change to guide project planning and implementation.
  • Identify relevant performance indicators and develop report formats and schedules.
  • Collaborate with gender specialists to conduct gender assessments and integrate gender considerations into project design.
  • Conduct market assessments to inform project interventions.

Data Collection and Management:

  • Design sampling strategies and calculate sample sizes for qualitative studies and quantitative surveys.
  • Develop data collection instruments and oversee data collection activities.
  • Ensure the implementation of data quality management strategies and conduct internal data quality assessments.
  • Utilize qualitative techniques, such as key informant interviews and focus group discussions, for monitoring purposes.
  • Apply quantitative techniques, including questionnaire design, survey logistics planning, and data analysis using statistical software.

Data Analysis and Reporting:

  • Develop data analysis plans and conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
  • Utilize statistical software to analyze quantitative data and derive meaningful insights.
  • Synthesize and report qualitative information effectively.
  • Prepare narrative reports, executive summaries, and case studies for various stakeholders.
  • Present findings through clear and effective oral and PowerPoint presentations.

Capacity Building in MEAL:

  • Assess the skill gaps of MEAL staff and design training programs to enhance their competencies.
  • Provide coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job training to improve staff skills.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of capacity-building initiatives and monitor knowledge change.

Evaluation Design and Management:

  • Design evaluation questions and methods to assess project impact.
  • Coordinate with external consultants for baseline and final evaluations.
  • Develop terms of reference for evaluations and provide necessary data to evaluators.
  • Incorporate evaluation data collection into the MEAL system and ensure adherence to evaluation design.

Collaboration and Coordination:

  • Collaborate with program managers, technical specialists, and consultants to ensure effective MEAL implementation.
  • Coordinate logistics for surveys, qualitative studies, and evaluation processes.
  • Manage the MEAL budget in collaboration with headquarters and technical staff.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Development Studies). A Master’s Degree is an added advantage.
  • Minimum of five (5) years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, preferably in food security projects.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including report writing and presentation abilities.
  • Knowledge of environmental indicators and initial environmental assessments.
  • Experience working with international organizations or donor-funded projects is desirable.
  • Strong understanding of MEAL concepts, project design, and results-based management.
  • Proficiency in developing and operationalizing MEAL systems, including the design of data collection tools and indicators.
  • Experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, data analysis, and reporting.
  • Familiarity with statistical software such as MS EXCEL, SPSS, STATA, or EpiInfo.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
  • Ability to train, coach, and build the capacity of MEAL staff.

Knowledge and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Research Methods, Statistics, Economics, Social Sciences, Monitoring and Evaluation, Project Management, or a relevant field required. A Postgraduate Degree is preferred.
  • 3 – 5 years of active M&E work experience in emergency and development programming with the proven use of program technology.
  • Experience working on UN AGENCIES programs is preferred.
  • Previous experience living and working in challenging or insecure environments.
  • Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
  • Knowledge of Kanuri, Hausa, and other local dialects is preferred.
  • Experience with theoretical and practical background in M&E and skilled in participatory qualitative and quantitative M&E methodologies and techniques.
  • Excellent quantitative skills and proficient with Excel; Experience with Access, and statistical packages including Stata, R, or SPSS, and GIS tools like QGIS, ArcGIS, or Google Earth Pro is preferred.
  • Experience with data management, including the ability to structure and collate data sets for ease of analysis.
  • Demonstrated understanding of intermediate statistics and the ability to summarize and make predictions from multiple data sets.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should Click Here to Apply

 

Note:

  • This job description outlines the key responsibilities and requirements of the MEAL Manager position. Additional duties may be assigned as needed to support the organization’s goals and objectives.
  • Treat beneficiaries with dignity and apply AHSF Code of Ethics and Conduct, the UN Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the field.
  • Women are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • AHSF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. AHSF considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.
  • AHSF and AHSF workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in AHSF – Standards for Professional Conduct. These include Transparency, Accountability, Partnership, Integrity, and Teamwork (TAPIT). In accordance with these values, the AHSF operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Brief Conditions:

  • AHSF reserves the right to transfer positions as per project demand at any time during the project.
  • Traveling from home to duty station will be the staff’s own responsibility, but facilitation could be provided as per the situation.
  • AHSF reserves the right to close the application before the deadline if the required number of candidates is reached on a rolling basis.
  • Candidates will be responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and meals during the recruitment process.

Inclusivity Statement:

Albarka Health Spring Foundation is an equal opportunity program that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care-protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of AHSFV, all AHSF Interns and Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin, or other state.

By: EnterPosted on Categories : Categories : Jobs In Borno StateTags: