MEAL Manager II at Catholic Relief Services

Job Summary:

You will provide technical and management leadership of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) activities across three countries in the TaMoLe ESARO hub. Your technical skills and knowledge will enable program teams to design effective monitoring systems, ensure accountability to beneficiaries and donors, deliver effective evaluations, and advance learning, in alignment with donor and agency standards. Your work will ensure that CRS collects quality data that enables adaptive management, learning, and positioning. As part of a regional hub structure, priorities and level of support will vary over time across the three countries based on programmatic needs, staffing gaps, emergency responses, new project start-ups, and strategic priorities. The role combines technical leadership, staff management, capacity strengthening, and occasional direct operational support to projects and country programs when intensive short-term MEAL leadership is required.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Provide management support, guidance, technical oversight, and, when needed, direct implementation support for MEAL systems in new and existing projects. Support project designs, start-up, implementation, close-out, emergency response activities, and periods of operational transition to ensure compliance with CRS policies and procedures, donor guidelines, and industry best practices.
• Provide surge MEAL leadership and hands-on technical support during periods of heightened need, including project start-up, emergency response, staffing transitions, critical deliverables, evaluations, and short-term projects. When required, function as the acting or embedded MEAL Manager for a project or country program for limited periods to ensure continuity and quality implementation.
• Effectively MEAL coach talent, supporting their routine work as well as helping advance MEAL quality. Develop strategically tailored individual development plans and support performance planning cycle for MEAL staff. Advise on MEAL objectives for non-MEAL staff.
• Coordinate and oversee the development of data management systems, ensure systems are fit for purpose, functional and supportive of adaptive management.
• Support the establishment of FCRM systems and periodically review their effectiveness and functionality, ensuring accountability to beneficiaries and timely use of feedback information.
• Design evaluation processes that enable learning and documentation of results. Develop TORs that are robust and appropriate to the project scope and context.
• Identify opportunities for cross learning and facilitate data-informed learning events. Support research and facilitate the dissemination of promising practices to contribute to the agency and regional learning agenda. Support effective knowledge management and generation of data rich marketing/comms products.
• Ensure integration of innovations and best practices, including advancing use of technology in MEAL.
• Contribute to the proactive pursuit of opportunities for new funding to ensure responsible growth in line with agency, regional, and CP strategic priorities.
• Serve as the MEAL lead to ensure quality proposals per agency and donor standards. Contribute to MEAL budgeting and staffing plans and activities for proposals.
• Design and deliver capacity strengthening activities in MEAL for staff and partner organizations.
• Prioritize support across Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania in consultation with country, hub, and regional leadership, adjusting level of effort based on country program needs, project portfolios, staffing capacity, funding opportunities, and emerging priorities.

Basic Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree in International Development, Statistics, Economics, or relevant field. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in relevant field-based experience required, with preferably at least 3 years’ working experience in MEAL
• Strong quantitative skills, with proven ability to work with statistical software such as SPSS, and ICT4D applications such as POWER BI, CommCare, GIS, etc.
• Experience in the use of key qualitative methods and tools.
• Experience in managing MEAL systems in moderately complex projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to promoting a learning environment.
• Experience in designing and overseeing the implementation of program studies and evaluations, and use of findings to support adaptive management.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
• Demonstrated ability to transition between strategic leadership, staff management, and hands-on technical implementation roles as organizational and programmatic needs require.
• Experience supporting project start-up, emergency programming, organizational transitions, or surge deployments in complex operating environments.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.
• Good experience in project grants management, including project design, preferably for grants from multiple public donors, including the US government.
• Demonstrated ability to write high-quality technical proposals.
• Experience engaging with partner organizations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions

  Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.

• Good presentation and facilitation skills
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Required Languages – Fluent English.

Travel– Must be willing and able to travel frequently within the TaMoLe hub countries as programmatic needs require. Travel is expected to average up to approximately 40%; however, actual travel levels may vary significantly over time depending on country-based location, project start-up and close-out activities, emergency responses, staffing gaps, evaluations, and other organizational priorities. 

Supervisory Responsibilities – TBD

Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

What we offer

CRS offers U.S. based staff a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan.  Benefits packages for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. are based on the country of employment/in-country office where the candidate will perform the role.  CRS´ work culture is a collaborative, mission-driven culture committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.