Head of MEAL
HEAD OF MEAL
Based in Kinshasa
RECRUTEMENT INTERN/EXTERN
We are Save the Children. We work in more than 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfill their potential.
About Save the Children
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
- No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
- All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
- Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
THE ROLE
The Country Head of MEAL is a key position within the Country Office. S/he oversees the design and implementation of a quality, comprehensive and integrated MEAL System that meets SCI standards; MEAL staff management, mentorship, and development; strategic and annual planning, internal reporting, as well as programme development, Accountability and MEAL resources.
S/he directly supervises [inset which staff roles and how many]. The overall CO MEAL team consists of approximately [inset how many] staff, mostly based in field offices.
S/he is a member of the Program Development and Quality (PDQ) Senior Leadership Team and the CO National Management Team (ESMT).
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
A. Design and Implementation of a Comprehensive MEAL System that meets SCI standards
- Lead and oversee the development and implementation of a CO-wide MEAL System for humanitarian and development programmes, and may include local implementation partners as well. This system requires close collaboration with the Programme Ops and PDQ Departments and must be in line with SCI’s Quality Framework. Project-specific MEAL systems need to meet demands and standards of different donors;
- Lead use of monitoring frameworks, tools and processes to measure performance and quality. This includes supporting thematic and operation staff to develop and monitor Quality Benchmarks;
- Lead routine collection, analysis and use of evidence, including disaggregation for gender, disability and the most marginalised and deprived, to document impact, innovate and learn what work for children, and inform management, policy and programme solutions. This includes needs and baseline assessments, feasibility studies, evaluations and research;
- Lead use of systems that safely and appropriately ensure accountability to children and communities with whom we work by building trusting and collaborative relationships through information sharing and two-way communication, participation, and feedback and reporting mechanisms;
- Systematically identify, document, share and use learning from Save the Children and others’ work, in order to continuously adapt and improve our programming. This includes learning agendas, learning workshops and after-action review, action planning and tracking of learning uptake;
- Lead MEAL emergency preparedness and response within existing country MEAL frameworks, systems, tools and processes, adhering to the Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere Charter and Red Cross Code of Conduct;
- Champion knowledge management through the development and use of platforms that store and display evidence and learning that is made accessible and actively used between countries, regions and the Centre;
- Work with the Program Development Unit, the Program Operations Department, and PDQ Thematic Sector teams to ensure that all projects have quality assurance mechanisms integrated into their design and implementation;
- Explore innovative opportunities to pilot approaches that are new or could expand to further areas of programming;
- Ensure that KPIs related to MEAL activities are regularly met through institutionalisation of robust systems for tracking, reporting and following up improvement actions;
- Foster innovation by identifying opportunities to pilot new approaches and to upgrade tools, systems and process based on advances in the aid sector.
B. Accountability & Participation
- Ensure that all staff at all levels, including senior managers and directors, fully understand and promote accountability in general and to children in particular, through training and coaching;
- Ensure the complaints mechanism already in place are well monitored, follow up and get response from Save the Children and support the implementation of complaints mechanism in all interventions;
- To ensure that complaints data base are fully filled out each month per base and complaints are correctly treated;
- Contribute to improvements in existing policies and procedures to enhance effective accountability mechanisms;
- Develop and report against accountability and participation-related indicators and issues, and produce an annual report on the accountability and participation work;
- Ensure that participation activities are well documented and learning is shared with Save the Children DRC programme, and Save the Children members;
- Ensure that participation activities are appropriately planned and budgeted for in programme design and funding applications;
- By facilitating information sharing with key stakeholders, including beneficiaries, ensure that Save the Children promotes transparency throughout all stages of implementation;
- Ensure that project activities are designed to promote feedback and response mechanisms and include systems to effectively manage complaints;
- Ensure that activities are carried out to raise awareness of prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and handling of serious complaints in line with child safeguarding policy.
C. MEAL Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development
- Lead the country’s MEAL team by structuring it appropriately and then hiring and retaining highly-qualified and motivated MEAL staff. This includes direct supervision of all DRC CO MEAL staff ;
- Build the technical expertise and coherency of the team through use of a Community of Practice that includes regular workshops and staff exchanges;
- Manage the performance of MEAL staff by clearly setting objectives, assessing performance, and providing coaching, mentoring, and training that aligns with SCI’s Global MEAL Capacity Building Strategic Workplan;
- Ensure MEAL staff have and understand clearly defined roles and responsibilities that are also understood by Program Ops and PDQ teams;
- Promote all aspects of MEAL through training and capacity building for multiple stakeholders including MEAL staff and PDQ Leadership to support the creation of an organizational culture which prioritizes MEAL leading to quality programming;
- Participate in relevant MEAL training opportunities and networks in country, region and globally.
D. Strategic and Annual Planning
- Ensure that evidence and learning is brought together across thematic and operational regions to develop a Country Strategic Plan (including participating in a Child Needs Situational Assessment);
- Support the development of the Country Annual Plan (CAP) including identifying future evaluations and ensure that data is accurate;
- Support PDQ staff to analyse progress against organisational objectives and strategies.
E. Internal Reporting
- Ensure accurate data collection and processing for all regular reporting including internal reports such as the Country Annual Report, the Programme Quality KPIs, categorised emergency sit reps, and “Total Reach”;
- Support MEAL aspects of donor reporting, including review of baseline, mid-term, endline or any other donor/project specific studies;
- Respond to any internal or SC member request for specific information including production of geographic, thematic or programme-specific data;
- Ensure that regularly updated MEAL mechanisms are in place for each project including technical reports and MEAL tracking tools that identify necessary future actions;
- Ensure data quality and accuracy (including for external reporting as needed).
F. Programme Development and MEAL Resources
- Work closely with the Programme Ops team to ensure MEAL plays an integral role at every stage of the project lifecycle, leading to enhanced quality, accountability, management and impact;
- As a contributor to proposal development, review and improve MEAL technical narrative and budgets within proposals, support development of SMART indicators with technical teams, ensure quality mechanisms are in place, and ensure consistency with the CO and SCI MEAL strategies;
- Ensure that adequate MEAL resources are included in proposals and work creatively to secure sufficient funding from diverse sources to ensure capacity to deliver MEAL according to SCI quality standards;
- Effectively manage the MEAL budget by understanding sources of funding and possible gaps, and optimizing available resources;
- Ensure cost recovery for the CO research team.
QUALIFICATIONS ET EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Minimum of 7 years of programming experience within the aid sector, preferably linked to one of Save the Children’s priority technical sectors (Child Poverty, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, Health & Nutrition), and with the majority of that time focused on overseeing comprehensive MEAL systems that ensure programme effectiveness and quality;
- Understanding of both emergency and development contexts, with a preference for experience in both contexts;
- Experience adhering to international quality standards (Red Cross Code of Conduct, Sphere, CHS) or equivalent;
- Experience and knowledge of monitoring systems, including robust and responsible data collection and use;
- Experience and knowledge of evidence generation and learning on what works (and doesn’t work) for children, including designing/commissioning, implementing and applying: needs assessments, baseline studies, evaluations and research, learning workshops and learning agendas;
- Experience and knowledge of systems for accountability to children and communities, including information sharing, participation of adults and children, and feedback and reporting mechanisms. Ability to prepare and facilitate technical MEAL trainings and workshops across countries in the region (including remotely). Direct experience working with communities in participatory activities;
- Proven success in building and managing a team and dedication to developing staff capacity through training, supervising, coaching and mentoring;
- Skilled at communicating and influencing across relevant teams and offices;
- Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets;
- Demonstrable analytical and problem solving skills;
- Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, defining and planning a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in;
- Ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner;
- Ability and willingness to be flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure contexts, including flexibility to work with incoming emergency response team;
- Proficiency in relevant data collection and analysis software;
- Strong remote-working abilities and self-motivated;
- Willingness to travel to field sites;
- Proficient in speaking and writing English.
Desirable
- Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant region/context;
- Experience of promoting quality and impact through at least one cross-cutting area: gender equality and inclusion, adaptive and safer programming; child rights; disability; migration and displacement;
- Experience and knowledge of Save the Children’s structure, mandate and child focus.
How to apply?
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document before 17 March 2023.
Click links below:
01. https://drc.savethechildren.net/careers/details?jid=87029
02. https://stcuk.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2300011S&tz=GMT%2B01%3A00&tzname=Africa%2FLagos
We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Applicants are advised that Save the Children International does not require any payment or expense during the entire recruitment process. Any request in this direction should be immediately reported as contrary to the values and practices of our organization.
FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.
