MEAL Officer

ROLES AND RESPOSIBILITIES

MEAL System Design and Project Preparation Support – 40%

• Support the establishment of the project Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) system during the preparation phase.
• In collaboration with the Project Manager and PQLA Manager, support the development of the project Results Framework, MEAL Plan and Performance Indicators aligned with donor requirements and CARE Program Quality standards.
• Support the design and implementation of baseline studies, needs assessments and contextual analyses to inform project targeting, design and implementation approaches.
• Develop and standardize data collection tools, monitoring templates and reporting formats for the project and partners.
• Support the establishment of data management systems and beneficiary databases to ensure proper tracking of project participants and activities.
• Ensure integration of gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive indicators and monitoring approaches within the project MEAL system.
• Support the development of detailed project implementation plans (DIP) and monitoring frameworks to guide project implementation.

Monitoring, Data Management and Reporting – 25%

• Support routine monitoring of project activities and outputs during the preparation phase.
• Conduct regular data verification and data quality assurance processes to ensure accuracy, completeness and reliability of project data.
• Maintain organized project databases and ensure proper documentation and archiving of monitoring data.
• Support preparation of internal monitoring reports, progress updates and donor reports as required.
• Provide technical support to project staff and partners on data collection, monitoring and reporting processes.
• Ensure timely consolidation of monitoring data to inform project planning, reporting and adaptive management.

Accountability and Community Engagement – 15%

• Support the establishment of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) mechanisms including feedback and complaints response mechanisms.
• Ensure that community members and stakeholders are informed about project objectives, activities and feedback channels.
• Facilitate community consultations and participatory monitoring approaches to ensure inclusive engagement of women, youth and marginalized groups.
• Track, document and report feedback received from communities to inform project decision- making and adaptive management.

Learning, Documentation and Knowledge Management – 15%

• Support documentation of lessons learned, promising practices and innovations emerging from the preparation phase.
• Facilitate periodic reflection and learning sessions with project staff and partners to support adaptive programming.
• Ensure proper archiving of project MEAL documentation, reports and datasets.
• Contribute to CARE’s MEAL communities of practice and support knowledge sharing within the Country Office.

Other Responsibilities – 5%

• Participate in relevant coordination meetings with government, partners and stakeholders as required.
• Support project teams during field visits, monitoring missions and learning events.
• Undertake any other MEAL-related assignments as may be delegated by the supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Degree in Monitoring and evaluation, Impact measurement, Project management, statistics, social sciences or related field or equivalent experience,
• Master’s degree in project management and planning, statistics, social sciences or related field will be an added advantage.
• At least five years of work experience in monitoring and evaluation.
• Strong understanding of MEAL systems design and implementation in development or humanitarian programs.
• Experience supporting baseline studies, needs assessments and research processes.
• Knowledge of participatory monitoring approaches and community feedback mechanisms.
• Strong data management and analysis skills including use of digital data collection platforms (ODK, Kobo, CommCare, SurveyCTO or similar).
• Demonstrated experience conducting Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) and ensuring data integrity.
• Ability to translate data into clear reports, dashboards and learning products.
• Understanding of women and girls’ equality and social inclusion approaches in MEAL systems.
• Familiarity with climate resilience, natural resource management, or peacebuilding programming is an added advantage.