MEAL Technical Officer

Location: Chapur, Rautahat

Number of Vacancy- 1

Reports to: MEAL Manager

People in Need (PIN) is a non-governmental, non-profit, international organization founded in the Czech Republic in 1992. PIN arrived in Nepal as part of a humanitarian response to the April 25, 2015 earthquake. Since its inception in Nepal, PIN has had a strong role advocating and addressing the needs of marginalized populations. This includes people who live in geographically remote areas of Nepal, people who are from historically marginalized ethnic groups, and those marginalized because of their age and/or gender identity (women and girls). PIN has also supported Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction efforts ensuring that the most vulnerable people are not left behind with resilience (focused on shelter and resettlement) and inclusive education programming. PIN-Nepal is strongly committed for safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, including persons with disabilities, in line with its safeguarding framework and child protection policy.

Leave No Girl Behind (LNGB)-Aarambha is a five-year program funded by the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC). The project is being implemented in Bara and Rautahat districts by two local partner organizations. Aarambha works with out-of-school adolescent girls Madhesh Pradesh, the region with the highest rates of literacy and early marriage in Nepal. Aarambha seeks to improve the life choices and opportunities of the girls by providing literacy, numeracy, and life skills, and by mitigating the adverse effect of early marriage and addressing harmful social and gender norms.

Durable Solutions III is aForeign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funded consortium project which is being implemented in Rautahat and Saptari districts with CSRC as a consortium partner to facilitate durable solutions for landless households at risk of or displaced by floods. The project seeks to improve the viable chance of landless households to access governmental grants before, during and after flood (as stipulated in Land Act and DRM Act and SSA). The project aims to have a local government model tested for the facilitation of durable solutions for increased resilience of at-risk landless households.

MEAL Technical Officer will be responsible for MEAL activities in the field, such as design, planning and coordination, capacity building of field team members and local partners, field data collection, cleaning and analysis in coordination with the MEAL Manager, Programme managers and local partners. S/he will be responsible for ensuring efficient information management, improving data quality, and strengthening the knowledge sharing and learning process across the organization, with partners and other stakeholders. He/She will work under the direct supervision of the MEAL Manager.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

1. Project Monitoring and Evaluation

• Coordinate with field team, both PIN’s and local partners’, in the overall set-up and operationalization of PIN and project (LNGB and DS III) specific MEL Framework and plans.
• Be a focal point to maintain project indicator tracking table at the field office and ensure that all supporting evidence is systematically archived (ELO, Sharepoint, DevResults Platform).
• Lead the story of change under DS III project underpinned by the Most Significant Change (MSC) technique.
• Ensure that the downstream partners are adequately trained and implemented MEAL requirements over the duration of the project.
• Identify gaps and facilitate development of M&E-related capacities among colleagues and stakeholders to ensure participation, enable ownership and facilitate quality of data collection, its management and use.
• Assist in design and refinement of baseline, endline, thematic and other relevant evaluations and assessments as relevant to the project
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data, prepare info graphs and summary reports.
• Assist in the preparation and development of MEAL framework for the program, monitoring and evaluation reports and other relevant outputs of MEAL work.
• Lead and be a focal person to ensure the implementation and monitoring of PIN’s Community Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM) in the field, in coordination with respective Child Protection Focal Persons and MEAL staff of PIN and downstream partners.
• Under the guidance of MEAL Manager and in collaboration with the entire program team and beneficiary communities, monitor activities through regular site visits, remote data collection and use of participatory techniques.
• Work in strong collaboration and coordination with the partners’ MEAL team and program team to ensure the quality of project and MEAL activities.
• Monitor data quality within the PIN and project (LNGB and DS III) specific MEL system and make improvements as required.
• Ensure safeguarding of children, vulnerable groups (including people with disabilities) and those in fragile and conflict-affected states at all times.
• Monitor staff and partners’ adherence to PIN’s policies and internal procedures, protocols, PIN’s Code of Conduct, with special attention to Safeguarding Standards and Procedure, Case Handling Framework, Child Protection and Do No Harm policies; immediate reporting and redress of any complaints and issues based on its severity.

2. Documentation, Reporting and Knowledge Sharing

• Document and archive LNGB and DS III project’s MEAL tools, resources, approaches, lessons learned/success stories and good practices.
• Strengthen knowledge sharing and learning process by ensuring regular dissemination of lessons learned and good practices to the project team, partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
• Support the project team to compile, arrange and archive activity reports and flag due reports to respective staff.
• Support project’s MEAL team to streamline accountability systems in project activities with support from the program team.
• Support to streamline data quality assessment process at the field level and help prepare initial DQA reports in partnership with the project team.
• Support to review, proofread and finalize reports ensuring integration of relevant quantitative and qualitative data as relevant.
• Support in carrying out PIN led research, study and assessment.

3. Data Collection and Database Maintenance

• Support to design, test and implement qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and protocols.
• Contribute to efficiently develop and manage project’s database in the field office, ensuring that the database is updated regularly and systematically, in close coordination with the program and MEAL team.

4. Data Quality Assurance

• Monitor and analyze information and data systems and evaluate their performance to discover ways of enhancing them (new technologies, upgrades etc.)
• Regularly review data to assure quality and identify potential improvement areas
• Ensure data accuracy and consistency at entry and identify problems at various levels including the questionnaires, entry methods, interview, and software
• Any other relevant tasks assigned by the line manager

Education and Training

• Bachelor’s degree (Masters’ degree preferred) in social science or development related fields, with good understanding of MEAL systems.

Relevant Experience

• Minimum of three years’ experience working in developing and supporting monitoring and evaluation, research, and complaint response mechanism, preferably with large development projects in I/NGO settings. Previous working experience with disadvantaged and vulnerable groups is a plus.

Desired Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong computer literacy and data management skills
• Demonstrable skills in data analysis, visualization and report writing
• Outstanding communication skills- written and spoken
• Ability to analyze, interpret and organize large volume of quantitative and qualitative data
• Knowledge and skills on monitoring and evaluation tools and methodologies
• Ability to develop data analysis approaches, methodologies and databases
• Basic knowledge and understanding of GEDSI and Protection principles in data management
• Fluency in English and Nepali languages
• Strong critical thinking and ability to self-initiate
• Fluency in the local language (Bhojpuri/Bajjika) is a plus
• Nepali typing skill is a plus

How to Apply

Submit an updated CV and Motivation letter to the following link before 26th August 2022. Please note, applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis and should a suitable candidate be found before the official closing date, the advertisement might be withdrawn prior to the deadline thus early submissions are strongly encouraged. No phone calls will be entertained.

PIN promotes equal opportunities. Women, Dalit, Minorities (ethnic, sexual & gender) and Janajati candidates are strongly encouraged!

APPLY FOR THE JOB