The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
The IRC began planning to reopen an oPt country program in mid-2022 and launched an emergency response in Gaza in October 2023. The organization is currently supporting a network of local partners in both Gaza and the West Bank to sustain critical health, protection, food security, cash, education, and early childhood development interventions. The IRC is working to scale its emergency response while building a longer-term oPt country program in parallel. This effort is being jointly managed by the Emergencies Unit (EmU) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a view to eventually transition the country program fully under the MENA region.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The MEAL Coordinator will provide national leadership and management oversight to ensure that the oPt country program develops and achieves MEAL commitments.
This position is responsible to ensure that data and learning are applied towards continuous improvements in program quality and evidence-based program design. The MEAL Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and data management systems are in place, sufficiently resourced, and successfully implemented from collection to visualization. Core to this will be providing strategic direction to, and harmonization of, MEAL efforts in both West Bank and Gaza operations with focus on supporting partners’ approaches to MEAL.
The Coordinator will ensure that MEAL principles are integrated into every step of the project cycle. In support of these goals, this position provides technical assistance, facilitates capacity sharing, and ensures ongoing mentoring and training in MEAL concepts for IRC and partner staff including evidence-based program design and continuous improvements of program quality based on data, feedback, and learning.
The MEAL Coordinator reports to the Deputy Director for Programs and is supported technically by the Emergency MEAL technical Advisor.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Technical Oversight
- Provide technical leadership to ensure strong data systems and processes throughout the project cycle for both IRC and partner projects, from design and implementation to close-out and learning.
- Use learning and evidence from internal and external sources to inform proposal design and theories of change.
- Participate in partner capacity assessments and evaluate the strength of partners’ MEAL systems. Identify actionable areas for learning and technical support.
- Develop and operationalize logical frameworks, MEAL plans, data collection tools, reach tracking tools, processes for data management, client feedback approaches, quality checks and audits, and real-time data visualization.
- Provide MEAL technical assistance to program teams and partners during the design and inception stages, including support with logframes, indicator selection and measurement methodologies, and the development of data collection plans and tools.
- Develop a MEAL budget and staffing structure for all projects that is responsive to planned activities and data requirements. Ensure partners have sufficient MEAL budget and structure.
- Ensure the effective set-up and use of data platforms to ensure effective data collection, management and presentation.
- Produce high-quality data, analysis, reports, presentations, and dashboards of key findings that foster learning and decision-making.
- Present findings in project cycle meetings and strategic management team meetings as required.
- Provide technical leadership for the design, method, and conduct of surveys and assessments, such as MSNAs, baseline post-distribution monitoring and endline, and the commission of evaluations and surveys as required in coordination with program coordinators, technical advisors, and external partners where vital.
- Lead the expansion of standard mobile data technology and online dashboards to enhance timeliness and quality of data collection, analysis, and visualization.
- Provide technical leadership to external accountability commitments through the implementation of sound accountability, client feedback, and response mechanisms.
- Strengthen client feedback and response mechanisms based on regional standards and expectations
- As needed, oversee Third party Monitoring efforts, including internal efforts to use TPM to supplement IRC’s own data collection efforts.
Strategic Leadership
- Lead all aspects of MEAL functions across multiple sectors and multiple geographical areas.
- Champion an organizational culture where data is routinely analyzed, reviewed and used for evidence-based decision making and program adaptation.
- Establish and drive response-level MEAL strategies and approaches that are fit for rapid scale-up, wide reach, partner-led implementation, access constraints and evolving emergency response realities.
- Shape and implement MEAL systems and approaches that meet IRC standards and practices, are responsive to program needs, and enable accountability to clients, partners, and donors.
- Lead the harmonization of MEAL approaches across IRC and partner-led projects, including partner MEAL capacity sharing, data quality assurance, feedback systems, reporting processes and routine use of evidence.
- Develop, coordinate and strengthen capacity sharing partnerships with MEAL counterparts of partner agencies, local organizations, and government as required.
- Reinforce integration of cross-sectoral priorities in MEAL, including gender, protection, safeguarding, disaster risk reduction, Diversity-Equality-Inclusion and Do No Harm.
- Contribute to regional and global MEAL initiatives as required and participate in regional MEAL cross-learning events and activities.
Staff Management and Development
- Establish an efficient and responsive staffing structure for the MEAL department which considers a balanced workload and optimal ways of working to support a large multi-sector program.
- Supervise the MEAL team across multiple sectors and geographical areas. Set clear performance objectives, schedule regular check-in meetings, manage staff work plans, conduct regular performance reviews, champion a positive working environment for professional development, and foster an inclusive and respectful team climate.
- Coach, train, supervise, and mentor MEAL department staff. Promote the growth and development of the team. Assess proficiencies and develop and lead a targeted learning and training strategy.
- Develop and implement remote management capacity building approaches to build the strengths of the MEAL team.
- Design and implement capacity sharing plans with partner MEAL staff including MEAL capacity assessments, MEAL sharing/capacity building gaps, and MEAL capacity and system support
- Lead or support the recruitment, onboarding and technical support of MEAL staff, consultants, temporary technical assistance and partner MEAL focal points, as required.
Other
- Other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor to further IRC MEAL objectives.
Key working relationships
Position reports to: Deputy Director of Programs
Technical support: Emergency MEAL Technical Advisor
Position directly supervises: MEAL Managers, MEAL Officers, MEAL Assistants and CRA staffs
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: Program Coordinators and Managers throughout the country program, Emergency MEAL technical Advisor Regional Measurement Advisor, Client Responsiveness & Accountability (CRA) Technical Advisor, Grants Coordinator and Managers, Finance Coordinator, relevant Regional/HQ-based colleagues.
External: partners, governments, clients.
QUALIFICATIONS
- A university degree in a relevant subject area (statistics, data management, social sciences, public health, economic development, or a related field). A technical degree together with additional relevant work experience may substitute for education.
- A minimum of 5 years of work experience within MEAL-related functions, including experience leading data collection and analysis for multi-sector and multi-donor funded humanitarian programs.
- Experience setting up or strengthening MEAL systems in emergency, remote management, access-constrained or partner-led programming contexts is strongly preferred.
- Excellent understanding of a range of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods required.
- Demonstrated ability to develop functional and user-friendly systems to utilize routine and survey data in program quality improvement and evidence-based decision-making.
- A strong understanding of accountability mechanisms and proven ability to build responsive client feedback systems is a distinct advantage.
- Leadership experience and demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training and mentoring.
- Proficiency and experience with mobile data collection software such as Kobo, CommCare, and ODK Collect is essential, as well as proficiency with Microsoft Excel, SPSS, STATA, or other similar software. Knowledge of Tableau, PowerBI, or GIS software are additional assets.
- Excellent verbal and written data presentation and reporting skills. Able to interpret data and communicate complex analysis to external audiences in a concise and easy to understand manner.
- Excellent advance planning and organizational skills. Able to effectively prioritize and follow multiple activities and deadlines simultaneously.
Proven Technical Skills:
- Excellent technical understanding of contemporary MEAL methods and practices, with hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
- Strong program/technical and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills.
- Proven ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and non-formal methods together with strong oral communication skills, presentation and reporting skills.
- INGO experience required; experience working with the interagency coordination mechanisms desirable.
- Comprehensive knowledge of humanitarian accountability principles and their translation into practice.
- Experience with multi-sectoral and multi-donor funded programs.
- Strong technical and operational knowledge of humanitarian programming in a remote context.
Languages:
- Professional fluency in spoken and written English required, Arabic language proficiency preferred.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.
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