Technical Advisor I, MEAL

Job Title: Technical Advisor I, MEAL Reports to: MEAL Program Manager Department: HRD

Position duration: 18 months

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

Project Overview

Catholic Relief Services is implementing a global emergency response initiative designed to deliver timely, life‑saving humanitarian assistance in rapidly evolving crises worldwide. Over 18 months, the program enables fast, flexible action to address urgent needs arising from sudden shocks and protracted emergencies. It supports critical humanitarian sectors through context‑appropriate assistance while emphasizing operational readiness, locally led implementation, accountability to affected communities, and safe, dignified programming. The initiative strengthens the organization’s ability to respond at speed and scale in complex and resource‑constrained environments, ensuring help reaches people most in need when it matters most.

Additionally, since 2018, CRS-HRD has implemented the EMPOWER (Empowering Partner Organizations Working in Emergency Response) program in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Central & West Africa. The objectives of the program include: 1) strengthening local humanitarian actors’ participation in networks/coordination platforms, 2) strengthening local humanitarian actors’ institutional and project capacity to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies, and 3) seeking and garnering humanitarian funding for local humanitarian actor-led emergency responses.

This position will support both RAPID and EMPOWER projects for a duration of 18 months.

Job Summary

You will provide technical advice and support for monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) to a range of program design and implementation issues in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles, standards, and MEAL policies, procedures and practices, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to Country Program (CP) teams to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. This will include a range of MEAL technical support including on business development, emergency responses, and remote and in-country MEAL system implementation. Your MEAL-related advice, knowledge, and support will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive and innovative CRS’ programming is across the globe.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and contribute to the implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools and best practices in MEAL that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.
• Provide MEAL-related technical solutions to CP teams, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, and tools, helping to ensure high-quality implementation. Technical guidance and capacity strengthening may include, but is not limited to, development and use of data collection tools, monitoring and reporting processes, data management and quality, data analysis and visualization, and feedback, complaints, and response mechanisms.
• Contribute to, and in some cases lead, the development of the MEAL portions of the technical design for proposals. Support the process of preparation, design, submission and approval of project concepts and full-fledged proposals. Advise project teams on integrating donor MEAL strategies, priorities and technical requirements into CRS’ approach.
• Contribute to, and in the case of less complex projects, lead the development of project MEAL systems that meet donor requirements and adhere to the agency’s MEAL policies, procedures, and practices. Support the customization and design of digital forms for data collection and the design of approaches for data visualization that facilitate use of data and quality reporting. Support the documentation of MEAL systems, including the creation, maintenance and periodic review of MEAL Operating Manuals.
• Support the customization and design of digital forms for data collection and the design of approaches for data visualization that facilitate the use of data and quality reporting.
• Support capacity strengthening initiatives in MEAL for staff and partner through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and coaching.
• Collect and analyze program data, capture and share lessons learned and best practices for specific projects to facilitate improvements in decision-making and contribute to sectoral and country program learning agendas.
• Contribute to maintaining relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions, participate in MEAL forums to collect and share best practices and promote CRS’ work.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), ICT systems for data collection (Kobo and/or CommCare admin experience required), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems, and knowledge-sharing networks.
• Knowledge of technical principles and concepts in MEAL. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure a proper cross-sectoral approach.
• Experience in project design and proposal development. Experience in writing content for proposals.
• Knowledge of capacity-strengthening best practices.
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation and analysis.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
• Strong knowledge of descriptive statistics and databases building and management.
• Strong relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
• Good strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment.
• Good technical writing skills.
• Presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills.
• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented.
• Knowledge of design requirements and regulations of major emergency donors, including the US Government, EU/ECHO and UN agencies.
• Knowledge of Humanitarian principles, standards and systems.
• Ability to maintain performance expectations and strong working relationships in diverse cultural contexts and stressful environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Experience in business development, including MEAL components of project design and proposal development.
• Experience and skills to represent the organization at meetings with donors, government, international NGOs, and local partners, with understanding of partnership principles.
• Experience working in humanitarian contexts and on humanitarian programming.
• Specific knowledge of CRS and Caritas Internationalis emergency programming and standards a plus.

Required Languages: Proficiency (verbal and written) in English and Spanish. French is a plus.

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 50%. Candidates should have the capacity to live and work in difficult/stressful environments and serve wherever agency needs dictate.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, statistics, economics, microfinance or other related field.
• Minimum of five to eight years of relevant work experience with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO
• Minimum of two years field-based experience in MEAL
• Demonstrated experience with project MEAL including development of indicators, data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation.
• Experience in the development and production of curricula, tools, evidence and other products to support MEAL. Demonstrated experience in transferring knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and informal methods.

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. Salary and 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.

Organization context

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements. All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.