MEAL Manager – NES At Un Ponte per

Posizione/Position: MEAL Manager – NES

Tipo di contratto / Contract: Contratto di collaborazione / Contract of Collaboration

Period: 12 months, with possible renewals

Closing date of the vacancy: 13/02/2023 (applications on a rolling basis)

Starting date: February

Context Presentation: Un Ponte Per (UPP) is an Italian NGO established in 1991. It started its activities as “Un ponte per Baghdad”, in the aftermath of the first Gulf war, with the aim of organizing solidarity initiatives in support of the Iraqi civilian population. In subsequent years, UPP missions expanded to include Serbia and other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. The NGO aims at preventing armed conflicts, protecting human rights and supporting local civil society, especially in the Middle East, by promoting the nexus between its humanitarian, peacebuilding and development programs. Since 2015, UPP has been one of the leading INGOs in the North East Syria (NES) response. Providing humanitarian aid and capacity building of local actors in Health and Protection as well as environmental health, including waste management. In partnership with local partners, UPP has been able to develop a comprehensive system of health services delivered in 26 facilities, including mobile units, hospitals, primary health care centres, and an ambulance network. For further information please refer to our website: www.unponteper.it/en/

CONTEXT BACKGROUND: Conflict and displacement continue to affect North East Syria (NES), while needs are heightened due to the COVID-19 outbreak, impacting the provision of healthcare services, especially in remote areas and IDPs camps across all governorates. In continuation with previous Actions, UPP and partners aim to ameliorate living conditions and save lives of war-affected persons in NES by improving access to emergency and primary health care, life-saving obstetric and Reproductive Health (RH) services, and support the COVID-19 preparedness and response. Through a strengthened community-based strategy, UPP and partners will provide prevention outreach in health and protection to support local resilience. Through a flexible structure and a wide geographic coverage, the Action aims to provide the capacity to quickly assess and respond to emerging health and protection needs in different locations in NES.

Ruolo e Responsabilità / Role and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Head of Mission, in coordination with Project Managers (PMs), and relevant HQ desks and implementing partners’ staff and field teams, the MEAL Manager is responsible of the development and implementation of MEAL strategies, tools and standards needed to improve UPP actions’ effectiveness, quality and accountability.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties:

Support the Design and Implementation of Country MEAL Systems & Enhance MEAL capacities:

• Manage and implement integrated data management and M&E systems in line with project and programme specific requirements. Review data collection tools and systems, making sure the data collected feeds into programmatic decisions, and ensuring adaptive management.
• Oversee data collection, progress tracking against activities, analysis (both qual and quant) and reporting on performance indicators,
• Develops and ensures correct implementation of Action’s MEAL Plan, providing guidance and technical support to the MEAL Officers/Assistants.
• Conducts regular data quality assessment in line with UPP and donor requirements.
• Supports program evaluation plan including mid-term, real time and final evaluation.
• Lead the development of qualitative, cross-programme assessments and harmonise data collection processes across the mission.
• Support the expansion of IM/FCRM Team and completion of health platform
• Define and establish different Assessments (KAP, baseline, end-line survey etc)

Capacity Building:

• Provides training mandates in MEAL to UPP staff and partner teams in data collection, analysis, and accountability.
• Train staff on MEAL frameworks for new sectors of programming as necessary.
• Develop capacity building plans for MEAL Dept. Staff on annual and mid-term basis.

Promote Learning for Improved Program Quality, Strategic Development & Decision Making:**

• Responsible for leading/organising learning workshops at key project intervals or completion of new sectorial interventions.
• Lead and coordinate the design, implementation and data analysis of needs’ assessments and research, and to the drafting of assessments and donor reports.
• Support Desk Officers/PM in drafting evidence-based project proposals and leading SMART indicator design.

Quality Internal and External Reporting:

• Supports the PM in the submission of monthly reports to HQ, and interim/final reports to the donor – ensuring data is prepared and disaggregation as needed, matching to donor requirements.
• Supports PM in response to donors or HQ requests and/or changes in the operating environment to update or revise activities/indicators as necessary.
• Develop content and process for lessons learnt
• Interval project reviews in coordination with PM’s and desk
• Robust data management system along with regular quality checks through data audits

Safeguarding:

• Oversee AAP (Accountability to Affected Population) activities, including community feedback and complaints response mechanism (CRM) in coordination with field teams and consortium counterparts.
• Ensure adequate mechanisms are in place to ensure safeguarding of beneficiaries and UPP/local partner programme staff.
• Support in investigations regarding breaches of policy if directed by HoM or considered relevant.

Department Management:

• Manage a team of MEAL, IM and FCRM Officers, and ensure close coordination with implementing partner’s MEAL Team.
• Ensure the department has sufficient human and financial resources to operate efficiently whilst advocating sound opportunities for growth in collaboration with HoM/ MEAL Specialist.
• Foster strong working relationships internally within the MEAL team and externally with other departments/desk officers.
• Represent UPP in relevant working groups and collaborate with external actors for ensuring strong uptake of new MEAL strategies/developments in NES.
• Other ad-hoc management responsibilities as delegated or necessary according to line management.

Essential requirements

• At least 4 years of experience in designing, managing and implementing results-based M&E activities for NGOs;
• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, economics, international development, evaluation research, statistics, or a related field;
• At least 3 years of experience analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.
• Experience in working with an international humanitarian organization and knowledge of reporting procedures, best practices, guidelines and tools for monitoring and evaluation, including impact evaluation.
• Minimum of two years of overseas field-based experience; –
• Experience working in an M&E role on humanitarian emergency programs; Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent oral and written English.
• Relevant computer software skills with proficiency in Excel, KoBo and other data management systems;
• Ability and willingness to travel in the Middle East, work in complex humanitarian context
• Proven ability in working with autonomy and independence.

UPP requires criminal background check certificate (released max 3 months before the date of job offer) to confirm a job offer. We are aware that in some countries the release of criminal background certificate by the competent authorities might require several weeks. However, UPP runs selections to deploy staff in emergency programs and time-lapse between job offer and field deployment is often very short. Thus, we kindly ask all candidates to get prepared on time and be able to submit their certificate promptly in case of success in the selection.

Desirable requirements:

• Knowledge of donors’ monitoring standards (ECHO, UN, USAID, AICS etc.).
• Experience in MEAL for health and/or protection mainstreaming.
• Knowledge of the Middle East context and relevant local actors.
• Knowledge of Arabic, Kurmanji and/or Italian.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

Un Ponte Per is an International NGO committed to diversity and inclusion within its teams, in line with the principle of non-discrimination. UPP encourages all candidates irrespective of gender, religion and ethnicity including persons with disabilities to apply and become part of the organization.

Ethical Conduct

UPP upholds all the minimum standards in terms of Ethical Conduct and strives to increase its standards over the minimum. Zero tolerance is reserved to Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and to Child Abuse, Violence, Harm, Injury and Negligence. By applying, any candidate assures that s/he has never breached any standard in terms of SEA and Child Safeguarding and that s/he will not in the future. For the protection of beneficiaries, communities and partners, UPP will conduct extensive reference check and vetting on shortlisted candidates, also over the contacts indicated by the candidate. Candidates are alerted that the required background check might compromise their privacy. Shortlisted candidates shall promptly provide an up-to-date criminal background check.