Head of MEAL

Head of MEAL – Ukraine

Location: Ukraine – based in Kiev

Duration:08 months (renewable subject to funding), from September 2024

Conditions: Salaried contract, gross monthly salary €2 369 to €2 884 according to experience, monthly per diem €600, medical coverage of 100% + repatriation insurance + provident fund, accommodation, international and local transportation as part of the mission. No family duty station.

TGH has chosen a deliberately simple and transparent remuneration policy, accessible on our website www.trianglegh.org. The salary levels advertised in our job offers are set within the framework of the salary scale and are not open to negotiation.

Presentation of TGH

“Actor in a sustainable and shared solidarity”

Founded in 1994, TGH is a French international solidarity organization based in Lyon. The association designs and implements emergency, rehabilitation and development programs in the following sectors: water, hygiene and sanitation, civil engineering, food security and rural development, socio-educational and psychosocial. TGH is currently operating in 11 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Context

On February 24, the Russian president announced a special military operation to demilitarize Ukraine. Minutes later, missiles/air raids hit all of Ukraine, including Kiev, shortly followed by a massive ground invasion from several directions, in a major escalation of the 2014 conflict and resulting in the siege of several major strategic Ukrainian cities such as Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Mariupol, and Sumy. The Ukrainian president has since enacted martial law resulting in the general mobilization and management of the country by the military.

From September, UAF (Ukrainian Armed Forces) pushed back the aggressor in the east and south of the country with the recapture of some strategical cities. Meanwhile, RF forces continued their offensive with strikes across the country. In response, on September 21st, Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of 300,000 people to reinforce the invasion of Ukraine. Then, from 23 to 27 September 2022, the authorities of the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as the administrative authorities installed by Russia in Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts, hold annexation referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine that are widely regarded outside Russia as sham referendums. The results, although disputed by the international community, are all over 95% in favor of annexation. On 30 September, Vladimir Putin signed the annexation decree.

Today, the ground fighting remains very intense, taking on a “trench warfare” character and is concentrated mainly concentrated in the eastern and southern regions.

From a humanitarian perspective, the most pressing needs identified include:

• cash and access to financial support
• psychosocial support for a weakened mental health and limit the risk of irreversible
• medicines and medical supplies
• Shelter / NFI
• Winterization

Presentation of the mission

TGH is present in Ukraine since 2015. Established in Kramatorsk (East), TGH’s interventions were targeting the most vulnerable populations along the contact line employing traditional and innovative modalities as follows:

• Provision of electronic vouchers (e-vouchers for food, hygiene or dual-purpose e-vouchers), an innovative modality with application of mobile phones and web-money-based interface

• Cash for Work (rehabilitation or social work)

• PSS

• Documentation support (restoration or obtaining of official/legal documents)

• Provision of basic humanitarian assistance: food and hygiene kits, in Donestk, NGCA

Following February 24th, TGH mobilized its teams on the ground and at headquarter to develop an emergency response to meet the most immediate needs of the affected populations. To this end, TGH has quickly started various assistance program to cover the basic needs and respond to the psychological distress of the affected households and individuals. To implement these activities in the most affected areas of Ukraine, TGH has developed and reinforced the collaboration with local partners that are essential and take a crucial place in the global response. Currently, TGH is implementing 2 different projects: 1 funded by BHA in consortium with 4 other French INGO, 1 funded by CDCS, while others are under discussion. Annual budget about € 8 Million.

Initially operational in Ukraine from Kramatorsk, the team has been relocated to Lviv where the coordination TGH’s office is. In 2022, TGH opened 4 sub-offices, in Lviv, Vinnitsya, Cherkasy and Dnipro in order to be closer to the beneficiaries and ensure a proper implementation and follow up. Since August 2023 TGH has also a flat for visitors in Kiev.

TGH is a member of the following Clusters and Working groups: Protection, Age and Disability Working Group (ADWG), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Working Group (MHPSS WG), Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster (FSLC), Agriculture Working Group, Cash-based transfers Working Group (CBTWG) and WASH cluster.

Job description

The Head of MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) will ensure the development and implementation of the monitoring and evaluation system at the TGH mission level.

He/she will supervise the MEAL team, in line with the projects implemented in the field and with the mission strategy. He/she will work closely with the program team (program teams, technical coordinators…) and will provide all project-related information to the Deputy Country Director for programs. He/she will travel to the field in order to ensure the proper implementation of the MEAL activities.

He/she will ensure the quality and relevance of monitoring and evaluation activities and will provide regular recommendations on data management to facilitate the monitoring of activities.

The Head of MEAL will ensure the use of efficient tools and the implementation of appropriate methodologies for the collection and analysis of field data. He/she will ensure the accountability of the TGH projects in all the intervention zones of the NGO in Ukraine, by developing adequate protocols and strategies for each project.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Country Director for Programs (DCDP) and in close collaboration with the Program teams, technical Coordinators, the Grants department, Accountancy and the Technical Units, the primary responsibilities of the Head of MEAL are the following:

Consolidating the MEAL system and coordination of the MEAL activities

• Improve the existing MEAL system, in coordination with the program teams, the DCDP, the technical coordinators, and the technical units (data collection and processing system, etc.).
• Ensure on a monthly basis that the data management system is able to meet donors’ expectations in terms of monitoring and evaluation.
• Ensure that a system for collecting and managing feedback, complaints and request at the level of beneficiary communities is effective and make any improvements in TGH’s accountability to its beneficiaries.
• Support the program teams and the technical units in the definition of surveys and evaluations (sampling, questionnaires, etc.).
• Propose strategic orientations in the monitoring and evaluation system on the mission.
• Develop and regularly update the country’s MEAL strategy.
• Develop and regularly update a MEAL work plan that includes all ongoing projects and planned MEAL activities.

Data management

• Develop and oversee the implementation of appropriate data collection and analysis tools, methodologies (survey questionnaires, focal groups, key informant interviews, etc.) and data/information dissemination/use plans.
• Define the data in line with the projects’ indicators to be collected with the project teams.
• Work with project teams to collect data efficiently and quickly.
• Train data collector on Data Quality
• Centralize databases and ensure that information is easily accessible to the DCDP and technical Coordinators in coordination with clusters or any other coordination platform.
• Support the program team and any consortium partners for which TGH is lead in monitoring the system in place.
• Support the data collection analysis, in coordination with the program teams and support the Grants manager in the drafting of donor reports and field reports.
• Collecting and helping to capitalize on good practice and lessons learned under each project, and ensuring that these are followed up as they are published.

Support to reporting activities

• Oversee data analysis and production of M&E reports.
• Oversee the provision of data to Project development teams for use in preparing reports to donors and other key stakeholders, as needed.
• With the collaboration of the Coordination, initiate the necessary needs surveys to ensure the relevance of project proposals.
• Contribute to donor project proposals and funding efforts (particularly the design of the logical framework and formulation of SMART indicators) and reports, through analysis and interpretation of findings.
• Provide, where relevant, awareness and expertise on M&Es to involved partners and other TGH-supported institutions.

Team management

• Lead the recruitment of the MEAL department staff, develop the relevant capacity-building plan and implement it.
• Supervise the MEAL team of the Ukraine mission.
• Train the Ukraine team in MEAL processes and techniques.
• Implement regular staff appraisals and HR follow-up.

Mission Strategy

• Actively participate in monitoring the context and humanitarian needs in TGH’s areas of intervention and collect and synthesize available resources.
• Lead on identifying the required needs assessments and developing the relevant methodologies and implementation modalities.
• Identify and design innovative practices to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of M&E procedures and project management and integrate them into the M&E country strategy.

Capitalization

• Contribute to the proactive dissemination and use of knowledge gained through M&E activities among the operational team.
• Organize and facilitate training sessions to capture best practices and lessons learned at project close-out or as needed.
• Document and share lessons learned and best practices and ensure that the knowledge gained contributes to project improvement and influences the strategic development of future projects and activities.

Implement the TGH Complaint & Feedback Mechanism / AAP (Accountability to affected populations)

• Establish, evaluate, and monitor the functioning of the country Feedback, Complaint, and Request Mechanism (FCR) in line with TGH procedures.
• Act as the main FCR Focal Point and ensure that beneficiary, staff and partners complaints/returns are properly captured, analyzed, addressed, and processed in a timely manner and used by the coordination team.
• Oversee proper management of the FCR central database.
• Work to ensure that TGH staff, partners and contractors understand and are skilled in the procedures of the FCR.
• Consolidate the other aspects of AAP : participation, sharing information, etc.

Other

• Represent TGH at high-level national forums, such as M&E technical working groups.
• Participate when possible in conferences and workshops related to M&E and keep abreast of best practices and new knowledge in the M&E sector.

This list of responsibilities could be modified according to the needs.

Security, working and living conditions

Despite the fluctuating security situation in Ukraine, the environment in Lviv (where the coordination team is currently based) is relatively calm and travel on foot or by taxi is permitted in the city center and it is possible to go out in bars, restaurants. There is country wide government imposed curfew in place from 24:00 to 05:00 according to the martial law in force in the country. TGH team works in spacious and well-equipped offices in the city center. Access to good internet connection in the offices and accommodations.

Profile

• Significant experience in monitoring and evaluation, preferably in a humanitarian context and multi-country or consortium projects.
• A university degree in a field related to data management or information systems (computer science, statistics, etc.).
• Excellent command of IT and data management tools in both Microsoft and Google environments (Excel/Google sheets, Google Data Studio, Google drive and workspace). Excellent command of Kobo Mobile Data Collection platform.
• Sound knowledge of project cycle management, and its tools, and best practices.
• Experience with participatory appraisals.
• Demonstrated technical skills in results-based monitoring, development of FCR procedures, data quality assurance, capacity building of staff on M&E.
• Sensitivity and knowledge of mainstreaming gender and diversity, ethics and do no harm across all MEAL processes.
• Good organizational and communication skills with international and national staff.
• Teamwork and team building skills, capacity building skills.
• Flexibility and adaptability are essential, as well as the ability to plan, take initiative and work independently and under pressure.
• Full proficiency in English.