Meal Manager

BACKGROUND

The IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi state. In February 2014 the IRC moved into Adamawa State in NE Nigeria to provide humanitarian interventions through a multi-sectoral, integrated approach for conflict-affected populations. IRC Nigeria now operates a country office in Abuja and field offices in Mubi and Yola of Adamawa State, Maiduguri and Monguno of Borno State, and Damaturu of Yobe State. Currently, IRC Nigeria implements programs for primary health care, nutrition, environmental health, women’s protection and empowerment, protection, child protection, education, food security & livelihoods.

USAID’s Opportunity to Learn (OTL) is a 5-year project that aims to address the immediate education needs of out-of-school children (OOSC) and youth in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, through safer new and existing non-formal education, while laying the groundwork for sustainable improvement of education systems at the community and government levels. The OTL goal is to ensure out-of-school children and youth in Northeastern Nigeria are safely able to gain foundational skills, including literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional skills, to progress to higher levels of education, training, and/or engagement in the workforce.

Job Overview/Summary

The Education MEAL Manager is responsible for developing and implementing effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategies to enhance the performance and impact of Opportunities to Learn (OtL) activity. This role involves overseeing data collection, analysis, and reporting activities, ensuring that findings are integrated into program design and implementation to promote continuous improvement. Additionally, the manager is expected to foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and adaptation within the organization and among stakeholders.

The manager is expected to enhance Feedback Response Mechanism (FRM) practices, collaborate closely with the program team to develop innovative strategies for promoting FRM, and ensure that the activity leverages on FRM data to inform and improve implementation.

The manager will report directly to the MEL lead and will work closely with the state program manager and state education officers. The position holder would be expected to perform the following tasks:

Key Responsibilities

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Design and implement comprehensive MEL frameworks and plans.
• Review and developed data collections tools to monitor activity progress
• Ensure data collections tools are standardized and appropriately used to meet both organizational and donor requirements.
• Oversee data collection, management, and analysis to ensure accuracy and reliability.
• Conduct regular site visits and assessments to monitor program progress.
• Prepare detailed MEL reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.
• Conduct quarterly Data Quality Audits
• Support the conduct of EGRA, EGMA, ASER and TaRL assessment as well as Baseline, Midline, and Endline evaluations.

Data Management and Reporting

• Ensure data collected is routinely verified, analyzed and reported according to the data quality standards.
• Contribute to monthly and quarterly reporting by providing verified data that’s meets the USAID quality standards.
• Ensure the integrity and security of MEL data.
• Utilize data visualization and management software to present findings effectively.
• Track and report activity indicators according to the USAID data segregation guidelines.
• Support the conduct of the Teacher Classroom Observation (TCO) across project sites.
• Ensure that data are readily available and store appropriately for any future reference.
• Facilitate collaborative learning sessions, with strategic innovations involving the client we served, particularly USG supported children.

Collaboration, Learning and Adaptation:

• Coordinate with other departments to ensure alignment and coherence in MEL activities.
• Facilitate the integration of MEL findings into program planning and decision-making processes.
• Organize learning sessions, workshops, and training to promote best practices and knowledge sharing.
• Develop mechanisms for feedback and continuous learning to inform program adjustments.
• Encourage a culture of reflection and adaptive management within the organization.
• Work closely with communication specialists to develop human interest stories that showcase the relevant and impact of USAID OtL Activity.

Capacity Building and Supervision:

• Provide technical training to project staff, partners, and project stakeholder particularly the Learning facilitators, mentor teachers and research assistant on data collection and management process.
• Train project staff, and partners’ staff on project deliverables, especially the project result areas and indicators.
• Engage in one-on-one mentorship with supervisors and subordinates for capacity enhancement.
  

Perform other duties assigned by the supervisor.

• Perform other task-related assignments proposed by his/her supervisor/s

Key Working Relationships

• Position Reports to: MEAL Lead
• Indirect/Technical Reporting: Program Lead
• Position directly Supervises: MEL Assistant
• Key Internal Contacts: Program Lead, Reporting and Communication Lead, Consortium Leads, State, Education Officers
• Key External Contacts: Teacher Mentors, Learning Facilitators, Enumerators, Data hub information officers, and consortium partners.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education qualifications: Degree in statistics, Computer science/IT/or any sector or sub-sector related field
  
• Work Experience: At least three (4)-years’ experience working in monitoring and evaluation preferred.

Demonstrated Technical Skills:

• Demonstrated strong skills in developing & conducting data collection such as: Kobo collect, Ona, Comcare, SurveyCTO, Mobenzi, etc.
• Demonstrated knowledge on the use of statistical packages such as STATA, SPSS, Nvivo, Microsoft excel, QGIS, PowerBi, Tableu etc.
• Demonstrated report writing skill, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, think analytically and take initiative in solving problems.
• Familiarity with education programming with added advantage if implement USAID grant.
• Experience in conducting assessment, particularly EGRA, EGMA, ASER, TaRL
• Experience working with children and caregivers.
• Good team player with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work in diverse contexts.
• Demonstrated experience in managing a team

• Languages:English and Hausa is a must, Fulani, Kanuri, Marghi and any language in Borno state is a plus
• Computer/Other Tech Requirements: Professional competency in Microsoft Office, Particularly Word, Excel, Outlook, & PowerPoint.
• Ability to Travel: 60% of the time will be required to be spent on the field.

Standards of Professional Conduct:

• The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons, and several others.

Gender Equality:

• IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Working Environment

• IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.