MEAL Manager Lebanon

Position: MEAL Manager Lebanon

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Reporting Relationship: Country Representative

Application deadline: 12/03/2024

Starting date: May 2024 (date to be defined)

Family duty station: YES

Working context

WeWorld has been working in Lebanon since 2006 and is currently supporting vulnerable populations through multi-sectoral emergency responses as well as water governance, livelihood, and local development interventions in the governorates of Akkar, North Lebanon, Baalbek-Hermel, and Bekaa. WeWorld interventions aim to increase the populations’ resilience, enhancing the communities’ capacity to find, within its fabric, the skills and resources necessary to grow in a self-sufficient manner. WeWorld Lebanon counts more than 40 employees, divided into four offices (Beirut, Zahle, Ain, Kobayat). The main donors of the mission are EU, OCHA, AICS, DANIDA, AFD, and ICRC.

WeWorld Lebanon Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) department ensures the effectiveness and assesses the impact of project and programs. The department is tasked with the systematic tracking and monitoring of project activities, capturing both qualitative and quantitative data. Additionally, it actively supports the mission’s programs and departments by ensuring the delivery of high-quality services, leveraging knowledge, Ensuring Accountability to Affected Population, coordinating and assessing the efforts of local Implementing Partners. The MEAL department also contributes to grant management by providing support in reporting and proposal development.

Purpose of the Role

The main purpose of this role is to oversee and enhance the quality and accountability of WeWorld Lebanon mission. The MEAL Manager will be responsible for leading the in-country MEAL department: managing MEAL and data management activities, formulating and following-up on the MEAL budget, recruiting MEAL staff, overseeing the mission’s Accountability system, conducting needs and feasibility assessments, coordinating learning activities, and providing support in proposal writing and project development. Additionally, the MEAL Manager will take a lead or supportive role in building the capacity of WeWorld staff and local Implementing Partners. Ensuring accountability, effectiveness, appropriateness, and quality of WeWorld programming in Lebanon will be a key aspect of the MEAL Manager responsibilities. Lastly, the MEAL Manager support is critical in ensuring that projects and programs produce evidence-based knowledge to guide programming decisions and inform WeWorld Lebanon higher management staff.

Main functions and duties

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Lead the implementation of the in-country MEAL systems to collect and analyse program performance data for evidence-based decisions
• Monitor the progress on the implementation of MEAL activities and procedures at mission level to ensure compliance with WeWorld’s and donors’ requirements
• Oversee data analysis and visualization activities to provide evidence-based knowledge that informs programming
• Manage MEAL systems and tools reviews to ensure compliance with donor requirements
• Design key indicators protocols that can apply to selected programmes
• Oversee regular MEAL activities and systems within consortia and with local Implementing Partners
• Lead or support internal and external evaluations of the mission’s projects and programs
• Maintain up-to-date project MEAL SharePoint and repository with all M&E tools and MEAL produced material

Accountability and Learning

• Lead the systematization of the in-country MEAL systems, including the development of MEAL Standard operating procedures (SOPs), manuals, toolkits, etc.
• Support Program Managers and Project Officers to process, analyze, and use information collected to assess trends, improve management, and adjustments as necessary
• Support in tracking donor and WeWorld’s reporting requirements and deadlines and provide MEAL information to Program Managers for drafting reports
• Contribute to grant management by providing support in proposal development
• Support other departments in designing research and data collection methodologies
• Oversee and/or support research and learning activities at mission level
• Oversee capacity building activities for quality programming through training and capacity development of all WeWorld staff in MEAL, including areas of program assessment, design, monitoring & evaluation methodologies
• Facilitate proper communication with the program team, making sure that the MEAL strategy, decisions, and future endeavours are shared in a transparent manner
• Abide by, enforce, and disseminate WeWorld global policies (Code of Ethics and Conducts, PSEAH, Child Safeguarding, Data Protection Protocol etc.) at mission level

HR and Budget Management

• Manage and oversee the work of at least 3-6 MEAL staff members and interns/volunteers on an ad hoc basis
• Oversee and lead the recruitment, selection, and training of MEAL staff
• Oversee the MEAL department budget, ensuring consistency and financial sustainability
• Ensure that staffing of the MEAL department is appropriate to program needs and to budget availability
• Manage MEAL staff to ensure consistency of standards, harmonization of information and input collection from beneficiaries as well as sharing of learnings

The duties and responsibilities set forth above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to perform additional duties.

Job Specifications

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications and Knowledge

• An advanced university degree, master or equivalent in the field of Social or Political Science, Development Studies, Economics, Data Science, Information Management, Project Management, or similar
• MEAL principles and current approaches expertise, in humanitarian, development and nexus programs
• Fluent in written and spoken English
• Good knowledge of Microsoft 365

Professional experience

• 3-5 years of experience in MEAL/M&E in an emergency/development/protracted crisis context
• Previous experience in supervising, mentoring, and managing a team in a cross-cultural setting
• Experience with both quantitative and qualitative methods, including survey development, conduct assessments, collect and analyze primary and secondary data
• Experience with Mobile Data Collection and related software & language (e.g. OKM, Kobo, STATA, SPSS)
• Experience with proposal and grant development

Skills and Abilities

• Strong flexibility and capacity to adapt behavior to the needs of the situation
• Capacity to work autonomously and in problems prevention/resolution
• Proven organizational skills and ability to effectively manage multiple tasks while fostering quality, team spirit and positive working relationships with colleagues
• Ability to identify, initiate and maintain good relationships with partner organizations, donors and national authorities including building professional relationships with senior decision-makers and influencers/leaders
• Good communication, negotiation skills and sensitivity in dealing with local institutions on critical issues
• Cultural, gender, religion, and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Strong commitment to the Mission of WeWorld, genuine interest for international cooperation development topics

Desirable requirements

• Knowledge of Arabic and/or French
• Previous experience in the MENA region
• Knowledge of GIS, QGIS, ARCGIS, OpenStreetMap
• Knowledge of Inter-Agency in Lebanon systems and platforms (RIMS, Activity Info, RDMS etc.)

WHAT WE OFFER

Type of contract: a first 6 (six) month collaboration contract subject to verification of the achievement of specific objectives (these objectives will be agreed together with the Line Manager upon arrival on assignment); a second collaboration contract of 6 (six) months renewable, following the positive evaluation of the first months of contract

Economic conditions: to be defined according to WeWorld Expatriates Compensation Policy: Base Salary (seniority/role held) + Contributions (role complex, housing and hardship based on place of work; schooling, flights for children and insurance coverage for children)

Other conditions: equal tax treatment between Italian and foreign residents is guaranteed

Annual leave: 2,5 days/month (working days)

Flight ticket: one return flight every 12 months of contract

Health insurance: covered

Family duty Station: YES

R&R: NO

WHO WE ARE

We support people in overcoming emergencies and we strive to guarantee that everyone can have a decent and dignified life as well as opportunities and a better future. We work in 27 countries around the world, including in Italy, with more than 165 emergency, humanitarian aid and development projects. Our activities mainly involve women, girls and young people, actors of change in every community for a fairer and more inclusive world. We operate in several natural and man-made crisis in various regions of the world. The emergency response, coordinated by the Humanitarian Aid Unit, is composed by multi-sectorial interventions comprising of WASH, EiE, CVA, Food Security, Protection, and others. We operate also in protracted crisis with provision of humanitarian aid through a prevention, emergency relief and rehabilitation approach. In the last 4 years we have strengthened the regions and the countries where we have been working, we have created new programs, developed new quality and compliance systems and now we need new people who want to join us to build the world we want in the coming years. Join us.

WeWorld is an equal opportunity organization and will not allow discrimination based upon age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or any other status prohibited by applicable law. WeWorld has also a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a child or a vulnerable adult by any of our staff, related persons or partners. Safeguarding checks are part of the selection process. WeWorld commitment to being a safe organization begins with the staff recruitment process which includes meticulous checks, such as criminal records checks or check disclosure of previous convictions, to ensure children and vulnerable people are safeguarded and abuse is prevented. WeWorld promotes a welcoming, diverse and discrimination- and harassment-free workplace and expects the highest standards of behaviour from all its staff, who are requested to adhere to the principles and behavioural rules defined in the CoEC and the Organisational Policies. The CoEC and all the internal policies can be found here: https://www.weworld.it/en/about-us/transparency