The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The IRC began planning to reopen an oPt country program in mid-2022 and launched an emergency response in Gaza in October 2023. The organization is currently supporting a network of local partners in both Gaza and the West Bank to sustain critical health, protection, food security, cash, education, and early childhood development interventions. The IRC is also deploying emergency medical teams to provide a surge clinical capacity in hospitals and other health facilities.
The IRC is working to scale its emergency response while building a longer-term oPt country program in parallel. This effort is being jointly managed by the Emergencies and Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a view to eventually transitioning the country program fully under the MENA region.
Position overview
The Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) Officer supports the quality preparation and implementation of IRC’s directly implemented and partner programs across oPt response in Gaza and West Bank. The MEAL Officer will support the MEAL Coordinator proposal development, participate in partners pre-award due diligence processes (including review or partner M&E systems), lead reviews of partners’ report data and verification, and provide guidance and training related to MEAL/Client Responsiveness and Accountability (CRA) to sub-awardees in order to strengthen their capacity, as required.
The MEAL Officer reports to the MEAL Coordinator for oPt response but will work very closely with the Field Coordinator, Partnership, and Technical team.
Responsibilities
Monitoring and Accountability System set-up and implementation for IRC direct implementation
•Collaborate with MEAL and non-MEAL staff to ensure that data is collected, compiled, checked for its quality and completeness in compliance with IRC and donors’ standards for data quality
•Develop and/or update M&E Plans, tools, databases, and monthly reporting formats in close collaboration with the MEAL Coordinator and Thematic sector leads.
•Work with project staff to monthly update the project Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT) and Project Indicator Dashboard (PID) and summarize project monthly achievements/gaps and help identify and alert critical gaps in a timely manner
•Develop mobile data collection tools on Commcare, KoBo or any IRC’s data collection applications
•Conduct field or onsite monitoring exercise and produce regular performance and quality monitoring of implemented project(s), share findings/gaps from field monitoring visits with project respective staff and agree and document actions for improvement.
•Conduct data audits and analysis to ensure high quality data, compile a report with relevant indicator data per grant, showing targets versus actuals and an action plan and send this to the Field Coordinator, MEAL Manager, and Technical Managers and Coordinators monthly.
Client Responsiveness set-up and implementation.
•Work with MEAL Coordinator to establish client feedback mechanisms to ensure IRC is meeting its internal and external accountability commitments through the implementation of sound accountability, client feedback, and response mechanisms
•Update/Review the SOPs and Feedback Plans together with the MEAL Coordinator
•Update/Review the feedback register and develop regular summaries to share with RMT.
•Lead and coordinate processes to collect, review and respond to client feedback at field level.
•Set up feedback mechanisms to collect and respond to client feedback – both proactive and reactive channels
•Conduct regular FGDs and meetings with different stakeholders including clients to solicit feedback on IRC’s work.
•During distributions, establish a help desk/information table for the community members to answer beneficiary comments/questions. After the distribution, prepare help desk reports on the distribution.
•Prepare CRA reports based on consolidated analysis of client feedback recorded via proactive and reactive channels, to be discussed at field meetings, project review meetings for analysis and decision making at the provincial level.
Partners MEAL support
•Participate in the Partner’s Project Capacity Review (PPCR) of potential partners as appropriate and contribute to efforts to collaboratively analyze and manage material risks identified.
•Work collaboratively work with Partnerships Managers and partners to develop and finalize logframes, indicators, and MEAL tools.
•Participate in Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closure Meetings, including to review successes and challenges with the partner, and capture effective MEAL/CRA practices for future partnerships.
•Collaborate with partners to ensure completeness, correctness, and accuracy of beneficiary reach data and ensure databases and up to date and accurate.
•Review partner narrative reports, ITTs, and supporting documents to ensure compliance with the partnership agreement, donor regulations and IRC policy, and provide feedback to the partner as appropriate.
•Work with partners to ensure appropriate Client Feedback Mechanisms (CFM) are established and functioning.
•Work with technical teams to review partner MEAL documents and provide appropriate feedback, along with input into IRC prime award reports.
•Participate in the review of the performance of the partner, of the IRC, and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.
•Provide the link between Third Party Monitoring service provider and partners to coordinate field assessments, report review and action planning.
Program Support & Capacity Sharing
•Provide MEAL/CRA training and mentoring support to IRC staff, partners, in accordance with partner project support plans, with a focus on supporting the partner to strengthen Monitoring, CFMs approaches.
•Other
•Any other duties as assigned by the MEAL Coordinator.
Key working relationships
Position reports to: MEAL Coordinator Opt response
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: Field Manager, Thematic Technical Coordinators, Partnership Coordinator
External: partners, governments, clients.
Qualifications
•A university degree in a relevant subject area (statistics, data management, social sciences, public health, economic development, or a related field). A technical degree together with additional relevant work experience may substitute for education.
•A minimum of 5 years of work experience within MEAL-related functions, including experience leading data collection and analysis for multi-sector and multi-donor funded humanitarian programs.
•Excellent understanding of a range of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods required.
•Demonstrated ability to develop functional and user-friendly systems to utilize routine and survey data in program quality improvement and evidence-based decision-making.
•A strong understanding of accountability mechanisms and proven ability to build responsive client feedback systems is a distinct advantage.
•Leadership experience and demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training and mentoring.
•Proficiency and experience with mobile data collection software such as Kobo, CommCare, and ODK Collect is essential, as well as proficiency with Microsoft Excel, SPSS, STATA, or other similar software. Knowledge of PowerBI, or GIS software are additional assets.
•Excellent verbal and written data presentation and reporting skills. Able to interpret data and communicate complex analysis to external audiences in a concise and easy-to-understand manner.
•Excellent advance planning and organizational skills. Able to effectively prioritize and follow multiple activities and deadlines simultaneously.
Proven Technical Skills:
•Excellent technical understanding of contemporary MEAL methods and practices, with hands-on experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
•Strong program/technical and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills.
•Proven ability to transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through training, mentoring, and other formal and non-formal methods together with strong oral communication skills, presentation and reporting skills.
•INGO experience required; experience working with the interagency coordination mechanisms desirable.
•Comprehensive knowledge of humanitarian accountability principles and their translation into practice.
•Experience with multi-sectoral and multi-donor funded programs.
•Strong technical and operational knowledge of humanitarian programming in a remote context.
Languages:
•Professional fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic is required.
Recruitment is opened for nationals of Palestine
Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.