The role of Project Officer – MEAL (Graduating Generations Project) involves managing and implementing all Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) activities for the Graduating Generations Project. This encompasses the entire project cycle, from design and start-up through implementation and close-out, ensuring alignment with CRS program quality principles, MEAL policies, donor requirements, and industry best practices.
Responsibilities
- Manage and implement all MEAL activities in the Graduating Generations Project, throughout relevant project cycles (design, start-up, implementation, and close-out) as outlined in the project Detailed Implementation Plan to ensure efficient and effective implementation in line with CRS program quality principles and standards and MEAL policies, procedures and practices, donor MEAL requirements, and good industry practices.
- Lead the development and implementation of the Graduating Generations Project MEAL systems and practices while advancing the use of ICT4MEAL solutions, that effectively engage partners, donors, and other stakeholders and are compliant with CRS and donor MEAL requirements.
- Lead field level monitoring and evaluation activities of the project (including digital data collection), ensuring quality data collection and data management activities, and guiding staff and partners on timely analysis and reflection on project data and experiences for evidence-based decision making and adaptive management. Monitor and report any MEAL-related challenges and gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
- Contribute to evaluation and research events through the development and/or review of terms of reference that include a balance of qualitative and quantitative methods, and the necessary level of technical rigor.
- Lead the roll-out and implementation of the project’s Feedback, Complaints, and Response Mechanism (FCRM). Actively support community and stakeholder feedback processes to strengthen accountability and responsiveness, as defined by the FCRM.
- Promote documentation and application of lessons learned to enhance program quality and strengthen the agency’s influence. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices.
- Collaborate with local partner(s) to prepare MEAL-related aspects of reports per established reporting schedule. Support the Program Office, Regional and Agency level reporting.
- Serve as a resource person for MEAL in project design and proposal development, supporting the design of project-level theories of change, results frameworks, Proframes (logical frameworks), MEAL plans, and budgets.
- Build MEAL capacity of CRS project and partner staff to ensure assigned project MEAL activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards, optimizing partner participation and capacity development.
- Foster respectful relationships with community members and stakeholders, and serving as the liaison between them and the project team on MEAL activities.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in International Development, International Relations, Demography, Social Sciences, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation, or other MEAL related field is required.
- Minimum of three years’ NGO experience setting up and implementing MEAL systems for projects (preferably in Graduation, Financial Inclusion, Livelihoods).
- Experience in monitoring projects, collecting, analyzing, and sharing relevant data, using mobile data collection and management applications (e.g., Commcare, GIS, YouTrack, PowerBi).
- Experience conducting project surveys and evaluations, including supporting data analysis using SPSS or other data analysis software, writing reports, and facilitating the use of findings for adaptive project management.
- Experience working with partners, participatory action planning, and community engagement.
- Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, and information management systems.
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