MEAL Officer - Nutrition Smart CommUNITY (NSC) Project

Job Description

Title: MEAL Officer - Nutrition Smart CommUNITY (NSC) Project

Company Name: Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB)

Vacancy: 1

Age: At least 28 years

Job Location: Netrokona

Salary: Tk. 70000 (Monthly)

Experience:

• At least 3 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Masters

• At least 3 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Age At least 28 years

• Master’s degree in Statistics, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences or related field.

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in MEAL, preferably in agriculture, food systems, nutrition, or climate resilience projects.

• Strong experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.

• Proficiency in data management tools (e.g., Excel, Kobo, ODK, Power BI, SPSS, or similar).

• Familiarity with logframes, indicator tracking, and donor reporting systems.

• Experience working with community-level institutions such as CBOs/FPOs is an asset.

• Strong analytical, writing, and communication skills in Bangla and English.

• Willingness to travel regularly to field locations.

Core Competencies

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills

• Attention to detail and data quality assurance

• Facilitation of learning and adaptive management

• Effective communication and reporting

• Commitment to accountability, inclusion, and ethical standards

Desirable Skills

• Experience with participatory M&E approaches

• Knowledge of nutrition-sensitive programming and climate resilience indicators

• Familiarity with GIS or spatial data tools

• Experience in digital data collection platforms

Expected Outcomes

• Functional and robust MEAL system supporting evidence-based decision-making

• High-quality, reliable data on project performance and impact

• Strengthened accountability and community feedback mechanisms

• Continuous learning integrated into project implementation

• Demonstrated improvements in adaptive food systems, nutrition, and climate resilience

Job Context:

Friends In Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB), in partnership with Welthungerhilfe (WHH), is implementing the multi-country initiative titled "Nutrition Smart CommUNITY (NSC): Strengthening Adaptive and Inclusive Food Systems for Improved Nutrition and Climate Resilience in South Asia." Spanning across Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, this project aims to address the interconnected challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate change vulnerability among marginalized rural communities. In Bangladesh, the project focuses on establishing "Nutrition Smart CommUNITIES" by promoting sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural practices, enhancing local food systems, and improving the nutritional status of women and children. The duration of the project is up to December 31, 2029, and the job is contractual for the project period.

Job Summary:

The MEAL Officer (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning) is responsible for establishing and managing a robust evidence-based monitoring and evaluation system for the Nutrition Smart CommUNITY (NSC) project. This role ensures that all project interventions in agriculture and nutrition, are tracked accurately against the project’s logical framework and maintain FIVDB & Welthungerhilfe (WHH) standards. The MEAL Officer is tasked with developing data collection tools, conducting regular field monitoring visits, and managing the project’s management information system (MIS) to ensure high-quality, real-time reporting. S/he will also be responsible for managing the project learning and institutionalizing accountability mechanism throughout the project.

Key Responsibilities:

MEAL System Design & Implementation

• Develop and operationalize the project’s MEAL framework, including indicators, tools, and data collection methodologies.

• Align MEAL systems with donor requirements and project logframe/results framework.

• Ensure integration of nutrition, climate resilience, and inclusion indicators.

Monitoring & Data Management

• Design data collection tools (quantitative and qualitative) for tracking outputs, outcomes, and impact.

• Oversee regular field data collection from clusters, CBOs, FPOs, and Learning Hubs.

• Ensure data quality through verification, validation, and routine data quality assessments (DQA).

• Maintain project databases and dashboards for real-time monitoring.

Evaluation & Research

• Support baseline, midline, and endline assessments.

• Facilitate thematic studies, outcome harvesting, and impact evaluations.

• Analyze data to assess progress on adaptive food systems, nutrition outcomes, and climate resilience.

Accountability Mechanisms

• Establish and manage Feedback and Complaint Response Mechanisms (FCRM) for beneficiaries.

• Ensure community voices, including women and marginalized groups, are captured and addressed.

• Promote transparency and accountability in project implementation.

Learning & Knowledge Management

• Promote a culture of learning and adaptive management across project teams.

• Document lessons learned, best practices, and innovations from Learning Hubs and field interventions.

• Facilitate reflection sessions, review meetings, and cross-learning events.

• Contribute to knowledge products, case studies, and policy briefs.

Capacity Building

• Train project staff, Cluster Facilitators, and partners on MEAL tools, data collection, and reporting.

• Strengthen capacity of CBOs and FPOs in basic monitoring and participatory tracking.

• Support integration of MEAL into NSMP processes at community level.

Reporting & Communication

• Prepare high-quality periodic reports (monthly, quarterly, annual) for internal and donor use.

• Develop visual dashboards, infographics, and summaries for decision-making.

• Ensure timely submission of reports aligned with project milestones.

Coordination & Compliance

• Work closely with technical teams to ensure data-driven planning and implementation.

• Coordinate with external evaluators, research institutions, and government stakeholders.

• Ensure compliance with ethical standards, data protection, and safeguarding policies.

As per the project policy of FIVDB and the budgeted provision of this project.