Job Description

Title: Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator (Consultant)

Company Name: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Vacancy: Not specific

Job Location: Dhaka

Employment Status: Contractual

Educational Requirements:
∎ Postgraduate degree in Statistics/Demography/Economics/International Development Studies/ Social Science or other relevant areas;

Experience Requirements:
∎ At least 5 year(s)

Job Context:
∎ On behalf of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) (www.crs.org) Caritas Bangladesh is seeking a qualified professional as a full-time consultant for the position of the Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is a US-based relief and development agency working in nearly 100 countries/territories to alleviate poverty and suffering. In Bangladesh, CRS supports vulnerable people through partner organization, Caritas Bangladesh.
∎ Reports to: Country Manager, CRS Bangladesh
∎ Department: Program
∎ Country/Location: Bangladesh/Dhaka
∎ Supervisory Responsibilities: Not Applicable
∎ Key Working Relationship:
∎ Internal: Bangladesh Country Manager, Technical Advisor- MEAL, TA BD Country Programs, Humanitarian Response Team in Cox, Caritas Bangladesh, Project Managers.
∎ External: Implementing Partners.

Job Responsibilities:
∎ Job Summary:
∎ The primary role of the Coordinator is to lead in the development, management and implementation of the MEAL system at CRS and at partner level, as per CRS MEAL policy and systems in coordination with and technical guidance/supports from the CRS MEAL TA and in collaboration with other program staff and implementing partners. The MEAL Coordinator should have the ability to work sensitively and positively with program staff and partner and the MEAL staffs. The MEAL Coordinator is expected to have a high level of self-initiative and use critical thinking skills to identify and fill gaps. Under the guidance from the MEAL TA and sub-regional MEAL TA, the MEAL Coordinator will work directly with field level partner staffs to ensure implementation of high-quality MEAL at the field. S/he will be required to take the lead in development of data collection tools; ensure timely data collection using qualitative and quantitative methods by the partner team, conduct data entry and analysis, and accompany partner staff at all stages of the program management. S/he will also play a critical role in capacity building of the partner staffs.
∎ Roles and Key Responsibilities:
∎ 1. Support the development and implementation of MEAL Systems:
∎ Ensure that the Project is in compliance with CRS' MEAL Policies and Procedures and strategic initiatives;
∎ Support the development and contribute to the implementation of agency-wide strategies, standards, tools and best practices in MEAL that effectively engage partners, donors, and governments. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.
∎ Assist in MEAL-related technical, budget management, monitoring and reporting activities through most of the project cycle - start-up, implementation and close-out - In line with CRS program quality principles and standards and MEAL policies, procedures and practices, donor MEAL requirements, and industry good practices.
∎ Assist in development and roll-out of project-level MEAL systems during start-up, including Performance Monitoring Plans or Performance Indicator Reference Sheets, Indicator Performance Tracking Tables, data collection instruments, and Detailed Implementation Plans which are appropriate to the scope and context of the project(s).
∎ Coordinate the implementation of monitoring activities and processes (including ICT4MEAL) according to the project(s) Detailed Implementation Plan and MEAL system. Support the analysis of project performance data using differential and inferential statistics (quantitative data), and content and trends analysis (qualitative data). Ensure the quality of monitoring data through annual data quality assessments.
∎ Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and assuring the quality of evaluation data through good data management as per MEAL Policy. Develop evaluation terms of reference (ToR) for the project(s). Proactively identify issues, report them to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
∎ Assist in designing of the project(s) feedback and response mechanism (FRM). Coordinate the roll-out and implementation of the FRM and other accountability activities for the project(s). Support active seeking and responding to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other stakeholders.
∎ Coordinate activities required for ensuring the financial, material and human resources for MEAL for the quality implementation of the project. Conduct periodic MEAL budget reviews and follow-up with partners on timely submission of financial reports to facilitate proper tracking of resource use.
∎ Engage and strengthen partnerships relevant to MEAL in the project(s), appropriately applying partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
∎ Provide MEAL-related technical solutions to CP teams, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply standards, best practices, partnership principles, and tools, helping to ensure high-quality implementation.
∎ Contribute to, and in some cases lead, the development of the MEAL portions of the technical design for proposals. Support the process of preparation, design, submission and approval of project concepts and full-fledged proposals. As needed, act as a technical writer for MEAL on proposal development teams. Advise project teams on integrating donor MEAL strategies, priorities and technical requirements into CRS' approach.
∎ Contribute to, and in the case of less complex projects, lead the development of project MEAL systems that meet donor requirements and adhere to the agency's MEAL policies, procedures, and practices. Support the customization and design of digital forms for data collection and the design of approaches for data visualization that facilitate use of data and quality reporting. Support the documentation of MEAL systems, including the creation, maintenance and periodic review of MEAL Operating Manuals.
∎ Contribute to maintaining relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions, participate in MEAL forums to collect and share best practices and promote CRS' work.
∎ Act as a key resource person for MEAL in project design and proposal development in respective programming area, gap-filling and taking on growth responsibilities, as needed. Support the design of project-level theories of change, results frameworks, Proframes (logical frameworks) and MEAL narratives, including the identification of key indicators of change and appropriate methods for data collection and use.
∎ Coordinate the implementation of program evaluations/assessments such as baseline and annual surveys, mid-term and final evaluations, and special studies and operations research;
∎ Conduct regular project monitoring visits;
∎ Use qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data in the field and accompany CRS and partner staff doing this;
∎ Support the implementation of data quality controls to ensure the integrity of project data;
∎ Support project M&E audits, as required;
∎ Ensure regular informal feedback from beneficiaries and project stakeholders is collected, analyzed, used and recorded;
∎ Support documentation of project processes and learning.
∎ 2. Capacity building:
∎ Engage and strengthen partnerships relevant to MEAL in the project(s), appropriately applying partnership concepts, tools and approaches;
∎ Identify MEAL-related staff capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and contribute to capacity strengthening and required interventions to support quality project implementation. Optimize partner participation and capacity development in the implementation of MEAL systems;
∎ Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and disseminate results. Review the project(s) documentation to ensure the project(s) file is complete with all required MEAL documentation and filed per agency and donor requirements;

Additional Requirements:
∎ Required:
∎ Minimum of 5 years work experience in in the field of MEAL, preferably in International NGO and/or for a reputed National NGO;
∎ Relevant grant management experience, especially for USG or other public donors;
∎ Experience working with stakeholders at various levels and strengthen community partnerships;
∎ Ability to contribute to the development of technical proposals, a plus;
∎ Experience analysing data and contributing to evaluation reports;
∎ Practical experience in using Open Data Kit (ODK) tool specially CommCare and CommCare Plus;
∎ Computer proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, MS Access, PowerPoint and Outlook;
∎ Ability to work in a team and support concurrent projects/assignments;
∎ Excellent communication skills in English and Bengali;
∎ Desired:
∎ Proficiency with statistical packages such as SPSS or STATA a plus.
∎ Key MEAL Competencies (specific for this position):
∎ MEAL in Design: Developing project-level Theories of Change, Results Frameworks, Proframes, related MEAL system tools and components, and accompanying MEAL narratives.
∎ Monitoring: Implementing monitoring activities, including timely collection of quality data, set up and maintenance of databases, facilitation of participatory reflection on monitoring results, and submission of timely progress reports.
∎ Accountability: Improving our accountability to a range of stakeholders through increased participation, transparent communication, responsive feedback mechanisms and adherence to internal and external quality standards and requirements.
∎ Analysis and Critical Thinking: Engaging with data, challenging biases and assumptions, posing thoughtful questions, pursuing deeper understanding of evidence through reflection and perspective-taking, and making informed programming decisions.
∎ ICT for MEAL: Applying knowledge on information and communication technologies (ICT), both hardware and software, for opportune and accurate data collection, database management, conducting
∎ Required Language: Bangla, Desired Foreign Language: English (high proficiency)
∎ Travel Required: At least 40% travel will be needed to Cox's Bazar, Monpura, Barisal, Khulna, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Chittagong Hill Tracts areas at a minimum, other areas may be added as needed. Travel in these areas can be physically demanding.
∎ Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
∎ Strong written and verbal communication skills.
∎ Willingness to travel frequently and extensively within Bangladesh, as well as occasionally in the East and South East Asia region.
∎ Good strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture;
∎ Good relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally;
∎ Good negotiation skills;
∎ Very good communications and presentation skills;
∎ Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
∎ Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff) :
∎ These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.
∎ Integrity
∎ Continuous Improvement & Innovation
∎ Builds Relationships
∎ Develops Talent
∎ Strategic Mindset
∎ Accountability & Stewardship

Application Deadline: April 12, 2020

Company Information:
∎ Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
∎ Business : Established by the Catholic Bishops` Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB), Caritas Bangladesh (CB) is a national organization, operating since 1967 to carry out activities promoting integrated social welfare and development. Having its central office in Dhaka, CB has a wide presence across country through its eight Regional Offices in Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi and Sylhet. The focus area of its work includes Charity and compassion, Integrated Development, Disaster Management and Human Resource Development.
Mostly the interventions led by CB are concentrated in the remote rural areas of Bangladesh. Presently it covers 208 upazila (sub-districts). However, during emergencies- natural and manmade disasters - Caritas is operational in any part of the country. CB maintains the spirit of universality and openness to all people of Bangladesh irrespective of caste, creed and religion, but with preferential option for the poor and the marginalized including tribal.
CB is a member of the Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 165 Caritas Member Organizations over 200 countries and territories.

Category: NGO/Development