Consortium Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer

Job Purpose

ACTED is the lead organization in a 6-partner AFD-funded consortium (ACTED, ACF, TDH, RSCN, Phenix and EcoConsult) and sub-grantee, NARC, implementing and economic and livelihoods development project, with a focus on the agricultural sector, in Jordan.

The Consortium MEAL Officer is responsible for the development of a comprehensive and viable consortium-wide Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework, that will ensure a consolidated holistic data set for the programme, to facilitate an ongoing results-based management approach and ensure that the program performs as planned. This will also include providing support to the implementing partners, in terms of MEAL capacities and harmonizing approaches/tools across different areas of intervention. While adjusting to the consortium specificities as relevant and appropriate, the MEAL framework should remain in line with ACTED’s global MEAL procedures.

The position will be based in Amman with regular travel to all areas of intervention. 

adherence with acted’s greening policy:

ACTED’s greening strategy aims to tackle environmental degradation and climate change while meeting the needs of the most vulnerable who are often those most affected by the deepening environmental crisis. Each ACTED employee will adhere to these principles through key green programming responsibilities:

• Contribute towards the adherence and development of the greening strategy plan.
• Explore innovative green programming opportunities and/or solutions within your realm of responsibilities and roles
• Encouraging and promoting environmental safeguarding processes and environmental programming standards in accordance with SOPs and technical guideline notesز

adherence with acted’s pseah policy:

Every ACTED employee has the responsibility to adhere to the PSEAH Policy (Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment) and has the obligation to complete all mandatory trainings related to the Code of Conduct and the PSEA policy and report any safeguarding concern such as breaches of organisational policies or codes of conduct according to ACTED’s procedures. The Consortium MEAL Officer carries out work duties in a way that does not harm children, vulnerable adults or other staff or volunteers.  

Objectives

1. Implement robust MEAL systems: Design and implement relevant consortium MEAL systems and mechanisms that are in line with global ACTED MEAL procedures and deliver effective research/outputs to inform timely decision making and the adoption of sound corrective measures.
2. Learning: Ensure lessons learnt and best practices are discussed and documented.
3. Implement Database and GIS systems: Ensure data on project beneficiaries, processes, progress, locations and performance are effectively collected, entered, cleaned and validated, stored, transformed and presented in an efficient and effective manner in order to support timely decision making.
4. Implement a Beneficiary Complaints and Response Mechanism: Contribute to the establishment and effective functioning of suitable beneficiary complaints and response mechanisms and enhance the trust and confidence of beneficiaries, identify areas of consortium work which need to be improved and ensure that all partners learn from the feedback provided through this process. 
5. Consortium M&E coordination: Lead MEAL Technical working group and ensure the operation and delivery of MEAL functions through effective coordination of partner MEAL functions.
6. Donor relations: Support proper, qualitative and timely grant management as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.     Appraisal, Monitoring and Evaluation Systems

1.1.      Technical and Systems Development

a)     Development and operationalize the Consortium MEAL Framework, based on project proposal, implementation plans, donor reporting requirements, as well as ACTED’s MEAL Handbook (as appropriate);

b)    Ensure that MEAL findings are reflected and their recommendations are incorporated in future amendments, concept notes, proposals and implementation plans;

c)    Contribute to an effective roll-out of MEAL collection and reporting systems across all Consortium partners through training, site visits, manuals, and other technical support as needed.

1.2.      MEAL Implementation and Management

a)     Develop the Consortium MEAL plans, framework, and Terms of References for monitoring activities;

b)    Oversee partners’ development of technical assessment Terms of Reference, as well as evaluations (baseline/mid-term/endline) and closely follow-up the performance and evolution of assessments;

c)     Develop and oversee the implementation of harmonized consortium-level appropriate data collection and analysis instruments, methodologies (e.g. survey questionnaires, focus group discussions guides, key-informant interviews questionnaire, checklists, etc.) and data/information dissemination/utilization plans;

d)    Closely follow-up the performance of data collection activities and ensure that they deliver as per field mission plans and according to data quality standards;

e)    Maintain an electronic MIS system for tracking and reporting all consortium quantitative data and information, including reporting on ACTED’s 16 global strategic program indicators;

f)      Analyze MEAL data and support partners in the analysis of their data. Produce reports, factsheets with useful statistical analysis and presentation (charts, tables, histograms, box plots) as necessary in a timely manner;

g)     Measure and report on qualitative and quantitative input, process, output, outcome, impact, objective, and goal-level performance indicators for the project;

h)    Oversee the compilation of data from all partners as required; 

i)     Provide AME-related capacity building and awareness to implementing / consortium partners and other institutions supported by the Consortium, as appropriate;

j)    Implement any recommendation discussed and agreed with the Consortium Coordinator, ACTED Country MEAL Manager and ACTED Country Coordination team;

k)     Represent the Consortium in different forums as needed.

2.     Learning

a)     Contribute to proactive dissemination and use of knowledge gained through MEAL activities among Consortium M&E teams, Project Managers, Technical Coordinators and Project Development Manager/Officers;

b)    Contribute to organizing and facilitating consortium learning events in order to capture best practices and lessons learnt when the project closes or as required;

c)     Document and share the lessons learnt and best practices on time and ensure that the knowledge gained contributes to the improvement of the project and influence the strategic development of future projects and activities;

d)    Support project implementation and improvement by providing timely information around project successes to be scaled up as well as challenges to allow ‘course correction’ throughout life of the program;

e)    Keep ACTED Country MEAL Manager posted on the above, at a minimum sharing the Consortium Learning Database on a monthly basis.

3.     Beneficiary Complaints and Response Mechanism

a)     Establish, implement and monitor the beneficiary Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) for the Consortium in line with ACTED standard beneficiary CRM procedures;

b)    Ensure the effective functioning of the beneficiary CRM and that beneficiary complaints/feedback is adequately captured, analyzed, addressed and responded to in a timely manner and utilized by the program and coordination teams;

c)    Oversee the proper management of the project CRM central database at consortium-level;

d)    Report on the Consortium CRM to ACTED’s Country MEAL Manager and Consortium Coordinator on a monthly basis (narrative report and database), and immediately for sensitive cases;

f)      Build capacity and understanding among the Consortium staff, partners and contractors on beneficiary accountability and CRM.

4.     MEAL Consortium Coordination

a)     Ensure that partners’ M&E team understand and are able to perform as per the Consortium MEAL Framework;

b)    Ensure a positive working environment and good team dynamics internally and externally, and manage potential tensions between partners’ M&E teams;

c)     Identify the MEAL training needs of Consortium members and discuss plans with the Consortium Coordinator and partners’ M&E teams for both internal and external trainings;

d)    Coach, train, and mentor partner MEAL Officers, Assistants, Monitors and Enumerators with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the MEAL team;

e)    Coordinate M&E focal points from each consortium partner organization through the MEAL Technical Working group, particularly to support development of tools, harmonized approaches, shared learnings and identify/address MEAL related issues.

5. Reporting and Grant Management

a)     Support/lead preparation of quality reports to donor and other stakeholders, reflecting the progress and status of projects in a transparent, timely and professional manner, in liaison with Consortium Coordinator;

b)    Lead development of MEAL reports and ensure MEAL data (data on input, process, output, outcome, impact indicators, lessons learnets, best practices) is incorporated in reports; 

c)     Liaise with partners to ensure all partners have a clear understanding of what is expected in terms of reporting and provide reports and MEAL outputs in a timely qualitative manner, in compliance with ACTED and donor requirements;

d)    Contribute to amendment request drafting, particularly but not limited to logical-framework designs and formulation of SMART indicators, through analysis and interpretation of findings and coordinate with ACTED project development unit, as needed;

e) Support ad hoc requests from donors (and AFD’s MEAL Consultant) are addressed in liaison with Consortium Coordinator.