Concern Worldwide recruits 01 MEL Advisor – Resilience Food Security Activity, DRC

Job Title: MEL Advisor – Resilience Food Security Activity, DRC

Job Location: Eastern DRC, TBD

Job Type: Regular, Full Time

Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party. You will also line manage program staff. You will also work closely with the Programmes Director, Country Finance Controller, Systems Director, Desk Officer and Advisors, and consortium members.

About the role: This is a 60-month, new role with unaccompanied terms based in Eastern DRC with a salary of Grade 4 range from € 44,133 to € 49,038.

*This position is contingent on upon successful agreement award and USAID approval. We would like you to start in September 2023 (dependent on funding approval).

Concern Worldwide seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Advisor (MEL Advisor) for an anticipated project “Resilience Food Security Activity” (RFSA) in Eastern DRC. RFSAs work to improve and sustain the food and nutrition security of vulnerable populations through multi-year resilience food and nutrition security activities. These activities work at the individual, household, community, and institutional levels to address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition and strengthen transformative opportunities. RFSAs are intended to strengthen resilience in populations vulnerable to acute, chronic hunger, and malnutrition; recurrent shocks, stresses, and crises; and to reduce the need for ongoing or future emergency food assistance.

Your purpose:

The MEL Advisor will be responsible for the overall monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability programme cycle management. Learning will be critical to the success of the programme and leadership skills are required to ensure that the programme team are accountable for the successful management of the programme and delivering results. The MEL Advisor will adhere to Concern’s programme quality standards and ensure compliance with Concern and donor MEAL requirements. S/he will maintain positive and productive relationships with the donor and local and international partner organizations throughout the co-creation process and programme lifecycle. The successful candidate should possess substantial experience in managing MEAL on complex, multi-year USAID or other international donor-funded programmes. A priority for the MEL Advisor role extends to capacity building and knowledge transfer to high performing DRC team members with a view to empowering their success during the life of the project.

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 50%.

You will be responsible for:

• Provide overall management, technical expertise and leadership to generate and analyze quality evidence and data through monitoring, assessments, and evaluations.
• Serve as principal liaison to the COP on learning, ensuring high levels of coordination and maintaining productive working relations, while engaging with and nurturing relationships with all key stakeholders (partner organizations, local government, civil society, etc.) on MEAL.
• Liaise with USAID partners and other donors, as well as implementing partners and stakeholders, to ensure a collaborative shared learning model which is responsive donor requirements.
• Manage the relationship on MEAL between all consortium partners and ensure partner MEAL activities are adhering to the agreed workplan and budget.
• Represent the programme in all MEAL technical, policy, and programmatic fora at all levels (regional, national, and international)
• Lead the MEAL team (e.g. technical, programme, finance, and operational staff) to ensure tasks, deliverables, and responsibilities are met.
• Provide leadership and oversee MEAL staff management including hiring, supervising, and mentoring programme staff to achieve programme goals and develop national partner MEAL capacity.
• Support quality control for MEAL deliverables and fulfil all donor and Concern Worldwide reporting requirements, including the production of timely and accurate reports.
• Direct preparation of MEAL annual work plans, learning products, review programme activities and ensure learning is integrated, and other MEAL-related communication and reporting materials.
• Oversee and contribute directly to production of communications products, including learning notes, reports, articles, videos, etc. Ensure products are well packaged for intended audiences
• Working with Communications, oversee proactive outreach through social media channels and ensure most effective methods to reach intended audiences are being effectively employed
• Oversee use of data and analytics to evaluate program outreach and engagement with wider audiences
• Using an adaptive management approach, track performance-monitoring analysis and apply course correction in collaboration with the COP and DCOP. Responsible for ensuring systematized use of data into learning systems to demonstrate data-driven decision-making.

• Collaborate with program management unit to ensure compliance with USAID rules and regulations as well as Concern policies and practices.
• Support regular communication and nurture collaborative relationships with all programme partners and Concern head offices
• Working with intervention teams, identify possibilities for cross-program partnerships and collaboration throughout the sector
• Lead the MEAL team to work collaboratively with the wider programme team, including advocacy, partners, and others, to ensure cross learning and input into new programme design based and delivery of the Country Strategic Plan.
• Ensure that there is a robust Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) Improvement plan in place for the consortium, along with an accessible and inclusive Complaints Response Mechanism (CRM).

Accountability 

• Actively promote meaningful community participation and consultation at all stages of the project cycle (planning, implementation, M&E);
• Work with relevant colleagues  to ensure that the Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) is functional and accessible, that feedback and complaints are welcomed and addressed;
• Work with relevant colleagues  to ensure that information about CRM, safeguarding and expected staff behaviour is disseminated among programme participants and communities.

Your skills and experience will include: 

Basic Qualifications:

• A Master’s degree (equivalent) or higher in a quantitative field (economics, agricultural/development economics, statistics, biostatistics, nutrition, applied sociology, anthropology, or other relevant subject) with significant training in quantitative methods.
• A minimum of 7 years of work experience in a USAID CLA or MEAL management position; preferably 10 years or more, with progressive responsibilities in a field related to the successful implementation of the programme, such as food security, nutrition or resilience programmes.
• Demonstrated experience leading M&E on a large award. Must be knowledgeable on TOCs, logic models, food and nutrition security indicators, M&E plans, data quality assurance, data utilization, and gender and youth integration into M&E.
• Demonstrated experience and expertise developing and operationalizing a comprehensive M&E plan.
• A minimum of 5 years of staff management experience leading multi-disciplinary teams in an environment conducive to learning and development. Experience building staff and partner knowledge and capacity in M&E systems.
• Demonstrated experience building or strengthening monitoring systems, quantitative and qualitative analysis, survey and sample design, and effectively promoting evidence-based program management.
• Demonstrated leadership in MEAL, including technical, management, and evaluation expertise for complex programmes in resource-constrained countries.
• Demonstrated experience in participatory community governance, local advocacy, local capacity building, and/or management and use of grassroots level-generated data.
• Strong communication skills, including both written and oral presentation skills; proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse public and private partners.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Good sense of humour
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to capacity building, protection and participation
• Excellent communication skills
• Demonstrated experience of team building and working in a participatory manner
• Flexible and adaptable approach to working in a changing environment

To Apply:

Les candidatures en français sont les bienvenues

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date. CVs should be no more than 4 pages in length.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short-listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

HIV testing and travel restrictions based on HIV status apply in DRC. This means that in order to obtain a visa or work permit, the government of DRC impose HIV-related travel restrictions usually involve a mandatory declaration of HIV status and/or testing”.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.