MEAL Assistant

Job Posting Organization:
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a humanitarian organization established in 1946, dedicated to helping people forced to flee. With a mission to protect the rights of displaced individuals and provide assistance in various forms, NRC operates in multiple countries around the world, focusing on areas affected by conflict and disaster. The organization employs thousands of staff globally, working tirelessly to deliver aid and support to vulnerable populations. NRC's commitment to accountability, learning, and evidence-based decision-making is central to its operations, ensuring that the needs of those it serves are met effectively and efficiently.

Job Overview:
The MEAL Assistant plays a crucial role in supporting NRC's monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) functions. This position is integral to ensuring accurate data collection, entry, and documentation across various projects. The MEAL Assistant collaborates closely with program teams at both the Area Office (AO) and Country Office (CO) levels to verify achievements against targets, maintain systematic records, and capture valuable lessons learned. By working within NRC's established MEAL framework, the MEAL Assistant contributes to enhancing program quality, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making. The role focuses on the field-level implementation of MEAL activities, emphasizing data collection, entry, and basic analysis for assessments and outcome monitoring. The MEAL Assistant is responsible for ensuring that monitoring information is collected in a safe, inclusive, and ethical manner, thereby contributing to proper data management and documentation. Additionally, the MEAL Assistant supports MEAL Officers and Coordinators in ensuring that evidence informs accountability, reporting, and program learning.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The MEAL Assistant's duties and responsibilities include conducting both quantitative and qualitative data collection through various methods such as surveys, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM), and classroom observations. The role requires ensuring accurate and timely entry of monitoring and assessment data into NRC databases, assisting with data cleaning, coding, and preparation for analysis. The MEAL Assistant is also responsible for maintaining MEAL databases and proper filing/documentation, both in hard and soft copies. Furthermore, the position involves verifying project activities, distributions, and beneficiary lists, collaborating with partner/community-based enumerators during data collection, and ensuring safe, inclusive, and ethical engagement with communities. Compliance with NRC policies, guidance, and procedures, particularly regarding MEAL policies and procedures, is a critical aspect of this role. Specific responsibilities include reviewing targets and achievement figures for ongoing and completed projects, maintaining regular communication with program teams, implementing measures for systematic archiving and secure storage of documentation, and providing support in the preparation of project monitoring and outcome reports. The MEAL Assistant will also review donor reporting for accuracy and alignment with project documentation, present project progress during PCM events, support the development of MEL data collection tools, and document lessons learned in collaboration with program teams.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires two to three years of relevant experience in the Monitoring & Evaluation field, particularly in a humanitarian or recovery context. Candidates should possess knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. Advanced data collection and analytical skills are essential, including the ability to design and implement data management systems, analyze large datasets, and generate actionable insights. A Bachelor's degree in social sciences, statistics, or a related field is preferred. Strong English communication skills are necessary, including the ability to write clear reports and engage in professional discussions. Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, is also required.

Educational Background:
Candidates for the MEAL Assistant position should ideally hold a Bachelor's degree in social sciences, statistics, or a related field. This educational background provides the foundational knowledge necessary for effective data collection, analysis, and reporting in the context of monitoring and evaluation within humanitarian settings.

Experience:
The ideal candidate should have two to three years of relevant experience in the Monitoring & Evaluation field, particularly within humanitarian or recovery contexts. This experience should encompass both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, as well as familiarity with the specific challenges and requirements of working in insecure environments.

Languages:
Strong English language skills are mandatory for this position, particularly in written communication and professional discussions. While English proficiency is essential, knowledge of additional languages relevant to the local context may be considered advantageous but is not explicitly required.

Additional Notes:
The MEAL Assistant position is likely to be a full-time role, with responsibilities that may require flexibility in working hours to accommodate field data collection activities. The position may involve working in challenging and insecure environments, necessitating a strong ability to cope with change and adapt to evolving circumstances. Compensation and benefits details are typically provided during the hiring process, and the organization may consider candidates from both national and international backgrounds.