MEAL Coordinator

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established to serve those in need, CRS operates in over 100 countries, focusing on saving, protecting, and transforming lives without regard to race, religion, or nationality. The organization engages in various programs including emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation, and welcomes individuals from diverse faiths and secular traditions who share its values. The agency's processes reflect its dedication to the rights and dignity of all people, especially those most vulnerable. CRS prioritizes hiring candidates from the regions where it operates, and if an expatriate is selected, the assignment duration will be informed by the job type and agency needs. The organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer, ensuring a commitment to safeguarding and ethical practices in all its operations.

Job Overview:
The coordinator" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">MEAL Coordinator will be responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) function for an emergency humanitarian project funded by ECHO, implemented in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This role is crucial in contributing to the mission of Catholic Relief Services by serving poor and vulnerable populations. The project aims to provide an integrated emergency response targeting internally displaced persons, returnees, and vulnerable host communities living in hard-to-reach and high-risk areas, specifically in the health zones of Mweso and Pinga in the Masisi territory. The MEAL Coordinator will oversee the planning, coordination, and monitoring of all MEAL activities of the project, working closely with project teams and implementation partners. The position requires technical skills and coordination abilities to ensure adherence to MEAL best practices, compliance with donor requirements, and continuous improvement in the quality, accountability, and impact of the Country Program's interventions.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The MEAL Coordinator will organize and lead the implementation of all assigned MEAL activities according to the detailed implementation plan, adhering to CRS program quality principles and standards, donor MEAL requirements, and sector best practices. Responsibilities include ensuring that learning is integrated throughout the project cycle, coordinating project evaluation activities, guiding partners in reflecting on project experiences, analyzing implementation challenges, and reporting discrepancies or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and timelines. The role also involves implementing monitoring activities in line with the detailed implementation plan and MEAL system, ensuring data quality through annual Data Quality Assessments, establishing routine data validation mechanisms through spot-checks, and supporting capacity-building activities for MEAL technical assistance. The MEAL Coordinator will optimize partner participation in MEAL systems implementation and capacity strengthening, initiate and support project staff and partners in data collection using electronic devices or manual tools, and organize data collection and continuous information transmission from the field to the project coordination team using ICT4D solutions. Additionally, the coordinator will identify and adapt appropriate methods for collecting specific information as per the project monitoring and evaluation plan, collaborate with the MEAL Manager to organize data collection, processing, and analysis for updating the Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT) and project progress reports, conduct surveys on a sample of beneficiaries, and organize quarterly field visits in accordance with MEAL policies and procedures, following up on recommendations and corrective actions. The role may also involve initiating qualitative and quantitative analyses with project staff and partners to enhance data utilization for decision-making.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to exercise sound judgment. Excellent relationship management skills and the capacity to work closely with local partners are essential. The ideal candidate should be proactive, solution-oriented, and service-focused, with attention to detail, accuracy, and punctuality in executing assigned responsibilities. Desired qualifications include experience working with partners, participatory action plan preparation, and community involvement. Supervisory experience is a plus, along with experience in project monitoring and relevant data collection. Practical experience in using tablets for data collection is required, as well as proficiency in statistical analysis software such as SPSS or Stata. Familiarity with qualitative data analysis software like MAXQDA and NVivo is an asset. Strong report writing skills with the ability to interpret analysis results to highlight project performance are necessary, along with experience in designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Candidates should demonstrate strong organizational skills and a high level of attention to detail and accuracy. Advanced experience in using MS Windows and MS Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) is required, and experience with Commcare is an advantage.

Educational Background:
A university degree at the Bachelor's level (Bac+5) or equivalent in quantitative sciences such as Statistics, Epidemiology, Mathematics, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Demography, or any other relevant field is required. Candidates with additional experience may be considered in lieu of some educational requirements.

Experience:
A minimum of 4 years of professional experience supporting projects, ideally in the MEAL domain for emergency projects within an NGO or research institution, is required. This includes organizing and collecting data, designing data entry programs, processing and analyzing data, and reporting. Additional experience may substitute for part of the educational requirements.

Languages:
Fluency in French (written and spoken) and local languages of North Kivu is required. Knowledge of English is a plus.

Additional Notes:
This position is based in Goma, with over 70% of field travel required to Mweso and Pinga. There are no supervisory responsibilities associated with this role. The position is full-time and may involve international recruitment. Compensation and benefits will be discussed during the hiring process.