MEAL Coordinator

Job Posting Organization:
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a prominent non-governmental organization (NGO) that has been operational in Sudan since 200

• DRC focuses on addressing the challenges of displacement and has established itself as a leader in providing life-saving assistance in various sectors including protection, emergency response, shelter, security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security, livelihoods, disaster risk reduction, camp management, and humanitarian mine action. The organization operates in several regions of Sudan, including Central Darfur, South Kordofan, Gedaref, Port Sudan, White Nile, and Khartoum. Sudan is home to one of the largest populations of displaced individuals in Africa, with over 3.7 million internally displaced persons and more than 1.1 million refugees from neighboring countries such as South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Chad, Yemen, and Syria. The current political crisis in Sudan has led to significant economic and social challenges, including rising food and energy costs, disease outbreaks, and ongoing conflict, which further complicate the humanitarian landscape.

Job Overview:
The coordinator" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">MEAL Coordinator plays a crucial role in supporting the operational implementation, quality assurance, and harmonization of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) activities across all operational areas. This position reports directly to the MEAL Manager and is responsible for providing technical supervision to field MEAL Officers to ensure that MEAL plans are effectively implemented in accordance with DRC’s MEAL Minimum Monitoring Requirements and donor expectations. The MEAL Coordinator is tasked with ensuring consistency in monitoring systems, maintaining data quality, facilitating learning processes, and ensuring partner compliance with MEAL standards. This role is pivotal in contributing to evidence-based programming and fostering continuous improvement across various projects, thereby enhancing the overall impact of DRC's initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The MEAL Coordinator's duties encompass a wide range of responsibilities aimed at ensuring effective monitoring and evaluation of projects. Key responsibilities include:

• Results Monitoring & Program Quality Support: Integrating MEAL throughout the Project Cycle Management (PCM), collaborating with MEAL Officers to develop and update project-specific MEAL Plans, ensuring compliance with approved MEAL plans and donor requirements, overseeing the development of indicator tracking tools and data collection systems, and facilitating cross-project learning through participation in project meetings.
• Data Quality Assurance & Methodology Oversight: Overseeing the development of data collection methodologies, implementing data quality assurance measures, ensuring ethical standards during data collection, and reviewing monitoring data for quality and consistency.
• Evaluation, Analysis & Learning: Coordinating internal evaluations and assessments, ensuring MEAL findings inform decision-making, and compiling lessons learned in the Country Learning Tracker.
• Supervision & Team Management: Providing technical supervision to Area MEAL Officers, conducting performance appraisals, and offering continuous technical support and mentoring.
• Capacity Building & Partner Support: Conducting MEAL Partner Capacity Assessments, delivering capacity-building sessions, and ensuring partner compliance with MEAL plans.
• Accountability Mainstreaming Support: Collaborating with the Accountability Officer to support accountability awareness activities and integrating feedback data into monitoring processes.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates for the MEAL Coordinator position must possess a minimum of 5 years of experience in MEAL roles, ideally within humanitarian or development contexts. Strong technical expertise in MEAL frameworks, data collection methodologies, accountability mechanisms, and learning approaches is essential. Proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools such as Excel, Power BI, and KOBO Toolbox is required. Experience with MEAL planning and donor reporting for agencies like ECHO, USAID, GFFO, and UN is highly valued. Previous experience with information management systems and leading organizational capacity assessments is advantageous. Candidates should also demonstrate experience in community feedback mechanisms and adherence to CHS accountability standards, along with strong analytical skills and the ability to manage large datasets and complex MEAL systems. Excellent communication and coordination skills are necessary for engaging with various teams and external stakeholders.

Educational Background:
The educational qualifications required for the MEAL Coordinator position include a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in relevant fields such as Social Sciences, Development Studies, Statistics, Monitoring & Evaluation, Economics, or Public Administration. Additional certifications in MEAL, Data Analysis, Information Management, or Accountability are considered advantageous and may enhance a candidate's suitability for the role.

Experience:
The position requires candidates to have a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in MEAL roles, preferably within humanitarian or development contexts. This experience should encompass a strong understanding of MEAL frameworks, data collection methodologies, and accountability mechanisms, as well as practical experience in implementing MEAL activities in diverse settings.

Languages:
Advanced proficiency in English, both spoken and written, is mandatory for this position. Fluency in local languages is considered an advantage, particularly Arabic, which would enhance communication and engagement with local communities and stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The MEAL Coordinator position is a national contract with a duration of 12 months. The role is classified under Band G, Non-Management, with a starting salary of USD 2300 per month. The duty station for this position is Gadaref, and the start date is as soon as possible. The application deadline is set for June 1, 202

• Employees are entitled to two bonuses during the Eid festivals, contributions to the National Social Insurance and Pension Fund, health insurance for themselves and their families, group personal accidental insurance, and opportunities for professional growth through various learning and development courses. The Danish Refugee Council emphasizes equal opportunity in employment and encourages female candidates to apply to promote gender parity within the organization.