Senior Project Officer

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established to respond to the needs of people in crisis, CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries. The organization operates with a commitment to serving those in need, regardless of race, religion, or nationality. CRS engages in various programs including emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. The agency is dedicated to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation, and it welcomes individuals from diverse faiths and secular traditions who share its values. With a workforce that spans across numerous countries, CRS emphasizes the importance of integrity, accountability, and collaboration in its mission to improve lives globally.

Job Overview:
The Senior Project Officer will play a critical role in providing Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) support across CRS’s program priority areas, which include Health, Child Protection, Agriculture Livelihood, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Humanitarian Response. This position is designed to strengthen MEAL systems and standards, establish robust project design and accountability systems, and promote learning and improved knowledge management. The Senior Project Officer will also work to enhance the MEAL capacity of staff and partners while leveraging Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) to improve MEAL processes. The role requires close collaboration with program colleagues, technical advisors, and heads of offices to ensure effective implementation of MEAL strategies and practices.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Project Officer will be responsible for several key areas:

• MEAL in Design: Support the design and implementation of project design assessments, develop project-level Theories of Change, Results Frameworks, indicators, MEAL plans, narratives, and budgets, ensuring compliance with CRS MEAL policies and back donor requirements.
• Monitoring: Conduct monitoring activities, including timely collection of quality data, ensuring data quality and management practices, maintaining databases, facilitating participatory reflection on monitoring results, conducting annual data quality assessments, and submitting timely progress reports.
• Evaluation: Develop terms of reference for evaluations, coordinate their implementation, analyze qualitative and quantitative data, develop reports, disseminate findings during reflection events, and upload final versions of key MEAL products to the Gateway e-repository.
• Accountability: Enhance CRS’s accountability to stakeholders through increased participation, transparent communication, responsive feedback mechanisms, and adherence to quality standards.
• Learning: Foster knowledge management and collaborative learning processes, generate evidence for project and programmatic learning, and develop evidence-based learning products.
• ICT for MEAL: Utilize ICT tools for accurate data collection, analysis, and learning.
• Capacity-Strengthening: Build the capacity of MEAL officers and stakeholders, develop and facilitate MEAL workshops/training, and provide mentoring to strengthen MEAL capacity.
• Analysis and Critical Thinking: Engage with data, challenge biases, and make informed programming decisions based on evidence.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Bachelor’s degree in international development, economics, statistics, or a related field. A minimum of 4 years of progressively responsible experience in MEAL is required, with experience in at least one of CRS’s four program priority areas. Candidates should have an excellent grasp of both quantitative and qualitative analytical tools and programs, as well as a strong knowledge of standard computer programs including Windows, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Preferred qualifications include specialized training or certification in MEAL and experience in monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a Bachelor’s degree in fields such as international development, economics, statistics, or a related discipline. This foundational education is essential for understanding the complexities of MEAL processes and the analytical skills necessary for the role.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 4 years of progressively responsible experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL). Candidates should have experience in at least one of the four program priority areas of CRS, demonstrating a solid understanding of MEAL practices and their application in real-world scenarios.

Languages:
Fluency in English and Hindi is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, enhancing communication with diverse stakeholders and communities.

Additional Notes:
This position is open only to Indian Nationals. The role may require travel up to 40% of the time. CRS emphasizes its commitment to safeguarding program participants and community members from all forms of exploitation and abuse. The successful candidate will be expected to sign and adhere to CRS's Code of Conduct. CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prioritizes candidates who are citizens or permanent residents of the countries where CRS operates. The job description provided is not exhaustive and may evolve as the needs of the organization change.