MEAL officer

CARE established its presence in Lebanon in 2006 and has been responding to the Syrian Crisis since late 2012. Among CARE’s key imperatives is putting people it serves first through implementing cutting edge programming in areas it operates. CARE currently carries out activities in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Akkar, North Lebanon, South Lebanon, and the Beqaa Valley. CARE implements both emergency and development projects contributing to livelihood, food security, protection, gender, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene. It targets the most vulnerable people and populations, both host communities and refugees. Over the course of 7 years, it has supported over than half a million beneficiaries.

In Lebanon, CARE’s program strategy for the upcoming years will focus on strengthening and expanding its emergency response and capacity to provide basic assistance services while pursuing development projects in areas of food security and livelihood support, gender and protection. CARE intends to maintain its presence in all areas of Lebanon.

CARE Lebanon has scaled up rapidly over the past few years and today it has about 90 staff members, with more than 15 different local/international partner organizations. 90% of the team is composed of national staff, with a symbolic number of international members.

The MEAL Officer will support ensuring quality and accountability standards are integrated into CARE International’s programming. The MEAL Officer will have a key role in promoting use of the MEAL systems to ensure that our program staff and strategies are: Facilitating the gathering of evidence-based knowledge on the positive and negative impact that the program is having over the communities we work with. Receiving regular, timely and context-specific, meaningful feedback from our staff, partners, program participants (who are or are not targeted by the interventions), and that feedback effectively informs and signals areas where the strategic attention is required. Implementation of the integrated MEAL framework for CARE International in Lebanon, focusing on building the capacity of relevant program staff, as well as promoting and fostering a culture of shared learning and accountability, and promoting innovation within the country program. This includes supporting in the development and integration of accountability, learning and program quality standards in program assessments, design, monitoring, review and evaluation (ADM&E), as well as consistent documentation of learning and progress in this area.

Responsibility #1: Monitoring & Evaluation of Projects

• Support the development of M&E plans, indicator matrices, and clear data collection plan in discussion with the technical team and lead on all field data collection exercises
• Work with project teams to develop an M&E Plan that outlines the different steps that are required, setting out who will deliver what and by when.
• Planning and implementation of baseline surveys, monitoring and evaluation exercises and impact assessments when needed; (Formulate assessments and M&E tools; Organizing and conducting baseline, PDMs, and producing analytical qualitative and quantitative reports)
• Organize field activities, and support in recruiting, training and managing  partners’ staff and volunteers
• Support data analysis, together with the project team and MEAL staff, and share them in the required format. Seek solutions for more complex data management requirements by working with IT colleagues
• Support systems to manage information generated by MEAL activities, such as complaints databases
• Explore and implement M&E tool rationalization through continuous review and consultation with field staff
• Strengthen the capacity of projects and programs staff to implement the M&E plans, including data collection, analysis, reporting and conducting regular quality monitoring.
• Conduct simple data analysis and present and disseminate information to inform program management
• Assist in reviewing data bases and data tracking tools of diverse projects in order to maintain data quality for collating reliable and consistent data which meets minimum reporting requirements of donors and CIL.

Responsibility #2: Accountability

• Assist the project team in strengthening the accountability mechanisms at project level
• Develop tools and database to collect, track, and follow up on beneficiary feedback regarding a project
• Set up simple systems to manage information generated by MEAL activities, such as complaints databases.
• Managing complaint and feedback mechanism for the project
• Ensure CIL accountability mechanism and materials are disseminated throughout operation area
• Ensure Core Humanitarian Standards are mainstreamed through program design and implementation via trainings

Responsibility #3: Capacity Building

• Provide support to implementing partners with best practices and the program M&E framework
• Provide support needed for the hotline attendants in following up on complaints and hand out talking points for each situation occurring
• Support field workers and partners on accountability and humanitarian principles, and MEAL concepts/tools

Responsibility #4: Review, Reflection and Learning

• Assist the project team and partners in documenting lessons learnt and reports
• Conduct reviews, learning events at project locations
• Promote learning culture throughout CIL Sectors, particularly on issues of program quality. Regularly encourage Project leads to produce and report on best practices and lessons learnt
• Delivering any other responsibility assigned by the line manager
• Ensure proper performance, learning and development and retention of the MEAL activities
• Additional communications and information management duties as required / other tasks as assigned by supervisor

5. Qualifications / special skills or knowledge

a. Skills & knowledge:

• Minimum 3-5 years’ experience ideally in NGO
• Good understanding of humanitarian principles and humanitarian processes
• Demonstrated writing skills and ability to do research/collect data
• Demonstrated communication skills and ability to liaise with affected communities
• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity; experience and ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner; and capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts.Extensive experience interacting with and relating to gender professionals and international stakeholders at senior level.
• Team player with strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong internal relationships and networks.
• Motivated self-starter who enjoys working in a collaborative and international environment
• Able to work under pressure and manage variable workload
• Adapt to changing environment
• Demonstrate fairness and impartiality
• Verbal and written communication
• Team player
• Ability to solve problem/work independently
• Ability to strictly adhere to task deadlines

b. Experience:

At least   3-5  years of relevant experience, especially at NGOs, academic organizations, standard-setting bodies, public agencies focused on MEAL

c. Academic background: 

Bachelor’s degree in one or several of the following areas: Business management, statistics, Social sciences or equivalent

1. Languages: English and/ or Arabic are the working language of CARE International in Lebanon.

1. of other languages is an asset.

6. Other contract elements

Benefits: Social security/Health Insurance & Transport allowance.

The direct supervisor reserves the right to adapt this job description at any time during employment according to needs.

Any extension of this contract is dependent on performance review and funding availability.

PSEA and Save Guarding Child policy

CARE International in Lebanon is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

CARE International in Lebanon and its employees and stakeholders abide by the CARE International Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Child Safeguarding Policies.