About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the overseas relief and development agency arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  It was founded in 1943 and works in nearly 100 countries/territories globally. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.

NAMA (Arabic for ‘growth’) is a 12-month project funded by GIZ that aims to expand livelihood opportunities for rural communities in Gedaref. The project has been designed by building on successes from previous and current livelihood projects of CRS and will focus on supporting existing smallholder farmer groups and market entrepreneurs to start engaging in micro business opportunities and on market entrepreneurs to engage collectively to increase business opportunities.

CRS seeks to hire a Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) Senior Project Officer (Sudanese National only) to provide MEAL support to the Nama project.

Job Summary:

The MEAL SPO’s primary role is to track and effectively implementing monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning activities including baseline, midterm and final evaluation surveys as relevant, field monitoring for quality checking, and supporting line manager for data analysis, case study writing and quarterly monitoring report preparation. The SPO will develop and maintain a database to collect and analyze information on inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact of the program and providing coaching and mentoring and training to the partner M&E staff and establish and successfully implement the community feedback mechanism to improve the program quality.

Roles and Key Responsibilities: 

The MEAL SPO will be responsible for achieving the key objectives and detailed activities as follows:

• Work closely with CRS and partner staff in implementing MEAL Policies and Procedures as stipulated in CRS MEAL Policies and Procedures 
• Work closely with the ICT4D team in respect of creating a supportive computerized system for the project to facilitate learning and documentation 
• Develop and support partners & stakeholders MEAL capacities 
• Involve in assessments and data collection during development of new projects
• Coordinate the implementation of program evaluations/assessments such as baseline and annual surveys, mid-term and final evaluations/reviews, and special studies and operations research.
• In collaboration with implementing partners, project team, and primary stakeholders develop feasible and effective reflection events where M&E data are analyzed, and corrective actions can be agreed upon.
• Review monitoring reports to assess interim impacts and identify causes of potential bottlenecks in implementation.
• Provide oversight in assessment and evaluation assignments undertaken by external service providers and liaise with respective project officers.
• Ensure gender and disability-related data are collected during regular monitoring and indicators are developed during project design
• Ensure regular monitoring and other evaluation checklists are gender-responsive
• Support other projects related in MEAL as necessary

Basic Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree required. Degree in international relations or in the field of MEAL an advantage. 
• Minimum of 4 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of MEAL for an NGO. 
• Additional experience may substitute for some education. 
• Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement. 
• Staff supervision experience a plus. 
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data. 

Required Languages - 

             Fluent in writing and speaking Arabic and English 

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel in deep field up to 60-65%. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment. 
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with culturally diverse groups. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to write reports 
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented 
• Ability to work under remote supervision as well as part of the team in fast-paced environment according to CRS Standard Operating Procedures and CRS MEAL Policies and Procedures 
• Strong understanding of data and information requirements 
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, with proven ability to work with data collection packages 
• Attention to detail, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities. 
• Flexibility, and ability to react positively to changing circumstances 
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems. 

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)  

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.  

• Integrity  
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation 
• Builds Relationships  
• Develops Talent 
• Strategic Mindset 
• Accountability & Stewardship 

Supervisory Responsibilities (if none, state none) 

MEAL Assistant and local partner 

Key Working Relationships:  

Internal: Project Manager, Head of Programs, Deputy Head of Programs, Head of Office, Country Program MEAL Unit, Operations staff 

External: CRS implementing partners; UN cluster leads and agencies; peer humanitarian agencies; local government and authorities. 

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.  

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.  

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer