The MEAL Coordinator is responsible for designing and implementing a context-specific MEAL system across all field locations, ensuring that MEAL tools and practices are well understood and consistently applied by operations and project teams. The role involves leading field-level assessments, surveys, and evaluations; conducting regular monitoring visits and data quality checks; and producing actionable reports to inform decision-making. The Coordinator supports MEAL staff through planning, capacity building, and regular review meetings, while also ensuring robust accountability mechanisms are in place and accessible to all, especially women and children. Additionally, the role includes facilitating learning events, maintaining strong coordination with project teams to track progress and address gaps, and representing the organization in field-level coordination, donor, and government meetings.

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3:  the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Develop a context-specific strategy for rolling-out MEAL system in all field areas under the responsibility.  
• Ensure that MEAL, Operations and Project teams has full understanding of all essential MEAL tools and systems, and tools and systems are consistently used across projects / field locations. 
• Take the lead on field management of surveys, assessments, baselines, PDMs evaluations, and impact studies. 
• Facilitate the decision making in the light of MEAL findings and ensure action-oriented decisions are taken and implemented. 
• Ensure all incoming operations and project staff from Officer to Coordinator level have a thorough MEAL induction.
• Support all reporting MEAL staff in developing their monthly field plans, and organize monthly meetings with the staff to review progress on their plans, challenges faced by them, and support them in overcoming the challenges.  
• Review MEAL plans, IPTTs and other data collection or MEAL related tools developed by MEAL staff and provide technical feedback and inputs to harmonize the tools with project requirements. 
• Conduct regular data quality assessments to ensure SC have complete, accurate and credible data to use for decision making and reporting. 
• Conduct regular field monitoring visits and produce quality benchmarks (QBs) based monitoring reports, with clear action plans based on the monitoring findings.  
• Closely work with project staff to monthly update the project Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT) and Output Tracker Template (OTT) and summary of project monthly achievements/gaps and help identify and alert critical gaps in a timely manner.
• Maintain and consolidate monthly action plan trackers.
• Ensure maximum possible coverage of accountability to communities/beneficiaries' system, particularly complaint/feedback response mechanism, involving MEAL officers and accountability assistants. 
• Ensure information about the project is shared with affected populations, specifically the information about the available accountability mechanisms for beneficiaries to share feedback and raise complaints.  
• Conduct regular feedback sessions with communities/beneficiaries to assess the effectiveness of existing community engagement, and complaint/feedback and response mechanisms. 
• Ensure participation of women and children in complaint/feedbacked response mechanism.
• Strengthen he field level working relations of MEAL, operations and project teams for effective use of MEAL findings during review meetings to keep the progress on track and the program quality up to agreed standards. 
• Assist MEAL manager in organizing field base learning events/workshops based on MEAL findings , and discussion topics prioritized by operations/project staff; 
• Assist MEAL Manager in preparing and revising first draft of monthly MEAL reports, and internal studies and assessments; 
• Represent SCI during donor visits, field-level coordination meetings, govt. liaison meetings, and inter-organizational meetings at the field level;   

Child Safeguarding:

• Act as an ambassador for child safeguarding in both your professional and personal life. Never abuse your position of trust and authority.
• Keeping children we work with safe from deliberate harm/risk or inadvertent harm/risk. This is a top organizational and personal commitment, and the standards of behavior towards children expected by the organization should reflect both in your personal and professional life.  
• Behave towards children in a way, which reflects the Code of Conduct, CSG Code of Conduct and Child Safeguarding Policy.  
• Report any CSG issues or concerns in a timely way according to the Country reporting system and procedures. Ask if unclear on anything to do with child safeguarding, such as which concerns should be reported, how to report concerns and how to respond to them. 
• Ensure all MEAL activities for each programme/project include child safety and safeguarding principles; 
• Ensure each project has a system, developed in consultation with beneficiaries, to promote, regularly collect and respond to feedback, suggestions, and complaints from children, beneficiaries and community members regarding the safety of the programme.
• Ensure child safety is integrated in the terms of reference of mid-term reviews and evaluations and reports have conclusions and recommendations on how children safety is integrated in our programming 
• Ensure beneficiary (especially children’s) knowledge of the Child Safeguarding Policy and mechanisms for raising concerns/complaints about staff or Safeguarding risks. 
• To access associated guidance, tools and support from the Technical line manager, relevant PDQ leads, Country Office Child Safeguarding lead in order to support the assessment of the risks associated with the design and implementation of our programmes.
• To extend increased protection to children and improve professional standards across the sector through being an ambassador for child safeguarding. 
• To communicate the Child Safeguarding messages to partner organizations of all kinds including government and line ministries.

Staff Performance 

• Assess capacity of MEAL Officers, and provide them on-job and customized capacity building support

Manage the performance of MEAL Officers by supporting them setting relevant D2P goals, and support them achieving their performance tasks  

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (SCI Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modeling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency

• BA degree in an area of social development or equivalent
•  A minimum of 3 & above years MEAL/program experience 
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, and knowledge of rapport building and probing techniques
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in a multi-cultural environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Ability to work in a volatile environment and willingness to relocate as per the need and requirements of the field office   
• Fluency in local language required
• Fluency in English, both verbal and written, preferred
• Commitment to Save the Children values

Females are highly encouraged to apply.

Kindly apply through the below link. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for next steps. The closing date will be on 15/05/2024. Any application after this date will not be considered. All interviews will be done in the Save the Children office or remotely.

Disclaimer: Save the Children International does not charge any kind of fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process and does not act through recruitment agents. SCI will be undertaking child safeguarding checks for all candidates. The selected candidate will be asked to provide a police check before signing the contract.