The Consortium MEAL Officer is a core member of the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) 48-Hour Rapid Response Consortium Management Unit (CMU) and reports to the Consortium MEAL Manager. The position is based in East Sudan (Kassala or Gedaref) to facilitate rapid deployment and frequent field monitoring across the consortium's operational areas in Sudan, subject to security and access considerations.

The primary purpose of the position is to support the Consortium MEAL Manager in ensuring the quality, accountability, compliance, and performance of consortium-funded projects implemented by national and international partner organizations. Unlike traditional project-based MEAL roles, the Consortium MEAL Officer's primary responsibility is to monitor and verify partner implementation, ensuring that projects are delivered in accordance with approved proposals, consortium agreements, donor requirements, humanitarian standards, and organizational policies.

1. Partner Monitoring and Grant Oversight (40%)

The Consortium MEAL Officer will play a central role in ensuring that consortium partners deliver high-quality humanitarian interventions in accordance with approved proposals, consortium agreements, donor requirements, and humanitarian standards. The position is responsible for monitoring partner performance throughout the project lifecycle and providing evidence-based recommendations that strengthen implementation quality.

• Conduct regular field monitoring visits to consortium partner project sites to assess implementation progress, verify reported achievements, and ensure activities are being delivered according to approved work plans, technical standards, and donor commitments.
• Monitor the overall quality of programme implementation by assessing adherence to consortium Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), sector minimum standards, and humanitarian principles while identifying gaps that require corrective action.
• Verify that project activities are implemented within the agreed timelines, particularly under the 48-Hour Rapid Response Mechanism where timely delivery is critical to achieving life-saving outcomes.
• Review partner implementation against approved proposals, logical frameworks, indicator tracking tables, budgets, procurement plans, and implementation schedules to ensure consistency between planned and actual performance.
• Conduct routine beneficiary verification exercises to confirm that assistance is reaching the intended populations, beneficiary targeting criteria have been appropriately applied, and assistance has been delivered transparently and equitably.
• Prepare detailed monitoring reports documenting observations, achievements, risks, non-compliance issues, lessons learned, and practical recommendations for programme improvement, ensuring timely follow-up on agreed action points.
• Track implementation of monitoring recommendations and support partners in addressing identified gaps, ensuring continuous improvement throughout the grant implementation period.
• Work closely with the Consortium Coordinator, Consortium MEAL Manager, and Consortium Risk & Audit Coordinator to identify implementation risks that may affect programme quality, compliance, or donor requirements and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
• Support grant inception, mid-term review, and close-out monitoring processes by ensuring that all required evidence of implementation is available and properly documented.

2. Data Quality Assurance and Verification (20%)

The Consortium MEAL Officer will ensure that all programme data reported by consortium partners is accurate, reliable, complete, and supported by verifiable evidence. The position plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of consortium reporting through routine verification and data quality assessments.

• Conduct regular Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) across consortium projects to evaluate the accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, and reliability of reported programme data.
• Verify reported achievements against primary source documents, including beneficiary registration records, attendance sheets, service delivery registers, distribution lists, supervision reports, and other supporting documentation.
• Carry out routine spot checks and field verification visits to confirm that outputs and outcomes reported by partners accurately reflect activities implemented on the ground.
• Identify discrepancies between programme reports, monitoring data, financial documentation, and field observations, working collaboratively with partners to investigate and resolve inconsistencies.
• Support pre-reporting verification exercises before submission of donor reports to ensure reported indicators are fully supported by documented evidence.
• Review partner indicator tracking tables (IPTTs), monitoring databases, and reporting tools to ensure consistency across all reporting platforms.
• Maintain organized evidence repositories that support consortium reporting and facilitate donor verification, audits, and external monitoring missions.
• Provide technical guidance to partner MEAL staff on improving data management systems, documentation practices, indicator interpretation, and evidence management.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Adaptive Programming (15%)

The Consortium MEAL Officer will contribute to strengthening evidence-based programming across the consortium by generating timely monitoring information, facilitating learning, and supporting adaptive management approaches.

• Support the Consortium MEAL Manager in implementing consortium-wide monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) plans that align with donor requirements and consortium objectives.
• Participate in the design and implementation of rapid assessments, baseline studies, post-distribution monitoring (PDM), beneficiary satisfaction surveys, outcome monitoring exercises, and other learning activities as required.
• Analyze monitoring findings and performance data to identify implementation trends, operational challenges, emerging risks, and opportunities for programme improvement.
• Contribute to the preparation of learning briefs, case studies, lessons learned documents, and After-Action Reviews (AARs) following rapid response interventions to strengthen future emergency programming.
• Support periodic programme review meetings by presenting monitoring findings and facilitating discussions that promote evidence-based decision-making across consortium partners.
• Promote the systematic use of monitoring evidence to improve programme quality, inform management decisions, and strengthen accountability to affected populations.

4. Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and Community Engagement (10%)

The Consortium MEAL Officer will support the implementation and continuous improvement of accountability mechanisms across all consortium projects, ensuring that affected communities remain at the centre of programme design and implementation.

• Monitor implementation of consortium complaints and feedback mechanisms to ensure they are accessible, confidential, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of affected communities.
• Conduct community consultations, beneficiary interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews to assess beneficiary satisfaction, community perceptions, and programme effectiveness.
• Verify that complaints received through established feedback channels are appropriately documented, investigated, addressed, and closed within agreed service standards.
• Analyze complaints and feedback trends to identify recurring issues, operational risks, and opportunities for programme improvement, sharing findings with consortium management for action.
• Support partners in strengthening community engagement practices by promoting meaningful participation throughout project planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Monitor compliance with Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) principles across all consortium-funded interventions.

5. Partner Capacity Strengthening and Technical Support (10%)

As part of the Consortium Management Unit, the Consortium MEAL Officer will provide ongoing technical support to consortium partners to strengthen institutional MEAL capacity and improve programme quality.

• Provide regular mentoring, coaching, and on-the-job technical support to partner MEAL teams to strengthen monitoring systems, data quality, reporting, and accountability practices.
• Support orientation of newly onboarded consortium partners on consortium MEAL procedures, reporting requirements, donor expectations, monitoring tools, and quality standards.
• Deliver training sessions on topics including monitoring methodologies, indicator measurement, Kobo Toolbox, data quality assurance, verification techniques, accountability mechanisms, reporting standards, and evidence management.
• Support partners in developing and improving monitoring tools, data collection methodologies, databases, and reporting templates to ensure consistency across consortium projects.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing among consortium partners by documenting and disseminating good practices, innovative approaches, and lessons learned that improve programme performance.
• Build partner capacity to independently implement high-quality MEAL systems while promoting continuous improvement and organizational learning.

6. Coordination, Reporting and Representation (5%)

The Consortium MEAL Officer will contribute to effective coordination and communication within the Consortium Management Unit and among consortium partners to ensure timely reporting and informed decision-making.

• Support the Consortium MEAL Manager in preparing high-quality monitoring reports, verification reports, donor updates, presentations, dashboards, and analytical summaries for consortium leadership and external stakeholders.
• Maintain monitoring schedules, action trackers, verification logs, and partner performance databases to ensure timely follow-up on recommendations and management decisions.
• Coordinate with consortium partners to schedule monitoring visits, verification exercises, assessments, and learning activities while minimizing disruption to programme implementation.
• Participate in consortium coordination meetings, technical working groups, grant review meetings, and donor monitoring missions as delegated by the Consortium MEAL Manager or Consortium Coordinator.
• Represent the Consortium Management Unit during field visits, technical meetings, and partner engagements, promoting collaborative relationships while maintaining objectivity, impartiality, and professional standards.

Perform any other MEAL, monitoring, verification, or quality assurance responsibilities assigned by the Consortium MEAL Manager or Consortium Coordinator in support of effective consortium management. 

• Bachelor's degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Statistics, Development Studies, Public Health, Social Sciences, Humanitarian Studies, or related field.
• Three years of progressive work experience with an NGO or INGO in the humanitarian and development sector 
• Professional certification in Monitoring & Evaluation.
• Training in Quality Assurance or Humanitarian Accountability.
• Experience across Health, Nutrition, WASH, Protection, FSL, or Multi-sector humanitarian responses.
• Expertise in computer and applications such as DHIS, SPSS, ThinkMD, IRHIS, MS Office, and other analysis software 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, including affected populations, staff, and partners.
• Knowledge of local languages (Arabic and English) will be an added advantage.
• Flexibility and willingness to travel extensively to different States as required by program needs such DQAs, training, evaluations, baselines, assessments, etc and as the safety allows. 

KEY BEHAVIORS & ABILITIES

• Displays exceptional interpersonal skills, including strong verbal and written communication abilities and the ability to negotiate effectively.
• Takes responsibility for decision-making, efficient resource management, and exemplifying Alight's values, holding themselves accountable.
• Establishes ambitious goals for themselves and their team, consistently striving for personal development and inspiring others to do the same.
• Cultivates and maintains productive relationships with team members, colleagues, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Collaborates effectively as a team player, encouraging creative and innovative approaches to problem-solving.
• Demonstrates a willingness to take calculated risks while adhering to established security standards.
• Emphasizes honesty, transparency, and commitment to Alight's values, fostering a culture of openness.

Benefits

• Borderless Team of a huge number of staff worldwide that sees possibilities, celebrates moments of abundance, shares new ideas, and strives to do a better thing every day.
• Learning & Development – Access thousands of free online learning courses to take at your own pace and tailor to your professional goals.

Important:

Kindly note that accommodation is not provided.

We are on a journey to build Alight, a new platform of amazing people and organizations providing lifesaving services and creating breakthrough solutions for and with the displaced. WeAreAlight.org
 

Alight is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status.  Alight complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.