Job at Catholic Relief Services, Senior Project Officer

Vacancy
Position Title: Senior Project Officer – Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and
Learning (MEAL)
Department: Health, Nutrition and WASH
Reports to: MEAL Director
Location: Mbeya, Tanzania

Background:
Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist
the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and
operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners’ people of all faiths and secular
traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.
CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable
adults from abuse and exploitation.
CRS is implementing health, nutrition and WASH projects in Mbeya and Arusha regions. The
organization is looking for a qualified Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning officer
to assist the project teams on MEAL related activities for its health, nutrition and WASH projects
in Mbeya and Arusha. This position will be based in Mbeya region.
The Senior MEAL Project Officer will supervise and coordinate the development and
implementation of the projects’ MEAL systems, along with developing the capacity of the local
partner in monitoring the project and reporting the results.

Specific Responsibilities:
Monitoring/Evaluation

• Contribute to the design and implementation of the projects MEAL systems
• Ensure comprehensive, consistent, and detailed monitoring of the projects including the collection and analysis of data to inform operational decisions
• Work closely with the MEAL Director and ensure presence and articulation of a clear and realistic TOC, Learning agenda and accurate indicators are in place with a up to date

Indicator Tracking Tool (ITT)

• In cooperation with the project managers and other project officers ensure that all data agents for the projects are trained on data collection tools and that they are conversant with their usage.
• Ensure that the projects’ databases are up to date with correct information and submit monthly analyzed data to the project managers
• Work with the CRS/Tanzania MEAL Director and the project technical team to develop or adapt project-specific MEAL tools
• Orient CRS and partner staff on MEAL tools and provide ongoing supportive supervision for implementation of the tools
• Ensure data quality through site visits and the administration of data quality assessments
• Support the project managers in the preparation and submission of the annual implementation plan and budget
• Support the project managers in complying to the CRS MEAL Policies & Procedures as a minimum standard
• Support the design and lead the coordination of country level project evaluation activities
• Work closely with the project manager to produce high-quality required and ad hoc reports Implementation Research and Learning
• Support implementation research activities, facilitating local data collection, providing feedback regarding data collection activities.
• Support the project manager to prepare and facilitate quarterly and program review meetings and learning activities, incorporating the use of project data. Use Learning to Action Discussions (LAD) to ensure promising practices, lessons learned, and recommendations are identified, documented, disseminated, and used to improve program quality
• Manage exchange visits among project partners Work with the project team to document case studies, best practices, and lessons learned and contribute to the country program learning agenda

Program Quality

•  In collaboration with other Project Officers and PM, undertake regular field visits to upport implementation of standardized MEAL tools and to identify where adaptation might be needed;
• Monitor programmatic performance on regular basis using existing MEAL tools.
• Conduct participatory assessment of individual partners and supervisors and develop interventions to address the weaknesses that hinder quality project implementation.
• Participate in organizational strategic planning process
• Participate in writing concept notes and project proposals

Capacity building

• Provide on-site capacity building of CRS and partner staff, including formal and on-the-job staff training and co-facilitation of MEAL events and activities
• Provide distance support to field offices to provide tools, resources, and practical advice on assessments, MEAL system setup, and improvements to MEAL practices
• Assess local partner MEAL capacity and develop and implement plans to increase MEAL capacity in line with gaps.

Professional Qualifications

• A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in project-level MEAL, including development of data flow maps, data collection tools, reporting forms, and project databases
• Master’s degree in statistics, health informatics, biostatistics, epidemiology, economics or related field
• Experience in designing and implementing mixed method evaluation plans
• Thorough familiarity with principles and current approaches to project monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning
• Excellent analytic and computer skills; skilled in MS Office Suite including Word, Excel,

Outlook, PowerPoint and Access

• Skills in developing project M&E databases desired
• Willingness and ability to travel at least 60% of the time to project sites
• Experience in at least one of the following data analysis software: SPSS, STATA and Epi Info
• Prior knowledge and experience in WASH and/or Nutrition programming is preferred.

Desired MEAL Competencies

• MEAL in Design: Developing project-level Theories of Change, Results Frameworks, log frames, PMPs and accompanying MEAL narratives.
• Monitoring: Implementing monitoring activities, timely collection of quality data, set up and maintenance of databases, facilitation of participatory reflection on monitoring results, and submission of timely progress reports.
• Evaluation: Designing evaluations, managing data collection, processing, analysis and reporting.
• Accountability: Improving our accountability to a range of stakeholders through increased participation, transparent communication, responsive feedback mechanisms and adherence to internal and external quality standards and requirements.
• Analysis and Critical Thinking: Engaging with data, challenging biases and assumptions, posing thoughtful questions, pursuing deeper understanding of evidence through reflection and perspective-taking, and making informed programming decisions
• ICT for MEAL: Applying knowledge on information and communication technologies (ICT), for opportune and accurate data collection, database management, conducting

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer, interested participants please send your CV not more than
three pages and a cover letter clearly stipulating how you qualify for this position to: -
tz_hr@global.crs.org

Applications should be received by 30th September 2016