MEAL Specilaist

MEAL Specilaist

(MEAL Specialist)
Sudan – (Port-Sudan)
DRC Sudan
DRC has been present in Sudan since 2004, delivering life-saving programming in protection, emergency response, shelter, food security and livelihoods, disaster risk reduction, camp management, and humanitarian mine action. DRC has implemented projects in Central Darfur, South Darfur, South Kordofan, Gedaref, Kassala, and Khartoum states. Sudan hosts one of the largest displaced populations in Africa, with over 3.7 million internally displaced people and over 1.1 million refugees from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Chad, Yemen and Syria. Against a background of political crisis, Sudan faces economic and social turmoil, with sharp increases in food and energy costs, further exacerbated by disease outbreaks and ongoing conflict.

About the job
DRC is seeking a dynamic and self-motivated individual to establish and formalize our strategic partnerships framework and systems in country, with the objective of strengthening our current and future partnerships with national NGOs, community-based organizations, civil society, the private sector, research institutes, and others across Sudan. The partnerships specialist will map out and identify new partnership opportunities, assess partner organization capacities, facilitate relevant capacity strengthening support, ensure donor compliance in engaging in national partnerships, and provide ongoing support to the partner organizations throughout and after project implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• With the support of the MEAL Manager, contribute to logframe/indicator development, narrative descriptions of M&E activities, and MEAL budget line estimations during the proposal development process.
• Lead or contribute to the development of ToRs for surveys, assessments, and monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Contribute to the continuous updating of MEAL standard operating procedures and ensure alignment with emerging best practices.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve MEAL systems and processes and lead change within the MEAL unit.
• Develop Monitoring and Evaluation Plans (MEPs) and MEAL workplans (shared monthly) for assigned projects, ensuring alignment with project timelines.
• Organize and facilitate MEAL kick-off meetings for field staff to ensure clarity on objectives, processes, and responsibilities.
• In close collaboration with the technical unit, design assessment, monitoring, and evaluation tools (e.g., focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household/individual surveys, post-distribution monitoring, participatory M&E activities, observational monitoring, etc.) and methodologies.
• Develop and code data collection tools into XLS forms for Kobo and other mobile data collection platforms.
• Coordinate and oversee data collection for assessments and monitoring and evaluation exercises, including information gathering, sample definition, logistical support, and overseeing data collection teams.
• Track M&E field activity budget lines with oversight from the MEAL Manager, ensuring efficient and timely use of funds for monitoring and evaluation needs.
• Ensure data quality through cleaning and validation for all assessment, monitoring, and evaluation data.
• Conduct both quantitative and qualitative analysis for program reports, ad hoc requests, evaluations, etc.
• Produce reports (narrative and visual) that detail findings from MEAL activities and assessments, ensuring clarity and actionable insights.
• Provide narrative inputs for donor and other external/internal reports, summarizing the achievements of MEAL activities.
• Represent the MEAL department in project kick-off, review, and closure meetings.
• Liaise closely with program staff, and technical units (e.g., protection, economic recovery) to ensure effective coordination and alignment of MEAL activities with programmatic goals.

Accountability

• Coordinate the implementation and continuous update of accountability systems for DRC projects, working closely with Area Managers and Technical Coordinators.
• Continuously adapt and improve the country program’s beneficiary feedback and complaint mechanism, ensuring systems are inclusive, accessible, and effective.
• Serve as the organizational focal point on Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), ensuring compliance and regular review across all standards in collaboration with regional colleagues responsible for accountability and compliance.
• Lead the annual or biannual CHS self-assessment and prepare the resulting Accountability Improvement Plan (AIP).
• Support regular refresher training on the Code of Conduct (CoC) and Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM) for all staff, countrywide.
• Ensure the creation and distribution of monthly non-sensitive complaints reports and coordinate timely follow-up of feedback with relevant departments.
• Ensure that beneficiary feedback mechanisms and communication approaches foster strong community participation and trust, including closing feedback loops and reporting back to communities.

Information Management

• Contribute to the development and refinement of the MEAL Information Management (IM) strategy, identifying gaps and evaluating current systems.
• Design, develop, test, maintain, and improve the IM systems used for organizing DRC activity data, ensuring support in reporting, project tracking, and data analysis.
• Implement robust database security measures to safeguard sensitive beneficiary information from accidental or unauthorized damage, modification, or disclosure.
• Ensure that IM systems and processes comply with applicable standards and guidelines, including donor and data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR).
• Lead efforts to improve existing or develop new data collection tools and methodologies, ensuring robust data management.
• Draft information products (e.g., reports, charts, and infographics), turning data into visual products to support the dissemination of findings to external and internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the communications team, where appropriate, to ensure alignment in visual and narrative data presentation.

Coordination and Representation

• Represent DRC in coordination meetings with partners, donors, and other relevant stakeholders, ensuring alignment of MEAL objectives and activities.
• Lead and coordinate regular MEAL working groups with partners to promote collaboration and standardization of MEAL practices.
• Foster strong working relationships with key stakeholders (including sectoral and inter-agency working groups) to ensure alignment of MEAL activities and objectives across projects.
• Ensure regular communication and coordination with DRC partners, sharing MEAL findings and promoting continuous improvement across projects.

Additional Tasks

• Perform any additional tasks requested by the MEAL Manager or relevant stakeholders as deemed necessary to support the overall programmatic objectives of the DRC Sudan mission.

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)

a) Essential

• Minimum of 4 years of work experience within the field of monitoring and evaluation, of which 3 in a similar role
• Experience working with International NGO’s, UN agencies
• Experience working in monitoring and evaluation of FSL, protection, Shelter and WASH sectors in an emergency and post emergency context
• Experience in developing/ guiding information management systems for large humanitarian programs.
• Experience in participatory assessment and community-based monitoring approaches.
• Experience in partnership with Local Civil society and Government institutions
• Clear understanding of Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS).
• Experience with capacity building of staff in MEAL and IM, and in convening and facilitating trainings and workshops
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills (English)

b) Desirable

• Knowledge of ArcGIS/QGIS, NVivo (or other qualitative analysis software)
• Fluency in local language or the language of communities (Arabic)
• Experience of working in insecure environments and of security management; when relevant.
• Experience in developing/ guiding information management systems for large humanitarian programs, as relevant.
• Familiarity with the relevant data collection software, preferably Kobo Toolbox, Activity info, Commcare, ODK, DEEP, nvivo, ONA etc.
• Experience in statistical software, SPSS, R and visualisation tools such as PowerBi.
• Certification in Advance MEAL programme/course

Education:

• A Bachelor’s degree in relevant field (international development, social sciences, statistics, public health, etc.) + at least 4 years of relevant experience
• A Master’s degree in relevant field + at least 3 years of relevant experience

Languages:

• English (fluent)
• Local language (desirable)

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

We offer
Contract length: 6 Months

Level: G Non-manager

Salary range: NMG1 $ 1,762 - 1,985
Location: Portsudan

Expected Start date: ASAP

Application process
Interested? Then apply for this position by clicking on the Apply button.

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in the same language as this vacancy note. CV only applications will not be considered.

Applications close19/11/2024

Need further information?
If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/jobsupport.

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website www.drc.org

Department: , Nairobi

Location: Portsudan