Job Opening _ MEAL Coordinator – Community and Youth Engagement Program

ActionAid Arab Region Initiative (AAAR) is looking for MEAL Coordinator – Community and Youth Engagement Program,** who is

This position will sit across two teams, embedded within the ActionAid Arab Region MEAL team and the Community and Youth Engagement Program team. The main purpose of this role is to support the ActionAid program team and its partners to monitor, evaluate and learn throughout delivery of its English language, digital and life skills program, ensuring the quality and accountability of this program to program participants, ActionAid, consortium partners and the donor. The MEAL Coordinator will bring significant experience to lead on supporting all MEAL processes for this program. The post holder will ensure that the community and youth engagement program team and program partners are supported to ensure quality, effectiveness and appropriateness of their activities. S/he will develop and use tools and resources to effectively monitor the activities and outputs of the program, evaluate the outcomes, and capture and disseminate the learning gathered to all stakeholders. Ultimately, s/he will ensure that the program has evidence-based knowledge to inform the direction of the program from assessment and regular program monitoring documents. S/he will assist in improving the coherence, quality, and impact of ActionAid Arab Region’s Program.

Note this role is subject to successful award of the contract. .

About ActionAid Arab Region

At ActionAid Arab Region Initiative we work with grass root organizations and civil society actors that have a strong focus on youth and women in local governance. ActionAid Arab Region Initiative (ARI) knows that to create lasting change, the root causes of poverty and injustice must be addressed and that affected communities must become the drivers of the change they want to see. Read more at http://actionaid.org/arab-region/arab-region-initiative

Job Title: MEAL Coordinator – Community and Youth Engagement Program

Program

Department: Program

Grade: E

Contracts Type : Fixed term

Salary range : 1555-1958 JOD

Reports to: Regional Head of Programmes, Policies and Campaigns

Direct Reports: MEAL Manager (with matrix link to the Community and Youth Engagement Program Manager)

Areas of Responsibilities

Key Activities

Strategic Engagement :

In accordance with ActionAid Arab Region’s Office policy and procedures, the post holder will:

· Develop the monitoring, evaluation and learning plan for the English language, digital and life skills program in accordance with the consortium MEAL framework, ActionAid standards and donor requirements.

· Support the implementation and on-going development of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) processes, systems and guidance for the program and are effectively used by all implementing staff and partners.

· Draw strategic input from key project stakeholders, as well as from external learning to continuously refine and improve program MEAL approaches.

· Ensure all monitoring, evaluation and research activities are conducted in line with agreed ethical principles, and consistently promote women’s rights and accountability to youth involved in the program.

· Support the Program Manager and Senior Finance Coordinator in overseeing MEAL budget lines.

· Gather, consolidate and submit required project data to the program manager on a regular basis and promote program and organisational-wide knowledge management and learning.

· Support ActionAid’s commitments to transparency under IATI and support program and organisational initiatives on value for money

Provide technical leadership on monitoring, learning and reporting:

· Ensure and strengthen planning and MEAL within the program in order to obtain quality documentation of results and impact for donors, beneficiaries and the public, building an evidence base for the program and its approach for our advocacy, campaign and policy work, and ensuring lessons learned, success stories and best practices of our work are documented and shared.

· Conduct monitoring and evaluation activities (including designing data collection methods, reports, and tools); visits to the field to ensure that programming activities are being implemented per the grant guidelines and targets; and submits reports in accordance with protocols and agreements.

§ Lead on the consolidation of monitoring data nationally to ensure reporting against the logframe and performance indicators to consortium and donor reporting.

· Support the Program Manager in reporting to the donor, supporting the writing of quarterly and annual narrative reports.

· Communicate to stakeholders about reporting deadlines and provide advice and assistance to partners on reporting.

· Check and verify qualitative and quantitative data submitted for reporting.

Coordinate with ActionAid Arab Region MEAL Team, ActionAid UK and ActionAid International to ensure streamlining and coordination with internal MEAL processes and requirements, as well as regular coordination and cooperation with other ActionAid federation members as required.

Conduct, commission and manage research and evaluation processes

· Establish an evaluation strategy to ensure baseline, monitoring data and evaluations are able to test the program theory of change and contribute to learning.

· Support the Program Manager and program team in the completion of the baseline, mid-term and endline evaluations and research

· Draft Terms of Reference for research and evaluation studies and manage consultant recruitment and contract management of external MEL consultants.

· Co-ordinate travel and other arrangements that may be required for external research / evaluation consultant inputs

Support research / evaluation data collection, visits, review draft reports and provide technical feedback to ensure quality analysis

Document good practice and actively share learning:

· Promote and mainstream program learning practices across the team and internally within ActionAid Arab Region’s clusters and organize learning workshops among staff and partners.

· Engage with multiple stakeholders to support the documentation of evidence and build a supportive environment for learning

· Follow up and support partners to provide quality information in a timely manner for the purpose of generating Program reports and other documentation (e.g. Case Studies) for a wide range of stakeholders.

· Facilitate periodic reflection and sharing of progress, good practices and lessons learned between partners and consortium members.

staff and partners Support project with locally-owned MEL processes :

· Build understanding, capability and capacity of the program team and partners for the MEL plan, tools and reporting by providing orientation, technical training, coaching and on-going support.

· Liaise with the program team, other internal stakeholders and partners to actively seek their input and ownership of all MEL tools and processes.

· Design and run M&E training workshops as required to strengthen potential skill gaps in implementing the program MEAL plan

· Act as a resource person for knowledge sharing on effective strategies for bringing about change and for measuring impact, pro-actively sharing information, good practice and lessons learnt, ensuring that youth’s voice is at the core of our reflections.

Key Relationships to reach solutions:**

Program Manager

Administration, Finance and Administration

Internal (to ActionAid or team):

· Internal (to ActionAid or team)

· Head of Programme, Policy and Campaign

· Administration, Finance and Administration

· Resource Mobilization, Communications,MEAL, Women Rights leads

· ActionAid international and funding affiliates and International Platform

External:**

· Program donor and consortia partners

· Other external agencies Relevant Ministries

Person Specifiction:

Master’s degree in an area of social development or equivalent.

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and Skills:

· Knowledge of the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA).

• Experience implementing MEL activities with youth on developing English Language, digital and life skills.
• Experience with statistical data analysis program like SPSS

Essential Experience Knowledge and Skills :

· A minimum of five years’ MEL experience, preferably within the NGO sector. With strong experience implementing participatory, inclusive program MEL activities.

· Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.

· Strong results orientation, with the ability to professionally challenge existing mindsets.

· Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in.

· Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner.

· Experience with data collection and data analysis processes.

· Good experience in dealing with different donors M&E requirements and frameworks.

· Excellent computer skills and ability to use Microsoft Office (Excel, Access, Word, Outlook) to organize work, prepare plans and create monthly reports.

· Fluency in Arabic and English.

· Experience in training and capacity building.

· Willingness to travel within in Jordan (30-40%).

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and Skills :

Understanding of the context of young people in the region, particularly in education and pathways to employment · Management of not for profit program with a Human Rights Based Approach. · Good understanding of women’s rights and gender mainstreaming. · Experience of working on Commercial Contracts which are Payment by Results, preferably DFID programmes.

Personal Qualities :

· Good team player and takes a collaborative approach to working.

· Takes ownership of responsibilities with an ability to prioritise own workload and work with minimal supervision.

· Able to work under pressure and manage competing deadlines.

· Accountable and transparent.

Well organized, respectful and non-discriminatory.