Turkey: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Manager

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential.We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised $2 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, ensuring that they are able to survive, learn and be protected whatever their circumstances, including in times of humanitarian crisis.

2016 is a time of change and growth at Save the Children. As part of our new strategic plan ‘Every Last Child’, we have made it a global priority to build humanitarian, advocacy and campaigning capability, to become truly global – driving stronger and more diversified funding, and to maximise the use of our knowledge, systems, capacity and culture. We are doing whatever it takes to reach the world’s most excluded children. With your help we can ensure the world puts children first, and that we can tackle the barriers that prevent them from surviving and thriving. We won’t stop until every last child survives and fulfils their potential.

Position reporting to: Director of PDQ

Positions reporting to the post: Directly - MEAL Officers (Antakya), technical line to all MEAL staff & field staff

Contract type: Employment

Contract length: until 17/09/2017 (extendable)

Closing date: 26/05/2017

Location: Antakya or Istanbul, Turkey

ROLE PURPOSE:

The main purpose of this role is to provide strong management of Save the Children’s MEAL system for Turkey programmes as well as cross border operations. The aim is to enhance the quality and accountability of our work and the work of our Partners, bringing immediate and lasting changes in the lives of children.

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Manager will bring significant operational and managerial experience to strengthen and improve the response’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning system. This will focus on achieving the objectives of the MEAL unit, the running and improvement of the MEAL system in Syria and Turkey, technical MEAL advice to programme teams, and management of MEAL staff and their development.

S/he will work to continuously improve the existing MEAL system in general with specific focus on the following areas: qualitative data collection, assessment scheduling and coordination, data analysis and use, quality monitoring and knowledge management. S/he ensure that all Save the Children International and Partner projects are continually monitored for their effectiveness and appropriateness and that lesson are documented and communicated to inform on-going implementation and future programming. S/he will guide Save the Children International And Partner teams in achieving outcome/impact focused projects and accountability to beneficiaries in line with Save the Children’s and donors’ policies and practices.

The MEAL Manger will be responsible for ensuring the Country Office:

· Has sufficient good quality data available to be informed of our effect on the targeted populations;

· Builds an evidence base from reports, assessments and analysis to inform management decision making;

· Receives regular, timely and context-specific, meaningful feedback from our staff, partners, programme participants and that feedback effectively informs and signals areas where strategic attention is required.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Lead development of M&E systems (such as output trackers, MEAL Plans) and their roll out. Support sector technical staff to carry out monitoring and evaluation of project activities as agreed in M&E frameworks and plans and to strengthen integration between sectors.
• Working with the Program Development and Quality Director to support senior technical colleagues in their development of sector logframes, plans, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks and plans. Contribute to development of programme plan/strategy and master budget.
• With support from senior technical colleagues, support fundraising, including contributing to proposal writing and review to ensure MEAL activities and costs are adequately covered. Develop standard guidance for incorporation of MEAL costs into proposals in specific responses.
• Implement and monitor the MEAL framework, adapting/revising scheduled activities as needed.
• Strengthen the MEAL system to ensure a qualitative balance of data and analysis.
• Ensure effective scheduling of programme assessments (Syria and Turkey) as well as the analysis and dissemination of findings.
• Strengthen data analysis and use across the programme through key MEAL led reports, making key information accessible to stakeholders for programme review and design.
• Ensure that project monitoring includes strong and comparable quality and accountability elements and that data collection and entry methodologies used at field level are standardised and subject to regular review.
• Contribute to child-focused programme implementation by promoting child-friendly qualitative methodologies and supporting Child Protection to mainstream protection into project monitoring.
• Ensure that all Save the Children internal and external reporting requirements are met with timely, relevant, triangulated and well analysed data.
• Ensure that all assessment/evaluation reports meet the Save the Children’s quality criteria, and promote the integration of recommendations and lessons learnt in project planning and future programming.
• Ensure regular review of project indicators in conjunction with financial and operational review.
• Ensure that staff and partners fully understand the function of MEAL in quality assurance and strengthen a culture of open reflection and improvement.
• Ensure that all programmes are designed and implemented in accordance with international standards (such as but not limited to: CHS, SPHERE, INEE, CPWG) and Save the Children’s Child Rights Programming tools and approaches.

Accountability & Participation

• Ensure that staff at all levels, including senior managers and directors, fully understand and promote accountability to beneficiaries,and to children in particular, through training and coaching.
• Oversee the Syria Programme accountability system for staff, partners and beneficiaries in line with existing policies and procedures to enhance effective accountability for SCI and Partners.
• Develop and report against accountability, protection and participation-related indicators and issues, and produce an annual report on the accountability and participation work.
• Ensure that Accountability activities are appropriately planned and budgeted for in programme design and funding applications.
• By facilitating information sharing with key stakeholders, including beneficiaries, ensure that Save the Children promotes transparency throughout all stages of implementation.
• Ensure that project activities are designed to promote feedback and response mechanisms and include systems to effectively manage complaints.
• Ensure that activities are carried out to raise awareness of prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse and handling of serious complaints in line with child safeguarding policy.

Learning

• Collect and compile learning from assessments and reports developing a learning analysis per quarter.
• Participate in designing and implementation of studies, assessments and learning in coordination and cooperation with sectors’ technical coordinators and programme staff.
• Organise six monthly learning review opportunities for programme and partners

Technical supervision, performance management and capacity building of staff

• Provide leadership, motivation, guidance and technical support to the MEAL team.
• Provide technical supervision of the field-based MEAL staff through regular contact, remote supervision/mentoring, direct training.
• Identify training needs of staff and conduct trainings to address the capacity gaps, in collaboration with their line-manager (the field manager of their duty station) and the human resources department.
• Contribute to performance management of staff within the MEAL team
• Ensure that adequate MEALresources are included in proposal development and spent in a timely manner, in line with the MEAL master budget, work plan for 2015 and the MEAL framework

Others

• External representation when necessary.
• Comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to child safeguarding policy, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies.
• Contribute to ensuring that programme’s delivery happens in strict adherence to security policy and procedures.
• Any other task as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE AND ATTRIBUTES

Required

· Significant team management experience with an NGO or private company.

· Significant experience of undertaking a MEAL related role in a remote management humanitarian context.

· Education to University degree level in a relevant subject or equivalent field experience.

· Experience in child friendly data collection.

· Experience in conducting or managing evaluations.

· Experience of, and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability.

· Previous experience of managing a team and managing projects.

· Demonstrated strong monitoring and evaluation skills, including planning/participating in evaluations.

· Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands on implementation capacity.

· Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff.

· Ability to facilitate/conduct large technical trainings for staff.

· Experience of representation and ability to represent Save the Children effectively in external forums.

· Experience of contributing to successful funding proposals for donors.

· Ability to write clear and effective assessment and project reports.

· Excellent communication and influencing skills with experience in advocacy.

· Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.

· A high level of written and spoken English.

· The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.

· Commitment to the aims and principles of Save the Children. In particular, a good understanding of the Save the Children mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.

Desirable

· Language skills in Arabic.

· Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts.

· Specific experience of designing and managing BPRM, UNHCR, DFID, OFDA, ECHO and other major donor projects.

Benefits Package provided to National Staff:

• Salary commensurate with the pay-grade of the position.
• Annual leave
• Medical Scheme, Accidental and Life insurance.
• Transportation allowance
• A motivating work environment

We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Please apply in English by sending your up to date CV with a cover letter as a single document explaining your salary expectations to turkey.recruit@savethechildren.org and mention the position that you are applying for to the subject section. The advertisement will be closed on 26th May 2017 at 5:30 PM (Turkey local time).

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.