MEAL Officer

Job Description

Vacancy Announcement: MEAL Officer VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT  

BACKGROUND  

Welbodi Partnership (WP) is a UK-registered charity working to reduce maternal and child mortality and  morbidity in Sierra Leone. Since 2008, Welbodi Partnership has worked in partnership with hospital  management, health facility staff, and the Ministry of Health to improve maternal and child health  outcomes in Sierra Leone. We do this through a range of bold innovative partnerships models across  health system strengthening activities, healthcare worker training, hospital improvement projects,  research and community engagement.  

Our vision is that all women and children in Sierra Leone will have access to effective essential healthcare  services characterized by respect and dignity for all. Our mission is to build the capacity and effectiveness  of the health system in Sierra Leone using evidence-based practice to reduce the number of women and  children who are sick, suffer, or die unnecessarily.  

The organization’s guiding principles are:  

1. Deliver Lasting Results  
2. Working in Partnership  
3. Quality improvement and patient safety  
4. Valuing People  
5. Evidence Based Approach  

For further information, please see: www.welbodipartnership.org  

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE  

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) are essential in the design and  implementation of WP’s programs. The primary role of the MEAL Officer is to work directly with technical  and program staff to ensure implementation of high-quality MEAL at the field and strategic levels. The  position provides technical analysis, design and support in the area of Monitoring, Evaluation,  Accountability and Learning in line with WP’s standards, donor guidelines to deliver high-quality health 

Vacancy Announcement: MEAL Officer 

programming. Working closely with DHMT’s and directly reporting to the WP MEAL manager, the MEAL  Officer develops effective MEAL systems and data collection tools; collects data using qualitative and  quantitative methods; and conducts data entry and analysis that informs reporting under the FCDO funded  Saving lives 3 program in Sierra Leone. 

KEY RELATIONSHIPS: 

∙ District Health Management Team (DHMT) 

∙ Peripheral Health Unit (PHU) and Hospital Staff  

∙ Local authorities and Community Chiefs  

∙ Health led services and pregnant women  

∙ Welbodi Programme Manager  

∙ Welbodi MEL Manager  

∙ District Program officers 

∙ CHWS 

∙ Other consortium partners. 

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILTIES 

M&E. 

• Develop WP office M&E processes, methodologies and tools for planning, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning in line with WP policies and standards and harmonize them with WP country office M&E systems.
• Monitor implementation of systems, processes and tools ensuring quality and consistency in M&E data collection and reporting
• Produce a comprehensive M&E plan for the program and conduct regular progress monitoring of the plan
• Provide technical expertise in household survey sampling design, questionnaire development, enumerator training and implementation, including programming needed for electronic data collection 
• Contribute to the development of project proposals and internal and external reports, including  assessments, baseline and end line survey reports which include data analysis, interpretation, and  recommendations. 
• Conduct data quality assessments & data audits to ensure that the collected data is accurate and  maintains the integrity of the project 
• Conduct beneficiary interviews, focus group discussions, and quality improvement verification  visits to the project sites as required by the program 
• Collaborates with WP country office team and other consortium Programs and technical team for data sharing, reporting, and quality improvement
• Collaborate with local Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) for ethics approvals for all surveys

Vacancy Announcement: MEAL Officer ACCOUNATBILTY 

• Contribute to the establishment of an effective complaints, accountability and response mechanism to enhance feedback, trust and confidence with beneficiaries
• Maintain a record of beneficiary complaints and actions taken settling such complaints.
• Ensure accountability mechanisms are integrated into country strategies, program design, and monitoring and evaluation systems
• Ensure data storage and systems for sharing are set up to protect confidentiality of personally identifying beneficiary data and adhere to WP and donor data storage and sharing policy.
•  Contribute to the safeguarding of program participants and personnel through promoting an environment of awareness and upholding the code of conduct provisions of WP Protection from  Sexual Exploitation & Abuse, and Child & Vulnerable Adult protection policies and sexual  harassment policies 

Learning. 

▪ Develop systematic approaches that support documenting how change is happening within  programs and making knowledge accessible and usable at local, country office and global level to  inform programming 

▪ Support and organize collection of success stories, case studies, best practices and photos of  activities for knowledge management and dissemination. 

▪ Maintain a filing system for all MEAL activities, reports and analyses in hard and soft copies,  including backups 

▪ Organize regular capacity building/orientation for program staff in relevant M&E topics.

▪ Coordinate with M&E counterparts in other consortium members and information management  working groups 

PERSONAL SPECIFICATIONS 

∙ Qualifications: 

 An individual holding university Bachelor’s degree in statistics or public health. A diploma  in medical disciplines like CHO, Nursing and midwifery will be an added advantage.

 Experience: 

Familiarity with health service delivery, research or NGO project implementation in Sierra  Leone, those with benefit of women and children would be an advantage.  

Experience designing M&E plans, indicators, data management tools etc 

 Experience formulating periodic reports with graphics showing program or country level  performance and quality. 

At least 3 years’ experience in similar roles in NGOs.  

Knowledge: 

Knowledge of project implementation processes that relate to planning, resource  management, problem solving, monitoring and reporting. 

Concrete knowledge of log frame design, indicator development and report writing.

Familiar with core humanitarian standards and sphere standards. 

Skills: 

Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, publisher and Google applications 

Vacancy Announcement: MEAL Officer 

Strong survey planning skills like using Open data kits, training enumerators, writing  survey reports etc. 

Strong quantitative and qualitative sampling and data analysis techniques 

Proficient in logically organizing and retrieving electronic and hard copy information. 

Ability to self-motivate, take initiative and work autonomously within the scope of the  role with minimal supervision.  

Excellent interpersonal skills, verbal communication skills, and demonstrated ability to  work collaboratively across different hierarchy lines and in cross cultural teams. o Ability to work well under pressure and deliver deadlines whilst maintaining an excellent  level of written and oral communication and respectful working relationships 

Other: 

Fluency in written and spoken English.  

Confidence, diplomacy, and sensitivity in working with local authorities, healthcare  providers and senior staff from partner organizations including the Government.

 A team player who shows enthusiasm and is committed to the goals and principles of  Welbodi Partnership. 

Ability to use mapping software such as Arc GIS or others 

Strong using data bases like HMIS, DIHS2 etc. 

Values: 

Honesty: Shows a high level of integrity and will not fabricate responses or misrepresent  the programme. 

Communication: Confidently expresses self, able to clearly ask questions and help the  respondent understand what is needed from her/him  

Relationship Building: Able to build trust with colleagues and stakeholders and maintain  confidentiality. 

 Accuracy: Must be able to complete documentation accurately 

Endurance: Must be able to work for full day working hours and be willing to work in  different offices or locations within Freetown and make short trips to the districts if  required. 

Pro-activeness to in handling duties independently  

Adaptability to respond flexibly and effectively to broad range of tasks. 

Responsiveness towards line manager, team members and stakeholders  

GENERAL POLICIES PROCEDURES AND PRACTICES  

In addition to the key job responsibilities detailed in these Terms of Reference, all employees and  volunteers at Welbodi Partnership are expected to comply with the general duties outlined below and  detailed in full in our policies. 

SAFEGUARDING 

Welbodi Partnership has a Zero Tolerance policy on Safeguarding and is committed to promoting the  welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Therefore, all staff and volunteers are expected 

Vacancy Announcement: MEAL Officer 

to behave in a way that supports this commitment. All new staff undergo mandatory safeguarding training  and sign the safeguarding policy before the commencement of work. Applicants for this position should  be aware that if successful, they will be requested to complete a Police check 

DATA PROTECTION  

Welbodi Partnership complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).