MEAL Technical Adviser  

Job Description

CRS JOB ADVERT – INTERNAL/EXTERNAL 

CRS is recruiting for x1 Position: MEAL Technical Adviser  

If you are interested and your profile matches the requirements, please read the below job descriptions, and follow the instructions to submit your application package.  

About CRS 

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the  United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without  regard to race, religion, or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work are accomplished through  programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.  

CRS launched its work in Sierra Leone in 1963 supporting relief and development operations in the country.  CRS Sierra Lone has proudly maintained a strong reputation and relationship with partners and the  communities we serve in the country implementing a multi-sector program portfolio based on the country’s  dynamic needs. Today, the Country Program has a robust portfolio built around several major programs in  Health, Nutrition, Education, and Urban Resilience. CRS Sierra Leone has its main office in Freetown and a  field office in Kabala, with over 160 staff in total.  

About the Project 

With funding from the CRS Advancing Local Leadership in the Right Way (ALL Right) Fund, CRS Sierra Leone  will support Caritas Sierra Leone Makeni (CSLM)as it envisions itself as a strong national nongovernmental  organization that champions local development in the North and North-western Region of Sierra Leone in  the next 5 years. The ALL Right Fund is an intentional effort to support CSLM to achieve its vision. 

Through the ALL Right project, CRS will support CMSL to strengthen its institutional capacity to ensure that  the organization has the operational and technical systems and staff to implement high-quality projects that  integrate inclusion into programming with an increased focus on MEAL and internal controls. ALLRight Fund  will focus on strengthening Caritas Sierra Leone Makeni’s MEAL capacity by positioning Caritas Sierra Leone  Makeni to establish strong MEAL systems to collect, analyze, and utilize MEAL data to demonstrate and 

improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and ultimately, the outcomes and impact of their interventions in the  education sector in Sierra Leone. CSLM has made progress in internal control for efficiency, relative to the  scope of their budget and operation, which would require strengthening for operational efficiency and  excellence. 

Job Title: MEAL Technical Adviser 

Department: Programs – Local Leadership 

Reports To: Local Leadership, Partnerships and Capacity Strengthening Coordinator Country: CRS-Sierra Leone.  

Duty Location: Freetown office with 40% travel to Project Location.

Job Summary: 

You will coordinate and provide Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) technical  leadership and guidance to the ALLRight Fund project in compliance with CRS MEAL Policies and  Procedures. Your role will focus on strengthening the MEAL capacity of CARITAS Makeni as a critical  facet to strengthening its institutional capacity. 

The MEAL Technical Adviser will immensely support Caritas Sierra Leone Makeni staff to develop high quality monitoring systems and tools that measure progress toward indicators and build its capacity,  through on-the-job training and other accompaniments. He/she will support CSLM accountability and  learning are systematically captured and used in Caritas Sierra Leone Makeni towards achieving their  desired vision. Your MEAL-related project management skills, competencies, and knowledge of the  program area will ensure that the CP delivers high-quality capacity-strengthening support and  continuously works towards improving the impact of ALLRight Project as a partner capacity strengthening  project. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Coordinate Partner MEAL capacity strengthening efforts through enhancing the MEAL capacity of  CSLM staff, strengthening the MEAL institutional capacity of CSLM by helping them to identify and  implement improvements to MEAL operating systems, and providing accompaniment to CSLM  staff in the testing, refinement, and utilization of those systems. 
• Support MEAL-related technical, budget management, monitoring, and reporting activities  through most of the project cycle – start-up, implementation, and close-out – In line with CRS  program quality principles and standards and MEAL policies, procedures and practices, donor  MEAL requirements, and industry good practices.  
• Support the development and roll-out of project-level MEAL systems during start-up, including  Performance Monitoring Plans or Performance Indicator Reference Sheets, Indicator Performance  Tracking Tables, data collection instruments, and Detailed Implementation Plans that are  appropriate to the scope and context of the project(s).  
• Support the implementation of monitoring activities and processes for both CRS and Caritas Sierra  Leone Makeni (including ICT4MEAL) according to the project(s) Detailed Implementation Plan and  MEAL system.  
• Support the development of a Comprehensive MEAL strategy for Caritas Sierra Leone Makeni  (CSLM), this includes a MEAL strategy improvement plan, and increase staff capacity in MEAL  designs through coaching and on-the-job training for efficiency and effectiveness.
• Ensure knowledge and skills of CSLM staff in Knowledge Management and Learning (KML) practices.  Ascertain learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle, this includes  increasing skills in knowledge management of Caritas Sierra Leone Makeni through capacity building  and accompaniments (job shadowing and coaching).  
• Lead the design of the project(s) feedback and response mechanism (FRM). Coordinate the roll-out  and implementation of the FRM and other accountability activities for the project(s). Support active  seeking and responding to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other  stakeholders for Caritas Sierra Leone Makeni. 
• Work with LLPCS staff to apply and share learnings from standardized approaches and best practices  in strengthening the capacity of local partners, demonstrating trust and mutual respect when engaging  partners, and coordinating the strengthening of partner capacity. 
• Represent CRS’s capacity-strengthening initiatives externally with partners, the government, peer  organizations, and donor agencies. 

Basic Qualifications and Experiences 

• Master’s degree in social sciences or other disciplines related to development and Monitoring, Evaluation,  Accountability, and Learning (MEAL).  
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience in MEAL or in a position with similar responsibilities. 
•  Experience in developing project-level theories of change (ToC), results frameworks, Proframes, related  MEAL system tools and components, and accompanying MEAL narratives.  
• Experience in promoting excellent knowledge management and collaborative learning processes at the  project, program, and institutional levels; and generating robust evidence through monitoring,  evaluation, and research activities for project and programmatic learning that leads to action, decision making, and influence.  
• Knowledge of capacity-strengthening best practices and partnership principles.
•  Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and training applying adult learning principles and  practices. 
• Experience with facilitation, capacity strengthening, and partnership building, with the capacity to  empower staff through opportunities for growth & development. 
• Experience collaborating or working with local development or humanitarian actors, with specific  experience strengthening the capacity of local/national organizations required.  
• Experience in applying knowledge of information and communications technology (ICT) for opportune  and accurate data collection, database management, analysis, and making information readily  accessible. Preferably experience in using ICT platforms like CommCare, PowerBI, SPSS, STATA, and Arc  GIS. 
• Experience in supporting project and program evaluations and reviews by ensuring the quality of  evaluation methods, tools, and data, and facilitating the use of evaluation results to inform decision making and enhance learning (including sound understanding of sampling techniques).  
• Experience in managing financial and human resources to optimize the quality, effectiveness, and utility  of MEAL systems.  

Required Languages 

Strong written and spoken English required.  

Travel 

Travel to the project location (Makeni) is required as needed to attend program-related activities  (accompaniment, trainings, meetings, and workshops). 

Must be willing and able to travel up to 40%.  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) 

• Ability to operate various word-processing software, spreadsheets, and database programs.
•  Able to work with diverse groups of people in a multicultural, team environment.
• Self-motivated and able to work without close supervision, including prioritizing work and multi tasking to meet deadlines. 
• Excellent relationship management skills with the ability to influence and get buy-in from people, not  under direct supervision. 
• Excellent organization, planning, and analytical skills; detail-oriented knowledge of database  management and procedures 
• Interact and maintain good working relationships in a cross-cultural environment
• Carry out multiple tasks and meet deadlines. 
• Individuals must possess the ability to influence without direct authority. 
• Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing complex, technical systems. and  processes to non-technical audiences. 
• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound judgments.
• Ability to contribute to written reports. 
• Proactive, resourceful, results-oriented, and service-oriented 
• Attention to details, accuracy, and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
•  Ability to use CommCare, PowerBI, SPSS or STATA 
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Relevant experience working with Church social development organizations.  
• Experience working with stakeholders at various levels and strengthening community partnerships.
•  Ability to contribute to the development of technical proposals, a plus. 
• Experience analyzing data and contributing to evaluation reports. 

Programmatic Reports to: Local Leadership, Partnerships and Capacity Strengthening Coordinator (LLPCS) Technical Reports to: Country program (CP) MEAL Coordinator 

Key Working Relationships 

Internal:  

▪ CP Leadership staff  

▪ LLPCS Coordinator 

▪ CP MEAL Coordinator  

▪ ALLRight Project Manager 

▪ Country Program programming and operations staff 

▪ Regional Technical Advisor MEAL  

▪ other HQ and regional advisors based on the needs of CMSL. 

External: CMSL Staff, Director, and Board,  

MEAL Competencies (for CRS MEAL Program Staff) 

Each staff member in this position is expected to have solid knowledge and ability and can apply the  following competencies with minimal or no guidance, in the full range of typical situations, while requiring  guidance to handle novel or more complex situations: 

• Monitoring 
• Evaluation 
• Accountability 
• Learning 
• Analysis and Critical Thinking 
• ICT4MEAL 
• Management in MEAL 
•  MEAL in Design. 

In addition, each staff member in this position is expected to have basic knowledge and ability and, with  guidance, be able to apply the following competencies in common situations that present limited difficulties:

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)  

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to  fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.  

• Integrity  
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation 
• Builds Relationships  
• Develops Talent 
• Strategic Mindset 
• Accountability & Stewardship 

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the  commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a  part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to  serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and  vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.  

By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with  dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further,  I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and  my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to safeguarding-related  topics. 

WOMEN ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. CRS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

To apply for this position please send up-to-date CV and a supporting letter, copies of relevant certificates to through email on  

SL_HR@crs.org 

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 

Also send a copy of your application package to the desk Officers, Ministry of Employment and Social  Security, New England and Extension Offices in Applicants’ Locations 

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities  associated with the position.  

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults  from abuse and exploitation. 

Closing Date for the receipt of application packages is 26th April 2024.