Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability & Learning Officer (MEAL Officer)

JOB DETAILS

LOCATION: Tunisia

CONTRACT TYPE: In line with the Tunisia Country Office regulations and NSTC, and national law

JOB FAMILY: Program Management

ONE OXFAM GRADE: D     ZONE: 1

DEPARTMENT: Programme Team

TEAM: Program

SALARY: National, according to Tunisia salary scale

HOURS (FTE): Full time per National Staff Terms and Conditions (NSTC)

WORKING CONDITITIONS, BENEFITS AND SETUP

Oxfam offers attractive working conditions and benefit, in line with our National Staff Terms & Conditions (NSTC). Also, flexible working setup is applied following the Director and CLMT steer, hence agreed and announced ways of working.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Oxfam is committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.

Oxfam has a mandate to:

• Provide strategic leadership, management & accountability of and to Oxfam programs in the NA sub-region and relevant countries.
• Deliver sub-regional impact, develop partner relationships, brand and impact through relevant projects and influencing and advocacy work, public engagement and development programming.
• Connect, coordinate, convene -connect practitioners to sources of expertise within and across countries in the NA sub-region, convene people to share and exchange views, knowledge and learnings, and coordinate capacity development initiatives.
• Enable operational agility and efficiency.

Oxfam’s vision is a just and sustainable world. Inequality is multi-dimensional. Its different expressions are created and sustained by unjust systems that can affect anyone, anywhere. Their interaction is the root cause of discrimination, poverty and injustice. Oxfam has a one-program approach which aspires to put people and the planet at the center of all intentions and effort, fight against all forms of discrimination and violence, and support efforts combating the erosion of accountable governance.

TEAM PURPOSE:

Under the leadership of the Programmes Management and Quality Lead (PMQL), the Program Team (PT) ensures alignments with Oxfam global, regional and NA sub-regional strategy, quality and partnership approaches across all programs and interventions. The PT is inclusive of all Program Managers and Project Leads and their respective teams. The team’s purpose includes the development of the programs strategic documents, plans and reports, the advancement and quality application and implementation of Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework, and mentoring and mentoring their implementation with other colleagues and partners. The team is also responsible for advancing Oxfam’s program portfolio, through the quality design and development of new project, leveraging on successes and lessons of existing and previous ones.

In addition, the Programs team works in close partnership with the Influencing, Advocacy, Campaigns & Communication team, the Business Development & Fundraising team and the Finance & Operation team, to ensure Oxfam One Program approach and align effort and aspired outcomes. The PT directly contributes to advancing the NA strategies, resources and working approaches.

In NA, Oxfam implement context-relevant projects with inequality as cross-cutting and seek to advance the role and capacities of national and local actors, support influencing and advocacy and knowledge-for-impact efforts, within and beyond the region.

JOB PURPOSE:

Under the direct line management of a Program Manager / Project Lead, the MEAL Officer is responsible for the development of the most effective and efficient Project Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) set-up and framework. The MEAL Officer works closely with the relevant project(s) team members, and where relevant, guides and supports them, to ensure their constant and consistent alignment with the MEAL framework and overall goal and obligations, as well as with Oxfam principles, relevant policies and approaches. The MEAL Officer also works directly with the Project(s)’s partners, mentors and monitors their implementation in line with the project(s)’s overall MEAL framework(s). Furthermore, the MEAL Officer is expected to engage and collaborate with other MEAL Oxfam staff members, and contribute to the NA Program Team’s advancement, reports and plans.

The ideal candidate would have expertise focused on socio-economic and gender inequalities, social and economic advancement, empowerment and improved conditions and rights.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

MEAL Setup, Oversight & Support

• Develop and establish project MEAL setup and plans, in consultation and collaboration with the team, partners and relevant parties.
• Ensure a comprehensive project’s MEAL framework, is implemented as planned, and adapted as needed following lessons learned or changes in the intervention logic and/or context.
• Ensure scientific and statistically viable usage of a range of qualitative and quantitative data collection tools and methodologies to measure the project impact.
• Develop and communicate an adequate oversight and support management mechanism for enduring regular mentoring and monitoring of the project progress and quality implementation by all relevant parties (staff, partners, etc.).
• Engage and take active part in project governance related meetings, and/or in meetings with partners and other stakeholders, and contribute where and as relevant, needed and agreed. 
• Coordinate and facilitate the project planning and reporting processes, per set plans and obligations -Oxfam and donor-, directly contribute to their drafting and preparation, and ensure their quality and timely submission, together the PM and team.
• Engage and take an active part in project team meetings, and contribute to the Project Management of the project, in respect of the MEAL component (present results, give recommendations, suggest solutions).
• Support the project team in advancing their MEAL understanding and skills, hence contributions.
• Assess the project partners’ MEAL capacities and needs, develop and/or coordinate and organize relevant capacity building sessions, trainings, provide and share tools, etc.

Data Collection, Analysis & Reporting

• Regularly compile project data, and produced useful and relevant analysis (to project, the partners and Oxfam programs in general), in line with the MEAL set up and plans, and as needed and agreed with the line manager.
• Ensure proper monitoring of the partners activities relevant to qualitative and quantitative data collection, database design, and other applicable activities.
• Support partners in the data analysis and effective integration of monitoring, evaluation and learning into the project activity plans ensuring that all program staff contribute and assist in implementing the M&E activities.
• Work closely with the Program Manager, the Advocacy Lead and/or Media/Com lead to ensure their input and sign off on all project related narrative, reports, plans, products, etc., and lead on their dissemination, per agrees and approved planned.

Learning, knowledge management and sharing:

• In collaboration with relevant stakeholders develop empowering methods of measurement, such as participatory action research, most significant change stories, constituency feedback committees, etc.
• Support the project team and partners in extracting critical lessons and identifying and highlighting achievements which are linked to the project objectives, outcomes and aspired impact.
• Conduct or organize and coordinate baseline, progress assessments and end line evaluation based on project objectives for the use of current and future project activities.
• Encourage and initial exchanges and cross learnings between partners, and between project teams and partners.
• Take part in, coordinate and contribute to relevant learning and/or capitalization process and meetings.
• Organize regular learning sessions, workshops and events, with consolidated data and results, in agreement with the line manager, and in line with the set work plans.

Other:

• Apply Oxfam leadership values, actively contribute to improving the team and office culture.
• Ensure understanding and alignment with Oxfam policies, compliance and steer with regards to all areas of work within the delegated lines of liability and authority.
• Contribute to internal staff capacity building sessions relevant to MEAL.
• Contribute to MEAL related recruitment process, when needed.
• Actively attend and engage in NA staff meeting, as well as all other relevant sessions and workshop.
• Contribute to the advancement of NA strategic direction, and the office’s plans, reports, and products.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Oxfam is seeking a MEAL Officer that is/has:

• Seasoned, strategic and dynamic Manager with the following traits:
• Initiative, decisiveness and consistency.
• Self-Awareness and mutual accountability.
• Solution-oriented and agility.
• A relevant bachelor’s degree OR equivalent level of professional and work experience, with similar type of organizations.
• At least 8 years of experience with progressive levels of professional responsibilities and proven experience in quality project implementation, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning trajectory.
• Good knowledge and understanding of the North Africa, especially in Morocco, Tunisia, socio-economic contexts, civil society field and the development area of work.
• Solid skills in developing MEAL framework, plans, tools, and in building data collection and management mechanism, conducting data analysis, producing research, compiling strategic and effective lessons and stories.
• Solid skills in coordinating and facilitating processes that require the involvement of, and/or interaction between, a collective or a team.
• Good and solid writing skills, and experience in developing quality plans and producing quality reports.
• Proven experience in directly engaging with, and mentoring and supporting diverse types of partners, stakeholders and colleagues, in MEAL and quality project implementation.
• Experience in risk assessment, and in contributing to the development of prevention and mitigations plan, together with the team and partners.
• Commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, prioritize, meet deadlines, and hold self and others to account.
• Availability and ability to travel as required, including for partner’s visits.
• Excellent French and Arabic skills (reading, speaking, writing); a good command of English, is a plus.

Desirable:

• Experience in being part of a multi-cultural and multi-disciplined team.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting gender equity and diversity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Most importantly, every individual in Oxfam needs to be able to:

Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)

Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):