Job Description

Job title: Monitoring Evaluation Accountability & Learning (MEAL) Manager

Reporting to: Country Director, Somaliland

Responsible for: SHINE Programmes (Mott MacDonald, UNICEF, CHANGE/PSI) and SAHAN Projects

Base: HPA Country Office, Hargeisa, Somaliland

Job purpose:

Ensures that a robust MEAL system is in place that produces high quality reporting regarding SHINE and CHANGE programme results and evidence of impact for accountability to stakeholders.

Application deadline: 20th January, 11.59pm

Please send your application form to: personnel@healthpovertyaction.org

Please note that due to a potentially high number of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Background:

Health Poverty Action works for health and global justice in partnership with people who have been marginalised and pushed into poverty.

We work with communities to help them demand their right to health, and to challenge the power imbalances that deny them their health rights. Our distinct approach can be summarised as a combination of three areas:

We approach health as an issue of social justice

Health is a Human Right that many are currently denied. The greatest causes of poor health worldwide are political, social and economic injustices. This is a global scandal which causes unnecessary suffering on a massive scale.

We tackle these complex root causes of social injustice in two ways. Firstly, we work in partnership with communities to help them take back the power to improve their own health. Secondly, we campaign on a national and international level to change policy, and destroy unjust power relations.

We prioritise those missed out by others

We believe in health for all, without exclusion. Development organisations tend to cluster together, which leaves large populations with almost no support at all. People may be living in hard to reach areas, or are difficult to support for some other reason. We make these most neglected populations our highest priority.

We address the full range of factors which impact on health

Health is a combination of physical, mental and social wellbeing. As well as strengthening health services we work on areas such as nutrition, water, sanitation, gender discrimination, and income generation. Tackling one cause of poor health in isolation can give the appearance of improving health in the short term, but tackling numerous factors together saves lives.

We are acutely aware of how our own power dynamics as an organisation impact on the people we work with, and we work in partnership with communities to create long term relationships built on trust.

In 2017 we formed a strategic partnership with Find Your Feet. The partnership ensures Find Your Feet’s livelihoods work will continue through Health Poverty Action.

We are also proud to be one of the small number of organisation recognised as being structurally part of the global People’s Health Movement. This quote from the founding document of this movement, the People’s Health Charter, sums up the essence of Health Poverty Action’s values and identity:

“Health is a social, economic and political issues and above all a fundamental human right. Inequality, poverty, exploitation, violence and injustice are at the root of ill-health and the deaths of poor and marginalised people. Health for all means that powerful vested interests have to be challenged, and that political and economic priorities have to be drastically changed. This Charter encourages people to develop their own solutions, and to hold accountable local authorities, national governments, international organisations and corporations.”

JOB DESCRIPTION

Context of the role

HPA been working in Somaliland since 1994 and has broadcast a radio programme from Hargeisa since 1999 using various international and local radio stations. HPA has, over the years, successfully implemented a number of projects supported by the European Commission (EC), UK Department for International Development (DFID/UKAID), UNICEF, WFP, UNFPA, Global Fund and other trusts and foundation. Currently, this includes partnerships/consortia with Population Services International (PSI) for the DFID funded CHANGE Programme; Mott MacDonald for the DFID funded SHINE programme; UNICEF for the DFID funded SHINE Programme and WFP supported nutrition programme in partnership with a number of local NGO partners.

Health Poverty Action (HPA) is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Specialist to provide technical leadership and strategic direction for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and learning activities for DFID funded Somali Health and Nutrition Programme (SHINE). It is a five-year (2016–21) programme that aims to tackle high levels of preventable maternal and child deaths among Somali women and children. This project is supported by three fund management offices (PSI, Mott MacDonald and UNICEF) and implemented by Health Poverty Action in nine districts of Somaliland.

The MEAL Specialist will provide technical leadership to develop the programme framework, plans and indicators to capture project performance results and provide effective, accurate and timely monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all project activities. The MEAL Specialist will work closely with the MEAL Officers to design, implement and supervise the program’s MEAL activities, ensuring that lessons learned are integrated into program implementation to continuously improve quality of interventions and outcomes. The MEAL Specialist will be responsible for strengthening information management and data quality and improving knowledge sharing and learning across the organisation. The MEAL Specialist is responsible for documenting and disseminating program successes and challenges to HPA, Fund Managers and the Donor. The MEAL Specialist will also be responsible for designing and conducting operations research.

Main Functions of Post:

MEAL System Design and Support

• Develop and oversee data flow pattern for the program that will ensure timely data collection and reporting.
• Oversee the development and implementation of the Performance Monitoring Plan to capture project performance and results, including improvement of data capturing and routine service delivery data reporting.
• Designing, planning, developing/reviewing ToRs, inception and final reports of baseline assessments and end-line evaluations from teams or consultants, and monitoring for process and outcome evaluations.
• Support in the review of bids, technical and financial proposals submitted by consultants for MEAL related works.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (Internal and External)

• Contribute to the development of annual work plans to identify project targets and ensure inclusion of M&E activities.
• Supervise the collection and analysis of data for project M&E, both internally and from local partners, in accordance with timeframes set forth in the work-plan; develop additional databases and tracking tools as needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of project interventions.
• Leads on results reporting to Fund Managers/donors by agreeing internal deadlines internally and with partners for submission of their respective reports, providing written documentation on MEAL activities and indicator results for progress and annual reports, as appropriate.
• Provide leadership and direction on MEAL to ensure the program achieves its goals and corresponding objectives and targets.
• Lead efforts to monitor and evaluate project interventions, document results and provide feedback to stakeholders to guide decision-making.
• Provide leadership to ensure data capturing, analysis and reporting on Beneficiary Feedback Mechanism (BFM), Value for Money (VFM), and human-interest histories (case studies) from each of the programmes.
• Undertake cross-programmes comparisons of outputs and outcomes and draw lessons and understandings at organisational level that will be shared with the Fund Managers, the donor and the MOHD in programme reviews as crucial input for future planning.

Developing MEAL Capacities

• Overseeing and supporting in the recruitment of MEAL staff members;
• Providing technical support, coaching and mentoring project and partners’ staff working on MEAL;
• Assess training needs amongst MEAL staff and partners’ members and organise in-house training to create capacities and motivation that enable staff perform their roles to the highest standard.
• Lead efforts to utilize training on monitoring systems to track and monitor trainers and participants at training events to facilitate follow-up and recordkeeping.
• Ensure the MEAL team has good understanding of Beneficiary Feedback Mechanisms (BFM), Value for Money (VFM), and safeguarding issues, to spot and report cases within the existing system as well as a clear understanding of the data protection policy.
• Coordinate all MEAL capacity-building activities with project staff, implementing partners and facility staff based on evident gaps in skills and capacities.

Documentation and Dissemination of Lessons and Best Practices

• Conduct targeted evaluations and operations research, including design, data collection, management and analysis.
• Improve quality of data through data verification procedures, including routine data quality audits.
• Supports the documentation and dissemination of lessons and best practices and facilitates the use of such data to drive program design, decision making and advocacy purposes.
• Promote and support the dissemination of project information amongst the project team.

Other duties and responsibilities

• Maintain high level knowledge and information on country context in national health development & priorities, government, political, safety and security, and economic events and trends
• Compile the lessons learnt and best practices of in relation to MOHD DHIS2 staff capacity and performance in relation to data capturing, timely data compilation and analysis, availability of complete data on time etc.
• Identify operational or program quality issues and alert MEAL technical team as appropriate
• Comply with HPA’s policies and practices with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned by line manager.

Person Specification

• Master’s degree in statistics, public health, demography, economics or related field or equivalent experience
• Minimum seven years of work experience in monitoring and evaluating complex, large, multi-year international health sector development programs
• Proven expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, operations research, health management information systems, reporting, data quality assessments, data analysis and presentation and setting up and managing M&E systems that track performance as per the objectives
• Demonstrated strong management, coordination, teamwork and strategic planning skills with proven ability to function effectively with multiple host-country counterparts in both the public and NGO sectors
• M&E experience in Health Systems Strengthening, RMNCH/FP and Nutrition
• Firm command of M&E issues with respect to improvements in quality health service and support programs
• Familiarity with health management information system (DHIS2) and other national M&E systems
• Strong technical skills, including ability to process and analyse data using one or more statistical software packages, including at least one of the following: SPSS, Epi-Info, Stata, MS Access
• Experience hiring and supervising personnel and ensuring they acquire the necessary training and skills to meet evolving program needs with ability to coach, mentor and develop technical capacity in regional and national programs and technical staff
• Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with Fund Managers, government counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs
• Ability to synthesize complex information and communicate it effectively to diverse audiences; ability to design and implement efficient work flows and procedure
• Demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking, organizational, team-building, and representational skills
• Expertise in research to practice—identifying and adapting best practices to specific project contexts
• Excellent skills in facilitation, team building, and coordination
• Fluency in English
• Excellent verbal, written interpersonal and presentation skills

This position is contingent upon approval from the Fund Managers. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application form: https://www.healthpovertyaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/HPA-Application-Form.docx

Job Email id: personnel(at)healthpovertyaction.org