Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Manager Action Against Hunger

For 40 years, across more than 45 countries, Action Against Hunger has led the global fight against hunger. Our vision is a world without hunger, in which all children and adults have sufficient food and water, and access to the resources they need to sustain a healthy life. We save lives through the prevention, detection, and treatment of undernutrition. Action Against Hunger’s work is driven by a nutrition security approach, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and multi-sectoral response focused on addressing the needs of the most vulnerable members of communities.

Action Against Hunger has had a physical presence in Zambia since June 2015. In December 2021, Action Against Hunger-Zambia was registered and a Board recruited
to leverage on years of experience and expertise in over 40 countries globally. Action Against Hunger Zambia is currently implementing activities in Western Province Mungu, Senanga, Nalolo and Sesheke districts.

To achieve this, Action Against Hunger will;

1. Ensure sustainability of climate smart approaches, WASH and FSL services to strengthen nutrition sensitive programming

Nutrition sensitive programming remains key to achieving better nutrition impact and reaching targets. Climate smart approaches, WASH and FSL are vital elements to help vulnerable communities withstand the recurrent shocks, hence require long-term sustainable solutions embedded in the existing systems and communities.

2. Intervene on the Health and Nutrition sector: evolving from direct service provision to strengthening the health system- focusing on ‘strengthening’ the system more than ‘supporting’ the system

Action Against Hunger health and nutrition program has considerably evolved from direct service provision, to scaling up the relationship and partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH) by recognizing them as the primary health and nutrition service providers and working at building their technical capacity to reach a higher level in the quality of services provided. Strengthening the health system will not happen by indiscriminately working on the six (6) HSS pillar alone but through a critical and holistic review of the health system processes. This critical and holistic diagnostic approach requires having developed a trustful relationship to be able to work together with the health departments, at national, County and sub-county levels

3. Bringing the Community Health Strategy (CHS) onboard

Within the Health Systems Strengthening approach, Action Against Hunger will focus on community health strategy (CHS) as CHS has the potential to have a huge impact on addressing under-nutrition and is, unfortunately, under-utilized. Through this system, Action Against Hunger will work with the MoH to create demand and accountability for services offered. This will be achieved through

• Applying Social Behavioral Change Communication(SBCC) approach at community level
• Strengthen referral and counter referral system

4. Scaling up community/citizen engagement

If the system on which Action Against Hunger is supporting is not properly connected to people and there is inadequate engagement with people themselves then results will not be achieved. Deciders are still making crucial decisions on behalf of their citizen and on what they think should be the strategies and the priorities. The most vulnerable groups lack strong voice to advocate for their priorities thus the requirement for an engagement platform.

5. Partnerships

The position holder will aim to work closely with all Government Ministries both at National and County levels to support surveillance, data management and utilization at National and County level related to improving project delivery,

Roles and Responsibilities

M&E System development

• Lead and support the implementation of Action Against Hunger M&E Guidelines and Minimum Standards
• Contribute to data collection and reporting against Action Against Hunger International Strategic Plan framework and the M&E Plans for, FSL, Health and Nutrition and WASH interventions
• Design M&E system with RBM focus to track implementation of Action Against Hunger programmes in collaboration with county governments departments and stakeholders.
• In collaboration with Government institutions, implementing partners, review their existing approaches and health management information systems and agree on any required changes, support and resources.
• Review the performance of existing management information systems and technologies to help identify potential modifications or resources.

Project cycle management

• Work collaboratively with program staff and finance staff to ensure all grants are on track and monitor intervention to ensure compliance with grantor guidelines.
• Organize and maintain information portfolio on grants, sectors, programs, and individual projects to ensure they are up-to-date.
• Support head of departments and sector coordinators in reviewing donor reports to ensure high quality reports are submitted on time for all grants/programs.
• Assist program development team in developing log frames, M&E work plans, and targets
• Assist program managers to facilitate regular programme monitoring reviews in line with project logical frameworks and M&E frameworks to ensure donor requirements.
• Organize quarterly project review meetings
• Review monthly Activity Progress Reports (APR) and Evolution Tools to ensure complete and timely data while communicating rapidly with program managers about missing, irregular, or redundant data.
• Operationalize and disseminate documentation guidelines to aid field teams to capitalize on lessons learned, success stories, good practices and case studies.

Program/project design

• Lead resilience, nutrition and WASH teams in developing realistic and comprehensive M&E plans for each project to capture quantitative and qualitative data for project performance tracking and reporting.
• Lead all M&E initiatives for received grant(s)/project(s) including monitoring data quality, tracking the progress of activities to identify the causes of potential bottlenecks in project implementation
• Undertake regular visits to the field to support implementation of M&E and to identify milestones and challenges where adaptations might be needed.
• Support field resilience, nutrition, and WASH teams to design the framework for the physical and process monitoring of project activities.
• Develop program and operational reporting templates that facilitate the timely and accurate acquisition, aggregation and analysis of information in programs

Technical expertise /Capacity building

• Build capacity of partners and staff on the logical framework, donor M&E guidelines and data gathering, data management, data analysis and results‐based management, monitoring and evaluation methods and principles and requirements for relevant donors to ensure compliance
• Coach, train, and mentor program managers /field staff with an aim of strengthening their technical capacity to monitor projects in their areas , exchanging knowledge in M&E and informing staff capacity building initiatives
• Strengthen and mentor Programme Managers and field teams on routine data management and use of data to influence programmatic decisions.
• Provide on-the-job training to staff and partners in Activity Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Information Management systems

Coordination:

• Provide quarterly feedback to senior management team on standard indicators for FSL ,nutrition and WASH while comparing information over time and between bases.
• Design and manage feedback mechanisms and stakeholder accountability in liaison with HoD to ensure it’s rolled out in all locations and to partners as appropriate and document same. Ensure processes are in place that makes feedback systematically to beneficiaries and stakeholders
• Organize and coordinate mid-term reviews, learning workshops/review of program work plans with nutrition, WASH and FSL team at field level, county departments and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate documentation of project activities with clear articulation of lessons learned, case studies and short articles for each project for internal and external sharing.
• Review and update contextual information dashboard with current ,explicit data and statistics to support during county situational analysis , program updates , concepts and proposal development
• Review of existing literature, draw up the TOR, design and cost out a baseline survey /needs assessment survey/evaluation for Action Against Hunger programmes.
• Ensure lessons learnt and recommendations from all assessments conducted and others interventions are addressed and implemented with proper documentation

GENDER EQUALITY COMMITMENTS & ZERO TOLERANCE TO ABUSE

• Foster an environment that supports the values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, boys and girls regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age or marital status,
• Value and respect all cultures Action Against Hunger.

Required Skills , Qualification and Experience

• Demonstrated experience in all stages of developing project monitoring and evaluation systems
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Demonstrated skills in data collection, data analysis, documentation, data interpretation, and reporting
• 3 years’ experience in M&E, with sectoral experience in Climate Smart programming, food security, nutrition, and health systems strengthening required
• Experience developing and deploying feedback mechanism for multi-sector program working through county and national systems
• 3 years’ experience in integrated programming Training in SMART surveys, including collection and management
• Experience in proposal development and implementation, especially development of log frames proven skills in statistical analysis using DHIS2, Power bi, Excel and EpiInfo / ENA, as well as at least one other software platform such as SPSS, STATA, or PSPP,
• Ability to represent organization in national technical Forums
• Extensive knowledge in computer applications such as Excel, Word, Access and PowerPoint
• Experience in GIS and with a mapping software such as QGIS or Google Earth will be an added advantage
• Excellent interpersonal, writing and communication skills.
• Superior analytical and writing skills
• Team player
• Ability to review technical reports, including internal and external sector documents
• Experience in integrated programming will be an added advantage.

Ability to capacity build and direct a team

Action Against Hunger-USA provides all staff with an attractive salary & benefits package. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees & qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Action Against Hunger-USA complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

Application Process

Interested? Then apply for this position by clicking on the apply button. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.