Program Manager II, MEAL - Catholic Relief Services

As the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States, CRS carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through integrated programming in emergency response, health, agriculture/livelihoods, education, peacebuilding and more. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Job Description

• Job Title: Program Manager II – MEAL
• Reports to:  Chief of Party II
• Department:  Programming, Ghana, WARO
• Salary Grade: 10

This post is contingent on donor funding

Job Summary

You will manage and provide technical oversight of the development and implementation of the of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) system of a multi-year WASH program. You will ensure that the MEL plan adheres to CRS’ MEAL and Policies and Procedures and donor requirements.

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You will be responsible for designing and implementing the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan of the WASH project, which is aiming to increase access to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services to targeted districts in Northern Ghana. You will coordinate timely data collection, including linking with existing M&E from other GOG stakeholders, collation and analysis activities in the field, supervise Data Quality Assurance (DQA) processes, and lead MEAL capacity building activities for the WASH project and partners. Your technical skills and knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming and continuously work towards improving the impact of WASH programming.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Provide management, guidance, and technical oversight of all new and existing MEAL activities throughout the project cycle to ensure project design, start-up, implementation and close-out of the multi-sectoral program are in line with CRS quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices.  Oversee and manage MEAL implementation of a complex multi-sectoral program.
• Build capacity of MEAL staff and partners to address their job requirements.
• Lead the development of program learning with Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party to identify opportunities for learning, research and publications and implementation of MEAL policy.
• Facilitate the dissemination of promising practices and lessons learned to contribute to the agency knowledge management agenda. Ensure integration of innovations and best practices.
• Provide technical lead for quality MEAL design, including tools and methods, appropriate to scope, context, and technical requirements of a project.
• Provide technical lead for analysis of MEAL data, qualitative and quantitative.
• Ensure quality of data and data management practices.
• Integrate data analysis, reflection and interpretation and use with ongoing project activities
• Ensure compliance with donor and agency MEAL requirements.
• Communicate agency approach to MEAL and key findings, as appropriate, among CP colleagues and partners.
• Cultivate relationships with community members and stakeholders.
• Plan and budget appropriately for quality MEAL activities. 
• Ensure quality management practices of MEAL activities.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Project MEAL staff

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, Country Representative, Head of Programming, MEAL staff, Finance Manager, Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality, Regional Technical Advisors, HQ based Public Donor Liaison.
• External: Partner MEAL staff

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Required Skills or Experience

Basic Qualifications

• Master's Degree in International Development, International Relations or in the field of Monitoring and Evaluation, or Statistics required. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in relevant field-based project management experience required, with preferably at least 3-5 years working in the area of MEAL,
• Experience in managing MEAL for moderately complex projects preferably with an international

Required Languages – English fluency, Knowledge of a main national language

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 25 %.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Good presentation and facilitation skills
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Preferred Qualifications

• Good experience in MEAL management, including MEL Plan design, preferably for grants from multiple public donors, including USAID.
• Familiarity with Collaborate, Learn, and Adapt (CLA) approaches
• Experience engaging with partner organizations.
• MEAL skills and experience required.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.
• Experience working in the Ghanaian context.

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

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