MEAL ASSISTANT

Position Description

Location: Yarpah Town, Rivercess County

Position Status Full-time, Regular

Salary Level 4

Current Team Member: N/A

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps has been working in Liberia since 2002.

About PLAY International

PLAY International was born in 1999 from the idea that sport could be a catalyst for social change. Since then, the NGO has developed and managed education projects in some fifteen countries for the benefit of more than half a million children. This action in the field, often in precarious contexts, has enabled the NGO to develop an approach to sport that makes it possible to transform its practice into a concrete response to an educational, social or health problem. PLAY International has thus invented new ways of learning, growing, or overcoming trauma. Today, the NGO has reinvented itself to respond to an ambition: to multiply the social impact of sport in France and around the world with a common thread: social innovation.

Program / Department Summary

About LEARN II Program

Save the Children (Prime) and Mercy Corps (sub-grantee) are implementing the Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition (LEARN 2) program 2. This is a five-year program, funded by the United States Department for Agriculture’s (USDA) Food for Education (FFE) program. This program aims to increase the literacy of school-age children and increase the use of health and dietary practices. The LEARN program will be implemented by Save the Children in Grand Gedeh and River Gee counties while Mercy Corps will implement the program in Grand Bassa and Rivercess counties.

About Ejo 2 Program

With funding from the French Development Agency (AFD) and in partnership with PLAY International, Mercy Corps leads the field-level implementation of the Ejo 2 Liberia program, targeting Grand Bassa and Rivercess counties for a period of nineteen months. The Ejo 2 program seeks to facilitate access to active and inclusive education for children in Liberia using participatory pedagogical techniques that leverage social-sport programs as a platform. The project’s goal is to promote and maintain access to and retention of children and adolescents in an active and inclusive education program.

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The program further aims to strengthen the provision of non-formal education activities to children and young adolescents aged 6-15 through the development of socio-sports activities in non-school settings. The program aims to promote formal education and reduce discrimination in access and work with institutional and community stakeholders to improve the ecosystem for inclusive education through sports.

General Position Summary

This role will provide an estimated 50% (LoE) on LEARN II and Ejo 2, respectively, to support monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) for achieving breakthrough solutions in bringing immediate and lasting changes in the lives of children. The post holder will work to facilitate the quality implementation of the Food for Education program according to the project’s design using a measurable results framework. They will conduct regular data collection activities and assist the Senior MEAL Officer in the day-to-day MEAL activities.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY & VISION

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.
• Provide support to the Senior MEAL Officer in establishing and setting up the MEAL systems.
• Support the Senior MEAL Officer to develop a monthly work plan based on LEARN II and Ejo II annual plan.

DATA COLLECTION, VALIDATION, ANALYSIS & REPORTING

• Collect data on the progress of each activity being implemented on the LEARN II program and Ejo projects and enter the information into the database platform to measure indicators.
• Properly document results of post distribution monitoring interviews and immediately report directly to the Senior MEAL Officer if there are irregularities identified.
• Assist in analyzing and compiling data to measure the progress and impact of projects’ activities.
• Provide day-to-day verifying data quality and ensure all data is input into the database platform and analyzed with rigor.
• Undertake regular and quarterly field visits to the field throughout the project, as needed to support data collection or verify data quality.
• Report on findings from all field visits through appropriate channels.
• Contribute to the documentation of program events such as meetings, events, and workshops.
• Collect success stories in the field.

ACCOUNTABILITY

• Support the MEAL Team in documenting all complaints or feedback received as a part of monitoring duties and ensure followed up on in a timely manner.
• Work with Senior MEAL Officer/Accountability Focal Point to distribute all LEARN II and Ejo II CRM materials.
• Work with the Accountability Focal Person at each school to establish a school and Community Based Accountability Committee (SCAC) in line with Accountability Action Plan and SCAC ToR on the LEARN II program and Ejo II project.
• Serve as a focal point for the School and Community Based Accountability Committee.
• Work with the SCAC to raise awareness of CRM Activities in line with the SCAC Term of Reference.
• Work with the Senior MEAL Officer to conduct quarterly FGD with students, FMC, and PTAs on CRM
• Work with SCAC to regularly collect feedback from feedback boxes at the school level.
• Work with AFP to provide responses to beneficiaries only for non-sensitive feedback or complaints.

COACHING AND MENTORING

• To improve data quality at LEARN II and Ejo II Supported schools, the MEAL Assistant will develop coaching and mentoring plans for all schools.
• Conduct regular coaching and mentoring sessions with school authorities at LEARN II and Ejo II supported schools.
• Produce post-coaching and mentoring reports to show improvement.
• Conduct supportive supervision for mentees as a way of continually supporting his/her mentees.
• Conduct experience-sharing meetings with school record keepers to share their experience with other schools.
• Provide evidence to LEARN management showing improvement in data quality at LEARN-supported schools.

CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICIES AND PRACTICES

• Liaise and work with community groups and schools to ensure accountability and the best use of project resources.
• Comply with the requirements of the Mercy Corps Protection Policy to ensure maximum protection for children,
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Roll out Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy and Procedures to stakeholders and beneficiaries during training and meetings.
• Comply with the requirements of Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy and Procedures to ensure maximum safety and protection for children during program work and other related actions in communities.
• Report all incidents or breaches of CSG policy and monthly updates.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles, and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps financial transaction and programming regulations.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

SECURITY

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs, and MC’s policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

Supervisory Responsibility

N/A

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior MEAL Officer

Works Directly with Roving MEAL Officer, Lead Mobilizer, ESHN Mobilizers, Partner Staff (MEAL Manager and other relevant staff), Admin/Finance Officer, and Logistics Officer

Behaviors (Values and Practices)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, and achieving and role modeling Mercy Corps values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance, and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
• Support the role and implementation of MC CARM policy and procedures in communities of intervention, while also highlighting the same at training and other functions where applicable.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for himself/herself and the team, take responsibility for personal development, and encourage the team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Mercy Corps and engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships with their team, colleagues, Members, and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity and see it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honesty encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates the highest levels of integrity. Knowledge and Experience
• Associate degree or its equivalent preferably with science subjects.
• Minimum of 1-2 years’ experience in MEAL-related work.
• Proficiency in Word and Excel
• Previous experience in planning, collecting, entering, analyzing, and managing data.
• Fluency in English.

Success Factors

The MEAL Assistant should have a keen attention to detail and be able to support the MEAL Officer to manage MEAL aspects. They should be able to work independently in a challenging and remote work setting, using creative problem-solving to get the job done. They should be able to work with a diverse team, be approachable and supportive and be willing to implement new ideas and creative solutions.