Job Announcement

Technical Associate II (MEAL)

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion, or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of health, emergency, education, agriculture, and capacity strengthening of partners. In 2023, CRS implemented a portfolio of 18 malaria programs globally, in 15 countries (Africa and the Greater Mekong Region).

Catholic Relief Services has been working in Liberia since 1957 with a current programmatic focus targeting health, nutrition, peacebuilding, and agriculture.

Job Summary:

You will provide technical analysis and support in the area of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) in line with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to technical staff, and Country Program (CP) staff to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. Working closely with technical experts your skills and knowledge will contribute to determining how effective, adaptive, and innovative CRS’ MEAL programming is across the globe.

Title: Technical Associate II (MEAL)

Location: Monrovia

Type of Role: Fixed-Term Contract

Reports to: MEAL Coordinator

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Support compliance with agency and donor MEAL requirements.
• Trains MEAL Agents on the conduct of field-based MEAL activities
• Provide input to MEAL system design and review discussions.
• Supervises quality data collection and management activities.
• Contribute to analyses and reflective discussions on ongoing monitoring data.
• Contributes initial findings and field-based insights to project discussions.
• Fosters respectful relationships with community members and stakeholders.
• Promotes honesty and integrity in the work of MEAL Agents.
• Implements activities according to MEAL DIP.
• Work collaboratively with Program Managers and the CP MEAL Lead to research and analyze technical information from a variety of sources for technical problems to support CP teams in achieving technical excellence in ongoing programs/projects.
• Support the development of program/project documents and tools, as well as technical manuals or guidance, training materials, and quality improvement and assessment guidelines.
• Prepare presentations and coordinate project communication needs through writing and editing communication resources, such as case studies, brochures, briefs, peer-reviewed articles or reports, for both internal and external audiences.
• Coordinate and/or perform various activities in support of program/project design and implementation, including but not limited to needs assessment, strategic planning, program design and proposal writing, monitoring and evaluation, and technological solutions.
• Collect and disseminate MEAL-related information and resources to CRS staff and partners and assist with the organization, design and coordination of training workshops to support capacity building efforts. Identify new approaches and methods for online learning.
• Contribute to the learning agenda by researching and analyzing information, conducting literature reviews, mappings or information gathering from various internal and external sources on assigned topics. Coordinate maintenance of virtual resource and documentation databases.

Basic Qualifications

• Masters in international development, sociology, statistics, or any degree that includes quantitative and qualitative data analysis is strongly desired.
• Minimum of two to three years of relevant work experience with an international NGO, with at least one year of field-based programming experience in the area of MEAL.
• Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• General knowledge of technical principles and concepts in MEAL.
• Knowledge of program design requirements and regulations of major donors.
• Knowledge of project design and proposal development.
• Knowledge of the latest technological tools that have the potential to be applied in data collection and analysis.
• Strong English writing skills.

Required Languages – English. The ability to communicate in local dialects across the project communities is an added advantage.

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 15 % minimum to visit targeted communities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Good relationship management skills with the ability to work collaboratively as part of multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Strategic, analytical, problem-solving, and systems thinking capacity and skills.
• Good writing skills
• Strong data collection and research skills and ability to interpret and analyze data.
• Proactive, resourceful, and results oriented.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, knowledge-sharing networks

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and are used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually look for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

Supervisory Responsibilities: FeMEAL Interns (up to two per year)

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Senior Program Officers who oversee individual projects, Finance and Operational team members, Business Development Specialist for proposal development, and the Country Representative; Regional Technical Advisor for MEAL, and other HQ MEAL-related staff and other technical departments as needed.

External:Donors who have awards with CRS, such as USAID, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Irish Aid, etc., GoL partners, local and international partner organizations, etc.

Applications:

Please send a resume/CV to LR_HR@crs.org by July 24, 2024, with the subject line “Technical Advisor II (MEAL)”

No phone calls. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity; however, if you don’t hear from us after two months of the vacancy deadline, kindly note that your application was not successful.

CRS follows an equal opportunity policy and actively encourages diversity welcoming applications from all especially women and people living with a disability.

By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviours related to the above safeguarding-related topics.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people – especially children and vulnerable adults – to live free from abuse and harm.