Ukraine Crisis Response (UCR) - MEAL Manager in Bucuresti

With over 70 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.Come join our 34,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!Employee Contract Type:International Assignment - Fixed Term (Fixed Term)Job Description:Possible position locations: Romania, Ukraine, MoldovaApplication Deadline: We will be accepting applications until the right candidate is found.Since the conflict in Ukraine started, our teams have been on the ground assessing and responding to the urgent needs of those searching for safety. We are currently scaling up our multi-country response across three countries (Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine) and are recruiting for many key positions that will make a direct impact on the lives of people who have been caught up in conflict.HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN:As the MEAL Manager, you will ensure that programs/projects meet World Vision’s quality standards for monitoring, accountability, evaluation and learning across the Ukraine Crisis Response (Romania, Moldova, Ukraine).You will oversee the systematic collection and analysis of objectively verifiable evidence to monitor the Response’s progress in meeting objectives of the Ukraine Crisis Response strategic plan. You will ensure setup of functional M&E systems, humanitarian accountability mechanisms and quality assurance mechanisms with required protocols and guidelines. You will also lead the quality reviews of MEAL processes and products and provide timely feedback to key stakeholders.MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIESTechnical Leadership and Systems DevelopmentEnsure that the Ukraine Crisis response has M&E plans & measurement processes established, with clearly outlines KPI’s and methodologies.Establish and maintain (up to date) response level assessments and context assessments as needed.Take leadership of the overall MEAL system and ensure synergy between the different M&E, humanitarian accountability & learning processes.Ensure that the overall MEAL system is developed based on local capacity, cost-effective approaches and sustainable processes.Monitoring Implementation and ReportingEnsure all approved projects have M&E and Humanitarian accountability processes that are aligned to the response level MEAL System and meet the required standards.Ensure WV’s frontline and technical staff are equipped with knowledge, tools and resources to support MEAL functions Ensure monitoring processes are systemized, in ways that meet donor requirements, are cost-effective, avoid duplicative processes and less beneficiary fatigue. Ensure partner & direct implementation is monitored on a regular basis for quality standards, and humanitarian principles through schedule visits, spot check /verification visits against reports, and reports reviews (as per agreed schedule with donors and partners).Ensure the effective functioning of the MEAL system and that the outputs of this system reach response management and other stakeholders accurately and in a timely manner, and prompt critical thinking and influences program & strategic direction.Ensure MEAL findings are presented at the program review meetings on a regular basis and prompt critical thinking at project management & senior management level.Develop and oversee a Response Monitoring Dashboard that will integrate critical indicators for Response StrategyHelp identify and design innovative practices to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness in M&E and Humanitarian accountability.Ensure all MEAL related data, reports, and records are clearly organized archived in a central location for future referenceProject Closeout, Evaluations & LearningEnsure a learning culture is established within the response and among implementing partners in order to document learnings and best practices for ongoing and future programming.Ensure all response level & thematic research are reviewed for the methodological thoroughness, and output quality.Lead and coordinate program level Evaluations on a periodic basis, (should be100% funded by grants).Ensure appropriate dissemination of project and program level Evaluation findings.Humanitarian AccountabilityEnsure the humanitarian accountability system across the multi-country response uphold and mainstream the four pillars of PAF: i. information sharing, ii. Consultation, iii. Participation & iv. Complaints and response of affected people.Always ensure World Vision and Core Humanitarian principles are upheld in all aspects of the MEAL functions and general project management.Ensure beneficiaries and partners have constant access to information about WV’s programs and to channels that can process complaints & feedback with confidentiality & respond appropriately within predefined standards.Management, Capacity Building and CoordinationEnsure all M&E staff supervised by this position are guided, mentored and their capacities built in order to deliver high quality outputs.Support the MEAL team members and the WV management team in prompting critical thinking.Ensure that plans are in place and intentional efforts are made to establish capable and committed national staff based teamsEnsure partner capacity is built to comply and produce high quality M&E products in-line with WV & donor standards & requirements.Ensure management of day-to-day M&E tasks are completed with appropriate resources, proper planning and to the highest standard required. Ensure the MEAL unit (staff & functions) are sufficiently funded to operate effectively.Sign off on all Surveys (Impact assessment, Post implementation monitoring studies, baselines, evaluations) for sharing within and outside the organization.Ensure WV is well represented in MEAL related working groups and forums as relevant.Support other tasks as required by Response ManagementREQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONSBachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences/Development Management/International Development/Statistics or relevant field.Minimum of 5 years in Monitoring and Evaluation especially in emergency context and grant funded projects is critical.Proven experience in establishing a fully functional MEAL system for an organization that’s supported by bilateral & multilateral international donors. Priority given to those with experience in multi-country response settings.Proven experience in leading large-scale data collection activities (mix methodologies) from designing to report writing.Proven experience in local staff capacity buildingProven experience in establishing MEAL systems for sub grantees and local partners.Experience in coordinating MEAL functions at a national level for an INGO covering some of the following sectors / thematic areas is critical: Health, Cash, Food, WASH, shelter, Education, Child protection and livelihoods.Thorough knowledge in quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, and analysis is essential, especially the use of SPSS or excel for quantitative analysis.Thorough knowledge of writing technical MEAL reports is essential.Thorough knowledge of Sphere, Core Humanitarian Standards, child rights, human rights, DNH, DAC evaluation criteria is essential.Thorough knowledge of the humanitarian operations coordination, cluster operations, and major donor M&E requirements is essential.Good understanding of database management and data structures is preferred.PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONSMaster’s degree in Social Sciences, International Development, International Relations or related field. (Preferred)Proficiency with statistical analysis using SPSS, SAS, Minitab or equivalent and database management preferred.Previous working experience with World Vision can be an advantageTRAVEL AND/OR WORK ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTThe position requires ability and willingness to travel internationally across the multi-country response, and domestically.The position will require travel to and work in intense contexts, including those with high volatility and deemed high security risks.This role involves the technical review and capacity building of field MEAL staffAbility to work long hours in off-site locationsLanguages: English; Ukrainian or Russian (highly advantageous); Romanian (advantageous)