MEAL Manager (national position) in CARE

Location: Ukraine – Kyiv with regular deployments to Dnipro and Odesa 

Duration: 12 months renewable  

Conditions: 

• Employment contract.
• The salary range for this position is between €3,432.00 and €4,264.00, and will vary based on the candidate's level of experience and skills. 
• Risk allowance (€200/month).
• Moving allowance of € 600.
• Medical insurance and psycho-social support. 
• Annual leave of 28 days per calendar year.

Starting date: As Soon As Possible 

Starting date: August 2024 

CARE INTERNATIONAL

CARE International (CI) is among the world’s largest international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development confederations. Drawing on more than 75 years of experience, through its 21 Members, as both a practitioner and thought leader, CI’s work reaches over 100 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice; where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE focuses heavily on women and girls, and the areas of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty and social injustice until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We recognize that power relations between people and within systems and structures are unequal and that these are entrenched in our broader systems, structures, and institutions.

At the core of the CI Confederation is a globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to its members in areas including governance, strategic planning, communications, membership development and accountability, advocacy, humanitarian response, and program development. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CI Confederation at the United Nations and the European Union, and with other external stakeholders.

CONTEXT IN UKRAINE 

On 24th February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine marked a significant escalation to the conflict that started in 2014. It continues to profoundly impact the lives of people across the country at various levels. The front line is continuously shifting and there are areas under Russian military control, as well as cities under siege. Attacks on military installations and critical civilian infrastructures are conducted in the whole territory of Ukraine, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties. The conflict hascaused the largest population movement in Europe since World War II, with over 5 million currently displaced within Ukraine and 6 million refugees across Europe. OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) had counted 17.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

At least one-third of the country’s energy infrastructure is damaged, leaving millions without heating and access to water. In October 2022, the Russian Federation claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, further increasing the challenge of access to these areas. Therefore, an ongoing priority for the international humanitarian response is to reach newly accessible areas in the East and South, and to provide aid to previously unreachable and particularly hard-hit areas of Ukraine.

CARE UKRAINE

CARE prioritizes a locally led response and is partnering primarily with Civil-Society Organizations (CSOs), National NGOs (Non-Government Organization), local authorities, and when needed, INGOs (International Non-Governmental Organizations) with a longstanding presence in the country and access to hard-to-reach areas. CARE Ukraine deliberately and strategically prioritizes partnerships with local and national Women Led and Women Rights organizations (WLO’s/ WRO’s), further strengthening the Gender in Emergencies (GiE) principle and the Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) approach.

In the first few weeks after the escalation of the war, virtually all humanitarian aid inside Ukraine was organized and implemented by local actors. These groups (together with local authorities) remain the principal aid providers but are quickly being exhausted of funds, fuel, and physical energy. Thereby, a considerable proportion of CARE’s resources is dedicated to strengthening and supporting the capacities of local partners.

As of October 2023, CARE Ukraine has established partnerships with over twenty local/national organizations (incl. WLO’s/WRO’s). From the more than 45 million that have been raised for Ukraine thus far, more than half is allocated to local/national partners. Through the activities that have been implemented so far, CARE Ukraine has been able to reach more than 800,000 people, including IDPs and affected populations in hard-to-reach areas.

While CARE Ukraine’s country office is currently located in Lviv, we also have a coordination office in Kyiv as well as area offices in Dnipro and Odesa, covering both the East and South of the country.

Role Objectives

 The main purpose of the role is to lead in managing a solid MEAL system for the operation to enhance the quality and accountability of the humanitarian interventions implemented by CARE and its partners, ensuring that programmatic strategies are addressing unequal power relations. 

The role requires the expertise of a MEAL specialist with managerial experience who can lead the MEAL Unit and line manage a large MEAL Team. The MEAL Unit is positioned under the Program Quality Department and the workload can be high with conflicting deadlines. We are looking for a passionate MEAL Manager, who is committed to good MEAL standards and has the drive to support partners improve their own monitoring capacity. 

The MEAL Unit’s purpose is to manage the complex breadth and depth of data and information arising from partners, direct beneficiaries and CARE project staff.  Ultimately, The MEAL Unit assists senior management in demonstrating the progress of results and effectiveness from various donor-funded grants, as well as to facilitate a process whereby lessons are learned from the operation as a whole. CARE projects are sector-based, complex and operating in an unpredictable, emergency setting comprised of protracted and acute/ rapid response  

Due to the locally led nature of CARE humanitarian response in Ukraine, the role includes a strong focus on building the capacities of implementing partners while recognizing their extensive knowledge and experience on the local context.  

The MEAL Manager is working under the supervision of the DCD Program. S/he manages the entire MEAL unit with direct reporting from the IM Coordinator and Accountability Officer(s).S/he will provide technical support to the MEAL staff (coordinator and officer) in the two Area Offices in Dnipro and Odesa.  

Role Responsibilities: 

1. MEAL Systems and Processes 

• Management of the implementation of the Global MEAL Framework for CARE Ukraine in line with the 2024-2025 Country Strategy providing specific attention to gender and women’s empowerment impact measurement indicators, systems and processes and ensure alignments of the MEAL frameworks per projects
• Develop, implement and update the MEAL, Information Management and Reporting SOP per sectors and with gender mainstreaming in coordination with the technical program managers and with the implementing partners and in line with clusters, donors and CARE International requirements. 
• Foster relationships and engage with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including CARE International members, CARE Emergency Group, advocacy colleagues, technical counterparts in other organisation, donors, UN clusters etc. 
• Contribute to high-quality project design and proposal writing reflecting on lessons learned from current and past programs and providing strategic direction for the design of MEAL frameworks, plans and budget. 
• Supervise and update the quarterly MEAL work plan ensuing its linkages with partnership and gender annual work plans as well as project work plans.  

1. MEAL Tools and Activities 

• Coordinate with finance and operations staff to ensure appropriate project budgeting and efficient use and stewardship of project material sources.
• Ensure timely execution and organization of project kick-off and close-out and providesupport to ensure quality during implementation throughout the project cycles with the support of the MEAL Coordinators
• Review the MEAL Toolkits developed by the MEAL Coordinators and the IM Coordinator to ensure they comply with CARE International and donors’ requirements and ensuring that adequate gender and power analysis has taken place 
• Work with the IM coordinator to improve the data management system by revision of data flow, double counting adjustment, revision of databases, review of modality of reporting, review of IT solution etc
• Lead and/or manage the consultants or Third Party Monitoring (TPM) for the different studies, evaluations, and research at country level that are designed to be implemented externally and internally (such as annual Rapid Gender Analysis, Real Time Reviews, etc) ensuring that evaluations pay particular attention to gender and women’s empowerment and the potential negative consequences of CARE’s action  

1. Reporting

• Review MEAL inputs for interim and final donors reporting reviewing all incoming MEAL data from staff, third party monitoring (TPM) and partners
• Participate in regular progress review meetings organised by grant managers for all active projects to provide updates about MEAL activities and progress
• Lead the annual CI PIIRS reporting cycle for the entire Country Office and act as PIIRS focal point for the MEAL unit
• Support the MEAL Team to produce information on Key Performances Indicators (KPIs) at CO level in accessible formats for different stakeholders internally and externally 

1. Accountability and Learning

• Promote accountability, learning and knowledge management as part of the implementation of the MEAL framework.
• Contribute to creating and maintaining the proper conditions for documentation of learning opportunities and best practices. Help establish a safe environment for the sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies.
• Establish and maintain a system of project review in collaboration with project managers, implementing partners and the MEAL Team 
• Work with the Accountability officer(s) and partners to set up, implement and monitor suitable feedback and accountability mechanisms for the entire humanitarian responses implemented by partners and by CARE directly
• Act as a whistle-blower to raise concerns about program implementation with SMT

1. Capacity Building and Management

• Coordinate technical assistance and capacity strengthening for MEAL teams and partners in project management standards and related MEAL activities. Help identify training opportunities, develop training schedules and deliver trainings where possible.
• Provide leadership and manage the MEAL team by providing sufficient support and guidance for the team members to achieve their tasks/objectives in the best quality possible while ensuring an open and engaging environment focused on supportive supervision, constructive feedback, recognition of effort and respect of work/life balance
• Manage and facilitate external consultancy services (evaluation, needs assessment, third party monitoring) 

Requirements 

Mandatory criteria for longlisting

• University degree or/and Master’s degree in social sciences, development, program evaluation, data science, economic policy, econometrics and operations research, or a related field
• Minimum 4-5 years of solid experience working in MEAL for NGOs in the humanitarian or development sectors
• Strong written and oral English and Ukrainian skills
• Demonstrated ability to conduct rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis using appropriate analytical methods; design and implement quantitative and qualitative rapid appraisals, etc.
• Extensive experience in database management, quantitative software applications and qualitative methods 
• Demonstrated knowledge of institutional donors and their MEAL requirements (BHA, GAC, ECHO, etc…)
• Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands-on implementation capacity
• Strong ability and interest to working with local partners and building their capacities
• Experience in team management
• Experience of representation and ability to represent CARE effectively in external forums

Expected

• Proven experience with practical and impactful gender equality and women’s empowerment approaches to development and humanitarian action 
• Knowledge in management and dissemination of research findings.
• Strong skills in Excel and experience with Power BI or other data management and visualisation software
• Experience with Kobo Toolbox data collection tool 
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently, manage time and execute tasks
• Ability to work in fast changing environment and to multi-task and context-switch effectively between different activities and teams
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy

Accountability  

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability: 

• Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.

• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area. 

• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner. 

Safeguarding: 

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of our activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.  

Gender equality:

 CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices.  

How to Apply: 

Please send your complete application package (CV, motivation letter, references) only in English to [email protected], no later than 21st July , with MEAL Manager as the subject title of your email.  

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.   [email protected]

Please pay attention - this position is open only for national candidates.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. References will only be contacted after the interview.