Global Surge Team Roster: Emergency MEAL Coordinator

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

IRC’s Emergencies & Humanitarian Action Unit

The IRC’s Emergencies & Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) is responsible for IRC’s global emergency preparedness and response activities. The mission of the EHAU is to expand and improve IRC’s ability to help affected communities survive in acute emergencies and hard to reach contexts by investing in people, systems, and solutions to sophisticated humanitarian challenges. The EHAU team achieves this mission through ongoing thorough risk analysis, investing in capacity strengthening of frontline humanitarians, partnership with local actors, offering collaborative support and technical assistance to teams working in emergencies and hard to reach places, and deploying and supporting world class emergency response staff as they help people affected by acute crisis situations.

The IRC’s Global Surge Team (GST) is a roster of esteemed and highly qualified humanitarian professionals who deploy on short notice to non-emergency and emergency contexts to support the IRC’s mission. Members of the GST provide specialist support where talent is most needed for short-term deployments of up to three months. The GST is a flexible employment opportunity for staff, requiring members to be available for deployments only 50% of the year (with opportunities for additional deployments if incumbent is interested). Members of the GST that focus on emergency responses must be prepared to be deployed within 72 hours, as needs arise.

Job Overview/Summary
The Emergency Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator will deploy to provide leadership and management oversight to develop and achieve MEAL commitments. This position is responsible for ensuring that data and learning are applied towards continuous improvements in emergency response program quality and evidence-based program design through the completion of rapid multi-sector needs assessments, and the building and use of monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and data management systems. This position provides technical assistance, facilitates capacity sharing, and ensures ongoing mentoring and training in MEAL concepts for IRC and partner staff.

Responsibilities

Technical Oversight

Rapid Multi-sector Needs Assessments

• Lead multi-sector team in the design, implementation, analysis and reporting of rapid multi-sector needs assessments for new emergencies to ensure client voice in response design.

• Work with partnership team to ensure that needs assessments include analysis of local systems and capacities, and where relevant lay foundation for further partner scoping.

• Develop clear Assessment Plans, budget, tools and data collection schedules to ensure speedy and organized data collection.

• Ensure the effective set-up of tools for mobile data collection (Kobo, Commcare).

• Conduct daily data quality checks throughout data collection phase to address concerns along the way.

• Produce both qualitative and quantitative analysis of data in a format that allows for clear translation into an emergency response strategy/plan.

• Facilitate inclusion of IRC strategic partners and local stakeholders in the assessment process and strategy development workshop as relevant.

Monitoring and Client Responsiveness

• Provide MEAL technical assistance to program teams during the design and inception stages, including support with logframes, indicator selection and measurement methodologies, and the development of M&E plans and tools.

• Develop a MEAL budget and staffing structure for all projects that is responsive to planned activities and data requirements.

• Ensure the effective set-up and use of data platforms to ensure effective data collection, management and presentation.

• Provide technical leadership for the design and methodology, and implementation of surveys such as baseline and endline, and the commission of evaluations and surveys as required in coordination with program coordinators, technical advisors, and external partners.

• Lead the expansion of standard mobile data technology and online dashboards to enhance timeliness and quality of data collection, analysis, and visualization (specifically IRC’s Program Indicator Dashboard).

• Provide technical leadership to external accountability commitments through the implementation of sound accountability, client feedback, safeguarding, and response mechanisms based on regional standards and expectations.

• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.

• Support in the submission of data for quarterly HQ level Strategic Action Plan reporting.

Strategic Leadership

• Establish and drive common strategies and approaches to MEAL that reflect and contextualize the IRC and Emergency and Humanitarian Action Strategy.

• Develop, coordinate and strengthen capacity sharing partnerships with MEAL counterparts of partner agencies, local organizations, and government as required.

• Shape and implement MEAL systems and approaches that meet IRC standards and practices, are responsive to program needs, and enable accountability to clients, partners, and donors.

• Lead all aspects of MEAL functions across multiple sectors to ensure coordination and communication between sector leads for an effective and integrated emergency response

• Reinforce integration of cross-sectoral priorities in MEAL, including protection, safeguarding, disaster risk reduction, and Do No Harm.

• Champion an organizational culture where data is routinely used for evidence-based decision making and program adaptation.

• Represent and coordinate with other agencies, local governments, partners, donors and other stakeholders to promote delivery of best practice humanitarian assistance.

Staff Management and Development

• Support with recruitment to establish an efficient and responsive staffing structure for the MEAL team in new country emergencies, which considers a balanced workload and optimal ways of working to support a large multi-sector program.

• Supervise the MEAL team across multiple sectors and geographical areas, in new country responses. Champion a positive working environment for professional development and foster a respectful team climate.

• Coach, train, supervise, and mentor MEAL department staff. Promote the growth and development of the team. Assess proficiencies and develop and lead a targeted learning and training strategy.

• Provide a comprehensive handover to successor, including ensuring transfer of all related documentation, program monitoring data and staff performance information.

Key Working Relationships

Position reports to: EHAU MEAL Technical Advisor

Position directly supervises: n/a

Works closely with: EHAU’s Quality in Emergencies team, Regional Emergency Directors, Regional Measurement Advisors, country office team, sector and MEAL coordinators. The position equally works closely with grants and partnership coordinators as well as partner staff.

Qualifications

• Ability to commit to deployment within 72 hours of notification of assignment for up to 12 weeks

• A university degree in a relevant subject area (statistics, data management, social sciences, public health, economic development) or related experience.

• A minimum of 5 years of work experience within MEAL-related functions in humanitarian contexts including time spent on design and leadership of rapid multi-sector needs assessments in emergencies.

• Experience developing collaborative relationships with partner organizations to coordinate and/or support capacity strengthening around their MEAL activities.

• Experience leading data collection and analysis for multi-sector and multi-donor funded humanitarian programs.

• Excellent understanding of a range of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods required.

• Proficiency and experience with mobile data collection software such as Kobo, CommCare, and ODK Collect is essential, as well as proficiency with Microsoft Excel. Proficiency with SPSS, STATA, or other similar software desirable.

• Knowledge of Tableau, PowerBI, or GIS software are additional assets.

• Demonstrated ability to develop functional and user-friendly systems to utilize routine and survey data in program quality improvement and evidence-based decision-making.

• A strong understanding of accountability mechanisms and proven ability to build responsive client feedback systems is a distinct advantage.

• Leadership experience and demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge to varied audiences through training, mentoring and communication of findings.

• Excellent verbal and written data presentation and reporting skills. Able to interpret data and communicate complex analysis to external audiences in a concise and easy to understand manner.

• Fluency in written & spoken Arabic and English required.

Competencies

• Strong communication skills in a wide range of settings and comfortable working as part of a team. Sensitive to interpersonal differences and a range of viewpoints.

• Excellent advance planning and organizational skills. Able to effectively prioritize and follow multiple activities simultaneously.

• Analytical, strategic, and eager to develop solutions to sophisticated challenges.

• Flexible and innovative. Able to adapt plans and pivot approaches in response to changes in context.

• Proactive, reliable, and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

**Standard of Professional Conduct:**The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

How to apply

https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/job/req58236/Global-Surge-Team-Roster-Emergency-MEAL-Coordinator