MEAL Assistant - for Erer Somali region at International Rescue Committee

International Rescue Committee

Position: MEAL Assistant - for Erer Somali region

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Contract

Place of Work: Erer Somali region - Ethiopia

Posted date: 1 month ago

Deadline: Submition date is over

Background: -

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. The IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict, and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 and currently implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery, and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

The IRC has a focus on narrowing the gender gap in humanitarian aid and ensuring that we contribute to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in both our programs and operations by working to establish a context where our clients (including those from minority groups) enjoy the same rights and opportunities as well as equal access to services. The IRC also has a strong commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive culture, where safeguarding is upheld in our workplace and programs. We are determined to protect our clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, where misconduct is alleged, to address it without fear or favor.

Job Overview:

The MEAL Assistant is part of the MEAL department and will work closely with the field-based MEAL Officer/Manager and CRA Officer based in Addis Ababa. The MEAL Assistant will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of robust client feedback channels at their respective locations. These may include the design and administration of surveys, focus group discussions, and proactive and reactive feedback mechanisms. The MEAL Assistant will be responsible for aggregating client feedback, identifying key themes and challenges or opportunities to respond to, and presenting these to the management team for a decision on how to respond. The MEAL Assistant will also be responsible for recording and monitoring feedback, and for ensuring that the loop is closed, and clients are informed of decisions taken.

Major Responsibilities:

Feedback Planning and Implementation:

• Collect client feedback through various channels that IRC installs including community meetings, surveys, discussions, phone lines, suggestion boxes, and SMS among others.
• Regularly update the Excel-based Feedback Registry daily and raise cases including breaches of the IRC code of conduct, allegations of child abuse or sexual exploitation, and other major programmatic complaints.
• Receive, record, and classify complaints for attention by the MEAL Officer and refer to the respective sectors.
• Collect responses from the program staff on the feedback and communicate back to the client.
• Facilitate the preparation of CRA logistics before field visits e.g. paper-based data collection tools, promotional materials, etc.
•  Ensure accurate and confidential filing of CRA reporting forms such as client feedback forms, Feedback Registry, surveys, interviews, minutes from community meetings, reports, and datasets among others.
• Generate reports on the implementation and use of feedback channels, per sector, including limitations and challenges.
• Facilitate the establishment of a feasible feedback channel and routine follow-up for its functionality.

Feedback Monitoring, Reporting, and Response:

• Aggregate and disaggregate client feedback (according to gender, age, status, sector, risk level, and other client-appropriate disaggregation).
• Present statistics on feedback received and feedback content in clear formats to highlight feedback trends to the program team, as well as synthesize qualitative feedback in ways that provide the detail that the program team will need to design an appropriate response.
• Analyze key themes, challenges, and opportunities for program improvement.

Project/program progress Monitoring &Reporting:

• Provide support to the MEAL Officer/Manager to conduct ongoing monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Assist program implementation progress data aggregate and disaggregate to update client tracker & ITT.

Safeguarding Responsibilities: -

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion, and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue, and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies.

Qualifications

Job Requirements:

Educational Requirements:

• BA degree or Diploma/Level IV in social science and other relevant field of studies

Work Qualification:

•  1–2-year MEAL specific work experience for BA Degree and 3 years MEAL specific work experience for Diploma holders
• Analyze and communicate data in a way that facilitates effective decision making.
• Proactively engage with clients and community members, acting as a community liaison focal point
• Driven and able to balance multiple tasks, commitments, and to work flexibly in a team.
• Creativity, curiosity and enthusiasm, and the ability to develop and test new ways of working and solutions to problems
• Strong oral and written communications in local language and Amharic is required.

Desired experience & skills:

• Working experience with refugees and/or IDPs, and an understanding of the feedback channels preferred by displaced people.
• Experience in implementing feedback channels. These may include surveys, FGD, hot lines, suggestions boxes, open feedback etc.
• Written and verbal communication in English is an added advantage.
• Passionate about humanitarian work and assistance.

Language Skills:

• Proficient in English writing and speaking skills and the ability to speak the local language is advantageous.

Certificates or Licenses:

IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.