Uganda MEAL Program Manager (Head of Department) Non-profit Jobs – Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Organization: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
Reports to: Head of Programs
About US:
Catholic
Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-profit organization which implements
the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and
vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and
operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all
faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to
serving those in need.
Job Summary: The Uganda MEAL Program Manager (Head of
Department) will serve as the Head of the MEAL Department in the Uganda country
program (CP), coordinate communication on MEAL/Information Communication,
Technology, for Development (ICT4D) across the CP, liaise with external
MEAL/ICT4D actors, facilitate capacity building opportunities for CP staff on
MEAL and the integration of ICT4D solutions to support real-time information management
of quality data and play a key role in the hiring of new department staff and
other department related human resources issues. The MEAL Program Manager will
also support new project design efforts, operationalize MEAL plans and provide
additional ad hoc support as requested by specific programs. The MEAL Program
Manager supports program design workshops to elaborate measurable results
frameworks and designs program specific MEAL plans and MEAL budgets based on
the results framework. The purpose of this position is to coordinate the
country program’s efforts in MEAL and ICT4D, while strengthening CRS Uganda’s
MEAL capacity throughout the country program, and to ensure systematic systems
for each project that feed into a country MEAL system. The MEAL Program Manager
will be responsible for providing guidance, leadership and technical support in
strengthening the management information systems that facilitate accurate
analysis of program performance and impact. S/he will work to improve CRS
Uganda programs quality in utilizing project MEAL tools and standards. S/he
will support the strengthening of CRS Uganda staff, and indirectly partner
staff, capacity in utilizing project MEAL tools and methodologies. S/he will
keep abreast of MEAL approaches to ensure the use of technically appropriate
monitoring and evaluation models and information systems.
Key Duties and Responsibilities: 
MEAL coordination across
the country program
  • Lead the development and coordination of the
    MEAL Department in Uganda
  • Provide guidance to CRS staff in the design
    and enhancement of MEAL tools, protocols, surveys and evaluation
    instruments to strengthen quality data collection, analysis and reporting
    on projects indicators in adherence to CRS MEAL policies and procedures.
  • Actively contribute to the recruitment
    process through participation in job description development,
    short-listing candidates, interviews and the development of written tests
    for all new MEAL department staff to ensure effective integration of MEAL
    competencies.
  • Coordinate the integration of ICT4D in MEAL
    activities to optimize programmatic efficiency and effectiveness through
    data collection and management, and to take advantage of complementary
    efficiencies gained in program implementation.
MEAL/ICT4D in project
design
  • Coordinate timely needs assessments and
    provide technical oversight to map needs and opportunities in project
    design.
  • Design project-level Theories of Change
    (TOC), Results Frameworks, Program Frameworks (ProFrame) and MEAL
    narratives and budgets for proposals, involving partners.
  • Support CRS project teams and partners in the
    development of DIPs and MEAL components (IPTT, PMP) in alignment with CRS
    MEAL policies and procedures and donor requirements.
  • Collaborate with program managers and
    partners to identify their MEAL related needs and allocate resources
    accordingly.
  • Adapts MEAL principles, approaches, systems
    and tools in emergency contexts to ensure timely data for project
    decision-making and demonstrating project attainment of objectives.
Supporting program
monitoring and evaluation
  • Oversees the design and implement monitoring
    systems according as per CRS MEAL policies and procedures and donor MEAL
    requirements.
  • Promote the effective use of CRS program
    quality (PQ) tools and manuals.
  • Provide support to MEAL staff to develop and
    maintain a MEAL operating manual for each project to facilitate timely
    evidence-based analysis and reporting on project data to feed into
    management decisions to support adaptive management strategies.
  • Ensure the collection and reporting on
    standard indicators for the regional strategy, as well as common
    indicators for each of the Country Programs’ (CP) sectoral strategies.
  • Develop terms of reference (TOR) for studies
    and scope of work (SOW) for consultants to conduct external special
    studies, reviews and project evaluations, review evaluation tools and
    methodology and ensure the necessary level of technical rigor as per donor
    and MEAL policies and Procedures.
  • Secures human resources for evaluations based
    on profile descriptions, including external consultancies, to support
    quality evaluation and review events as per donor requirements and MEAL
    policies and procedures.
  • Coordinates administrative and logistical
    processes of evaluations and reviews.
  • Support CRS Uganda staff in writing and
    reviewing quality, evidence-based MEAL reports.
  • Ensure quality management (and archiving) of
    evaluation data.
  • Ensure the conduct and implementation of
    periodic data quality assessments
Fostering an environment
of learning and accountability
  • Supports the CRS Uganda programming team in
    development and implementation of country program learning agenda
  • Lead PQ learning reflections for staff
    throughout the CP as needs identified and based on project evaluations and
    special studies as outlined by project MEAL plans.
  • Promote and support regular review of project
    progress via Learning to Action Discussions (LADs) and stand-alone
    learning reflections.
  • Support CRS Uganda in its institutional
    learning through the development of effective learning systems and processes.
  • Support CRS Uganda in development and
    implementation of knowledge management systems
  • Guide CRS programming team to develop and
    implement comprehensive accountability mechanisms that ensure voices of
    beneficiary and other stakeholders are heard and integrated into
    programming.
  • Facilitate sharing of good practices and
    lessons learned within CRS at the CP, regional and agency levels
Supporting Agency
strategy in MEAL and ICT4D:
  • Manage the coordination of the CP MEAL
    department in alignment with emerging and changing agency priorities and
    the agency strategy.
  • Lead the CP to develop and operationalize its
    own MEAL and ICT4D strategies to meet CP needs.
  • Serve as the focal point for ICT4D at the CP
    to coordinate with GKIM on ICT4D integration in CP programming, in
    particular for MEAL initiatives.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
  • The ideal candidate for the CRS Uganda MEAL
    Program Manager (Head of Department)job placement should hold a Master’s
    degree in one of the following: international development, international
    affairs, public affairs or related field with an analytic focus (e.g.
    statistical and economic analysis)
  • At least ten years’ experience working in a
    development setting preferably with an international NGO, with at least
    five years of experience working in MEAL and at least two years of
    experience as a supervisor; ICT4D experience preferred
  • Proven ability to establish, maintain and use
    MEAL systems from project design to implementation (including work with
    results frameworks and theories of change) as well as building staff
    capacity to utilize systems.
  • Knowledge of program quality standards, MEAL
    standards, Catholic Social Teaching and the justice lens preferred
  • Previous experience in project design,
    project management and MEAL
  • Capacity to work closely, understand and
    support local Church partners
  • Familiarity with M&E policies, procedures
    and priorities of USAID, DFID, UN agencies and Caritas agencies preferred
  • Previous experience in staff development and
    partner capacity building required
  • Prior exposure and experience in designing
    and overseeing the implementation of program evaluations and the use of
    evaluation findings to support program managers with adaptive management
  • Detail-oriented and excellent time management
    skills
  • Ability to meet deadlines and deliver
    required results in a timely and quality manner.
  • Strong computer skills: Microsoft Suite
    (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Publisher), SPSS/STATA, ACCESS and
    Visual Basics
  • Native level English written and oral
    communication skills
  • Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff): Serves
    with Integrity, Models Stewardship, Cultivates Constructive Relationships,
    Promotes Learning
MEAL Competencies:
  • MEAL in Design: Developing project-level TOC,
    Results Frameworks, ProFrames, related MEAL system tools and components,
    and accompanying MEAL narratives.
  • Monitoring: Implementing monitoring activities,
    including timely collection of quality data, set up and maintenance of
    databases, facilitation of participatory reflection on monitoring results
    and submission of timely progress reports.
  • Evaluation: Supporting project and program
    evaluations and reviews by ensuring the quality of evaluation methods,
    tools, and data and facilitating the use of evaluation results to inform
    decision-making and enhance learning
  • Accountability: Improving our accountability to a
    range of stakeholders through increased participation, transparent
    communication, responsive feedback mechanisms and adherence to internal
    and external quality standards and requirements.
  • Learning: Promoting excellent knowledge
    management and collaborative learning processes at the project, program
    and institutional levels, generating robust evidence for project and
    programmatic learning that leads to action, decision-making and influence.
  • Analysis and Critical Thinking:
    Engaging with data, challenging biases and assumptions, posing thoughtful
    questions, pursuing deeper understanding of evidence through reflection
    and perspective-taking, and making informed programming decisions.
  • ICT for MEAL: Applying knowledge on information
    and communication technologies (ICT), both hardware and software, for
    opportune and accurate data collection, database management and conducting
    timely analysis.
Program Manager Competencies:
  • Sets clear goals and manages toward them
  • Collaborates effectively with staff and
    stakeholders
  • Manages financial resources with integrity
  • Applies program quality standards to project
    design and organizational learning
How to Apply:
All
suitably qualified and interested candidates are encouraged to send their cover
letters, CVs and three work references (names and contact information only) to
ug_recruitment@crs.org.
Deadline: 9th August 2016
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