MEAL Officer

The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies is seeking a full-time MEAL Officer.

The MEAL Officer is expected to work in close coordination with and support Project teams in MEAL-related tasks, including but not limited to the design and creating of tools for monitoring, data collection, data analysis, and report writing.

S/he will monitor the progress of ongoing projects against key performance indicators to ensure Projects are on track towards achieving the planned results and reaching the desired impact. S/he will also provide MEAL support for partners working with the Sana’a Center.

The MEAL Officer will lead quarterly Lessons Learned Exercises for the projects and liaising with external evaluators and third parties.

We are a dynamic, highly mobile, multilingual team with diverse backgrounds and expertise. Our main office is in Yemen, while most of our team works remotely from locations across the country, around the Middle East, and in Western capitals. Among our core strengths are our versatility, access, networks, and audacity. We seek new team members who would complement this dynamic.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• The MEAL Officer is required to perform duties and undertake responsibilities as follows:
  1. MEAL system development: This will include leading on developing standard monitoring and reporting procedures, methodologies, and tools (including procedures, methodologies and tools for quarterly learning exercises, collecting monitoring data and developing a database, collecting feedback from beneficiaries/participants on activities and events, outcome harvesting, reporting, field monitoring); constantly reviewing the procedures, methodologies, and tools based on practical experience of Project Teams and refining and updating them.
  2. Monitoring ongoing projects: This will involve implementing the MEAL system to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability in implementation and include the following:
     • Developing and updating M&E trackers for all ongoing projects.
     • Supporting development of project work plans.
     • Providing support to project teams and partners to build understanding on the goals, objectives, and indicators of the project, to monitor implementation and track progress.
     • Conducting monthly progress tracking meetings with project teams.
     • Ensuring timely collection of monthly monitoring data and field reports.
     • Undertaking field visits to spot check progress in implementation, including visits to partners.
     • Regularly collecting feedback from beneficiaries of projects and assessing the satisfaction level of beneficiaries and stakeholders.
     • Identifying and flagging any issues to be addressed in a timely manner and recommending corrective actions.
     • Preparing quarterly monitoring reports.
     • Lead/Coordinate/Facilitate project internal baselines, mid-term reviews, and annual/end-term/post- evaluations.
     • Developing and maintaining an updated database on projects.
     • Supporting project teams and partners to identify and document project success stories.
  3. Contributing to Project Design and Development: This will involve: Supporting project development by ensuring that lessons learned and recommendations from previous projects/phases and project evaluations are properly utilized when developing new projects/phases; Actively participating in MEAL planning during project development (including contributing to developing monitoring plans, log frames and theory of change, conducting any needs assessment exercises for justifying the project, etc.).
  4. Contributing to organizational learning: This will include coaching and supporting Project Teams and Sana’a Center staff on MEAL; Building capacity and supporting monitoring focal points of partners in MEAL; Organising regular Lessons Learned Exercises/workshops/focus group discussions for projects and the Sana’a Center teams.
• The MEAL Officer shall perform other duties as assigned by line manager.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Master’s Degree in Social Sciences, Economics, or other fields (preferred)
• At least 3 years of monitoring and evaluation experience
• Ability to lead teams
• Innovation – ability to come up with new ideas and make them work
• Delivery – getting things done
• Communication – ability to listen and communicate with others and improve performance
• Strong computer (Word, Excel, PPT, Google Documents) and internet skills
• Strong Arabic and English language skills.
• Sound knowledge about concepts and tools related to MEAL
• Strong background on Yemen

Position Details:

• Reports to: Grants and Partnership Manager
• Contract type: Fixed-term
• Duration: 12-months, renewable based on the availability of funds
• Starting salary: To be determined based on experience
• Location: Remote
• Joining date: As soon as possible

The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies

Founded in 2014, the Sana’a Center is one of the few independent research centers that has continued to operate in Yemen throughout the ongoing conflict. While the Center maintains cordial relations with all key stakeholders, it has remained fiercely unaligned with any of the belligerent parties. The Sana’a Center has thus maintained a unique position and the ability to work throughout Yemen and beyond.

The Center maintains a strong network across Yemen with access to key political, military and security figures, tribal leaders, the financial sector, economists, journalists, humanitarian actors, civil society, and other important stakeholders. The Center has also established a broad network and presence within the international community, connecting it to international organizations, diplomatic circles, regional and international policymakers, research centers and global forums.

The Sana’a Center’s reports and researchers are widely quoted in local, regional, and international media outlets, while the analysis of the Center’s experts is regularly sought out by local and international stakeholders.