MEAL Advisor

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a MEAL Advisorto join our global team.

Team and Job Purpose

To enhance the culture of quality and impact across Country Offices by ensuring that the right technical expertise is available at the right place and time. Our purpose is to drive an evidence and accountability agenda and embedding learning throughout our programming and operations. We aim to support the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) function through capacity strengthening, PRIME, and global indicator roll-out, while leading programme incident management, risk escalation, and reporting to uphold our commitment to excellence and accountability.

Role purpose

To drive and enhance the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) capabilities within Save the Children's country offices, ensuring the delivery of high-quality data and evidence to support strategic decision-making and programme effectiveness while fostering an environment of accountability and continuous learning within a diverse and inclusive team context.

Job Title: MEAL Advisor

Reports To: Lead, MEAL

Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available 

Contract Length: Permanent

Grade: P3

Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers 

Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): Any Asia Time zone

Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment.

Language Requirements: English (additional language of French, Spanish or Arabic preferred)

International Travel Requirements: Yes, up to 40%

Principal Accountabilities

• Provide the first line of support to country teams on monitoring and accountability, including support or signposting on relevant SC MEAL procedures and standards, indicator choice/ logframe development, use of digital tools for data collection and analysis, maintaining IPTTs for effective project management, and on related work with partners.
• Act as focal point for country teams on data and evidence, including on new initiatives, emerging needs, challenges and opportunities.
• Develop MEAL master-budget and work with awards management, fundraising and technical teams to ensure MEAL activities and costs are adequately covered and Lead the development of response-level MEAL strategy, frameworks and systems and ensure roll out of core SCI.
• Support response staff to manage monitoring and evaluation of programme/project activities as agreed in MEAL frameworks or plans. Capacity build technical field staff in carrying out the work and ensure participatory and child-friendly approaches adopted wherever possible;
• Provide support to country SMTs and Operations teams on effective approaches to using quality data and evidence in routine management and learning.
• Quality assure monitoring and accountability data and evidence used for global reporting and insights (including relevant Program KPIs, ‘Projects on Track’ and Strategy Monitoring)~Identify, develop and/ or deliver capacity-strengthening initiatives to ensure MEAL/ REALM staff in country offices and our partners have the necessary competencies to generate and analyse quality monitoring and accountability data and evidence, use appropriate digital solutions in support of this.
• Provide technical support to country offices to generate and use reliable monitoring mechanism through Quality Benchmarks (QBs) and feedback from children and communities as part of broader work on Accountability to Children and Communities with colleagues focused on Child Participation and Child Rights programming.
• Support the development of the response Master Logframe to support proposal logframes, MEAL frameworks, plans and budgets.
• Help position SC as a thought leader by supporting development and delivery of written and oral communications in key internal and external forums, by self and other SC leaders. Serve as a credible, influential voice on technical and policy issues, ensuring alignment with other thematic areas, and positioning Save the Children as a leader in the sector.

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Experience in leading teams in monitoring, accountability and evidence collection and analysis, and delivering to a high standard.
2. Strong experience of providing effective technical support in development and humanitarian setting to others, and of influencing effective practice in staff who you do not line manage
3. Proven track record in putting quality data and evidence from monitoring and accountability to use for continuous improvement in programming and understanding of reporting and compliance uses of data.
4. Understanding of external thinking and debates about approaches to generating and using data and evidence to drive impact.
5. Good understanding of child rights programming.
6. Track record of leading or delivering capacity-strengthening initiatives.
7. Strong knowledge of digital tools for monitoring and accountability and ability to interface effectively with IT/ digital specialists.
8. Excellent interpersonal skills for engaging with technical, non-technical and leadership staff.
9. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and ability to ensure messages and communication channels are adapted to different audience/ user needs

Education and Qualifications 

Essential

• A post-graduate degree in degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, International Development, Statistics, Public Health or a related field is essential. 
• Consideration for a combination of relevant academic qualifications and substantial work experience is also possible.

Desirable

• Professional training or certification of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Results-Based Management, or Project Management or related areas would be beneficial. Desirable

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000staff.We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential.Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our recruitment process:

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse.All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.