Field Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager - MEL (Internal) - Azaz.

General Description of the Programme:

GOAL has been working in Syria since 2013, responding to the acute needs of conflict-affected communities. GOAL is working in Idleb Governate, both through direct implementation and through partners, delivering food, non-food programming to highly vulnerable populations, and provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) through support to Water units, as well as emergency support to recently displaced households.

GOAL has been working in North Aleppo Governate since 2019, through direct implementation and through partners, delivering food, non-food programming to highly vulnerable populations, as well as emergency support for recently displaced households.

 

Job purpose:

Leading the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) department and oversee the effective implementation of GOAL Syria’s MEL system to ensure that high-quality data is collected, analysed, reviewed, and utilised to inform improvements in programme implementation and design, as well as ensure timely reporting. The MEL department is divided into two teams, the MEL team for the internal monitoring of the activities implemented by GOAL and the partner monitoring team (PMT) for monitoring the activities implemented by GOAL’s partners.

The MEL Manager will be a strong advocate for quality and accountability in GOAL programmes and will build the capacity of programme staff and partners.

 

Duties, objectives and competencies

Team Management:

• Manage assigned MEL and PMT team leaders and oversee the performance of team members, including ensuring compliance with work regulations (including working hours) and other GOAL policies.
• Monitor the teams’ performance in the field through weekly field visits and ensure regular employee work appraisals according to GOAL procedures.
• Ensure the safety of MEL teams during fieldwork.

 

Capacity Building:

• Identify capacity-building needs of team members and ensure on-the-job training as needed.
• Provide capacity building, coaching, and leadership to MEL staff, including partner organizations’ M&E staff.
• Support staff participation in other capacity-building initiatives, including online training.

 

Monitoring Activities:

• Plan and oversee the implementation of all monitoring activities, including distribution monitoring, post-distribution monitoring, market assessments, and shopping monitoring using various tools (e.g., household surveys, focus group discussions, key stakeholder interviews, observation).
• Plan and oversee the monitoring activities for GOAL partners ensuring the partners implement their activities up to GOAL standards and considerations.
• Prepare sampling plans for monitoring activities to ensure representative and reliable data collection.
• Support MEL and PMT Team Leaders in implementing monitoring activities and in data collection/entry using CommCare or other digital tools.
• Carry out spot-checks and data validation exercises to ensure high-quality data.

 

Survey Oversight and Assessments:

• Lead needs assessments, baseline/end-line surveys, and other MEL tasks, including training staff, with support from the MEL Coordinator and Data Reporting Analyst.
• Develop and review data collection tools in collaboration with field teams.

 

Coordination:

• Support programme evaluation activities and participate in evaluations as a team member or translator when needed.
• Maintain effective communication with the PQ Coordinator, MEL Coordinator, Data Reporting Analyst, and other colleagues.
• Coordinate with the partner regarding their implementation schedules for effective partner monitoring efforts in the partner’s Area of Operation (AoO) or facilitate reverse coordination when required.

 

Data Quality and Reporting:

• Ensure clean and accurate datasets, liaising with team members and documenting changes.
• Translate data collection tools, qualitative data, and reports as needed (Arabic <-> English).
• Work with the Data Reporting Analyst to generate and review data analysis and MEL reports.
• Ensure effective communication of MEL results and findings through meetings and reports.
• Ensure timely reporting to the line manager, including weekly updates in the survey tracker and daily activity/incident reports (translated into English).
• Prepare the weekly MEL report and share it with relevant teams, highlighting key findings and recommendations.

 

Accountability and Learning:

• Participate in quarterly learning reviews and document lessons learned.
• Receive sensitive and serious complaints from MEL team members and ensure referral to the CFM system following GOAL procedures.

 

Other Tasks:

• Undertake any additional tasks as requested by the line manager.

 

Requirements (essential)

• Bachelor's degree in social sciences, business administration, engineering or another relevant field.
• Minimum five years’ experience in the Humanitarian sector.
• Minimum three years’ experience in leading, managing and coordinating data collection activities in the humanitarian sector.
• Minimum two years’ experience in M&E or MEL.
• Minimum of two years of experience in digital data gathering technology and/or database design and management.
• Good English language skills (spoken, written, and reading).
• Excellent computer skills (MS Word, and Excel)

 

Requirements (desired)

• High degree of familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Microsoft Power BI or similar platforms).
• Working knowledge of managing digital data collection platforms (Kobo Collect or CommCare)

• Fluency in English (advanced level).

 

Interested? Then apply for this position via clicking on the "apply now" button and fill out the application form. All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in English. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Application deadline is on January 5th, 2025.  

 

General terms and conditions

Safeguarding

Children and vulnerable adults a must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury and any other harm. One of the ways that GOAL shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

 

Accountability within GOAL

Alongside our safeguarding policy, GOAL is an equal opportunities employer and has a set of integrity policies. Any candidate offered a job with GOAL will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:

• Comply with GOAL’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, Code of Conduct, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behavior protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behavior of a GOAL staff or partner.

This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available. GOAL reserves the right to change this document. Any published closing dates are estimated.  Due to the nature of GOAL’s work we aim to fill vacancies as quickly as possible.  This means that we will close adverts as soon as we have found the right candidate and this may be before the published closing date.  We would therefore advise interested applicants to submit an application as early as possible.