MEAL Manager (National Position)

Near East Foundation (NEF)

Title: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Manager (National Position)

Reports to: Country Director

Location: Damascus, Syria

Travel: Up to 25% within Syria

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for a MEAL Manager to be based in Damascus, Syria. NEF is a non-profit international development organization that has supported livelihoods recovery and community-based economic development in the Middle East, Africa, and Caucasus since 1915. NEF draws on local teams, experience, and partnerships in these regions to create community-led solutions to reduce poverty, create economic opportunity, and empower conflict and crisis-affected groups to improve their outlook and wellbeing. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF has operations in ten countries: Armenia, Lebanon, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. HQ offices are based between Syracuse, NY, Washington, DC, London, UK, and Brussels, Belgium. Our programs are organized around three pillars: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

Position Description

The MEAL Manager is a member of the NEF Syria team, reporting to the Syria Director. The purpose of the MEAL Manager is to ensure all MEAL responsibilities are performed to the highest standards and according to donor and NEF guidelines. The post-holder also assumes communication and visibility responsibilities for the Syria operation.

Responsibilities

• Proposal Development and MEAL Planning:
  • Participate in the development of project proposals, including designing logframes, selecting and defining indicators, and developing MEAL plans.
  • Design and update the project logframes and MEAL plans in collaboration with relevant team members.
• MEAL System Implementation and Oversight:
  • Ensure an appropriate MEAL system is in place, functioning effectively, and periodically reviewed to adapt to changing program and operating contexts.
  • Manage and report on the implementation of project MEAL plans, including regular progress tracking and reporting to the Director.
  • Coordinate closely with program team counterparts and ensure data is available in a timely and easily digestible format (e.g. dashboard creation) to facilitate data-informed and robust adaptive management processes
• Data Management and Analysis:
  • Operationalize NEF MEAL procedures and tools, including data collection, storage, analysis, and reporting (using KOBO, and other relevant tools).
  • Ensure the quality and accuracy of data collected and stored, overseeing data cleaning and validation, and conducting statistical analysis using tools such as SPSS and Excel.
  • Ensure appropriate data protection, confidentiality, access, and secure storage practices are applied across MEAL systems and datasets.
  • Analyze performance against indicators and targets, flag significant deviations, and work with program teams to identify appropriate corrective or adaptive actions.
  • Conduct qualitative and quantitative data analysis to provide comprehensive insights into project performance.
  • Facilitate various types of assessments, including impact, outcome, and process evaluations, in coordination with the HQ MEAL team.
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• Data Quality Assurance:
• Lead and oversee internal Data Quality Assessments (DQAs), with support from the Data Analyst and relevant program teams, to ensure the validity, reliability, completeness, and consistency of program data. This includes:
  1. Conducting ongoing analysis of MEAL databases or trackers to identify data quality strengths, gaps, and inconsistencies.
  2. Supporting the development, implementation, and supervision of procedures to improve data quality and reporting.
  3. Ensuring identified data quality issues are documented, addressed, and followed up with relevant program and MEAL staff.
  4. Collecting and verifying, where applicable, supportive documentation to ensure consistency and accuracy in data management.
• Training and Capacity Building:
  • Train, support, and supervise MEAL staff, volunteers, and field agents on data collection, surveys, and project monitoring.
  • Where relevant, conduct capacity-building training for partner organizations and team members, including institutional needs assessments and socio-economic assessments.
• Accountability and Feedback Mechanisms:
  • Ensure accountability and feedback mechanisms are applied consistently across all projects, locations, and partners, including appropriate recording, referral, response, follow-up, and closure of feedback and complaints, in line with ethical, confidentiality, and transparency standards.
• Learning and Documentation:
  • Facilitate periodic learning sessions, reflection workshops or post-action reviews with project teams to identify lessons learned and best practices.
  • Contribute to project learning and adaptive management by documenting and sharing findings, lessons learned, learning papers, case studies, and beneficiary profiles.
  • Develop and disseminate communication and visibility materials (e.g., project overviews, fact sheets).
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• Evaluation and Reporting:
  • Facilitate mid-term, final, and other ad hoc evaluations in coordination with the HQ MEAL team and regional office.
  • Contribute to and lead on projects' narrative reporting requirements, ensuring quality, data accuracy, and analysis.
  • Review and finalize MEAL reports (e.g., semiannual, endline) and provide feedback on project strategies to enhance performance and sustainability.
• Collaboration and Coordination:
  • Participate in monthly country coordination calls organized by HQ-based Program Officers.
  • Collaborate with the broader Syria team to ensure alignment on data collection, and MEAL system implementation.
  • Coordinate with the HQ MEAL Team backstop on technical guidance, MEAL standards and tools, organizational data requirements, learning priorities, and regional or global MEAL initiatives.
  • Participate and contribute to donor meetings as required.
• Field Monitoring and Support:
  • Conduct and oversee regular field monitoring follow-up activities, including focus group discussions with NEF beneficiaries.
  • Support partner capacity assessments and build capacity where necessary.
• Additional Duties:
  • Prepare field visits for NEF and external visitors, including photographers, journalists, or media if relevant.
  • Perform other duties as required and requested by the direct line manager or technical supervisor.

Position Criteria

• Strategic thinking, including identification of MEAL system weaknesses and initiative to address problem(s);
• Excellent organizational skills, accuracy and attention to detail;
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines;
• Ability to operate both independently and collaboratively as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social sciences, humanities, quantitative/qualitative research methods, or a related field;
• At least Seven years of relevant professional experience in data collection, preferably with a national or international NGO, or other civil society organization;
• Fluent in written and spoken Arabic and English;
• Proficient in MS Office applications, particularly Word and Excel;
• Experience using digital data collection applications (e.g., KoboCollect, Akvo) is an asset;
• Plays an effective role within a team, able to communicate, develop, and maintain effective working relationships within a dynamic team environment.