Role Purpose:
The MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) Assistant supports the implementation of MEAL activities within the organization. He/She assists in developing and maintaining data collection systems, ensures data quality, facilitates beneficiary feedback mechanisms, and helps generate reports to inform program improvements. The role requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to collaborate effectively with program teams and stakeholders. Under the supervision of the MEAL Officer, the MEAL Assistant is responsible for supporting data collection, entry, and analysis to ensure accurate and timely reporting on program performance. He/She works closely with the MEAL team and program staff to establish feedback mechanisms and incorporate lessons learned into program design and implementation.
Key Responsibilities:
Monitoring & Evaluation:
- Assist in the development and updating of data collection tools and templates.
- Support field data collection activities, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
- Support routine quantitative and qualitative data collection from project sites, partners, and beneficiaries using approved MEAL tools (surveys, checklists, focus group guides, etc
- Enter, compile, and analyze monitoring data using appropriate software.
- Assist in the design, adaptation, piloting and contextualization of data collection tools and digital forms (e.g., KoBo, ODK, CommCare) as guided by the MEAL Officer.
- Conduct regular field monitoring visits to assess implementation progress against workplans, indicators, and quality benchmarks in MEAL plans.
- Participate in baseline, midline, endline surveys and needs assessments, including sampling, data collection and basic data cleaning.
- Support the tracking of output and outcome indicators through routine monitoring, logframe tracking and indicator performance tracking tables.
- Conduct regular field monitoring visits to assess progress, challenges, and data reliability.
- Supervise and manage enumerators during fieldwork, providing on-site support and resolving issues as needed.
- Support baseline, mid-term, and end-line evaluations by assisting with data collection, entry, and analysis.
Accountability & Feedback:
- Support the implementation and regular functioning of community feedback and complaints mechanisms (CFM), including helpdesks, hotlines, suggestion boxes, and community meetings.
- Receive, record and categorize feedback and complaints in a confidential, safe and respectful manner, ensuring sensitive cases are referred according to established SOPs.
- Ensure that feedback and complaints are documented, responded to, and addressed appropriately.
- Promote community engagement and ensure community voice is integrated into program activities.
- Follow up to ensure that the feedback loop is closed and that communities are informed about how their feedback influenced program decisions.
Data Management & Quality Assurance:
- Maintain organized and secure data storage systems.
- Ensure data quality standards are adhered to SOPs, including validation and verification of data.
- Support periodic data audits and quality checks.
- Support in planning and conducting data collection for monitoring and evaluation purposes, including surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
- Ensure accurate data entry and data quality checks for program data.
- Assist in developing and maintaining databases and tools for data management and reporting.
- Support development of monitoring tools and data collection instruments.
- Train program staff and implementing partners on data collection methodology and tools, ensuring good practices in data collection are understood and adhered to.
Learning & Reporting:
- Assist in compiling lessons learned, good practices and success stories from project implementation, with a focus on how evidence has improved program quality.
- Support knowledge-sharing initiatives within the organization, such as training sessions or workshops.
- Contribute MEAL-related inputs to communication products, case studies and donor visibility materials, as required.
Capacity Building & Coordination:
- Support training and on-the-job coaching of project and partner staff on MEAL tools, data collection protocols, indicator definitions and accountability standards.
- Support training sessions for staff and partners on data collection and management.
- Provide regular support to field teams to improve the completeness, accuracy and timeliness of routine monitoring data.
- Coordinate with program teams to ensure MEAL activities align with project objectives.
- Promote a culture of data use and learning within project teams by regularly sharing monitoring findings and feedback trends.
- Liaise with partners and stakeholders as required.
Compliance, Safeguarding and Other Duties
- Ensure that MEAL activities adhere to organizational policies, donor requirements and relevant humanitarian standards (e.g., Core Humanitarian Standard, Sphere).
- Integrate protection, gender, age, inclusion and safeguarding considerations into all MEAL activities and interactions with communities.
- Uphold the organization’s code of conduct, values and confidentiality requirements at all times, especially when handling personal or sensitive data.
- Perform any other tasks assigned by the MEAL Officer or line manager that are consistent with the role and organizational needs.
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Qualifications & Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Social Sciences Economics or related fields.
- At least 1–2 years relevant experience in monitoring, evaluation, or data management preferably with an NGO or humanitarian organization.
- Demonstrated experience in field data collection, community engagement, or operating feedback and complaints mechanisms.
- Good computer skills in (Excel, Kobo Toolbox, Power BI, SPSS, or other data analysis software). experience with data tools such as KoboToolbox, ODK, or similar is an asset.
- Familiarity with MEAL concepts (logframes, indicators, baselines, targets, accountability principles, learning) and humanitarian standards.
- Fluency in English (knowledge of local languages is an asset)