MEAL Officer at Oxfam

OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION

• The MEAL Officer will support the EU-funded SUSI Project in Kebbi State by implementing monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning activities, ensuring high-quality data collection, analysis, and reporting. The role contributes to evidence-based decision-making and supports the Consortium Manager in liaising with government ministries, NGOs, private sector actors, and research institutions involved in the project.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

MELSA Systems Management & Programme Support

• Support the development and strengthening of the participatory MELSA system within the EU-SUSI Project, ensuring it incorporates MELSA principles and aligns with both international and Oxfam programme standards.
• Assist in the timely implementation of monitoring frameworks and tools to ensure consistent and high-quality information is available on project performance and impact.
• Manage specific MELSA processes, methodologies, and tools, including indicator tracking through project management information systems (MIS) and reporting.
• Support the review of MELSA data quality, reports, evaluations, baselines, and surveys, and contribute to improving data quality and reporting from the field.
• Participate in programme/project planning processes, particularly developing logical frameworks and MELSA plans, ensuring adherence to Oxfam’s programme quality standards.
• Support the planning of programme/project learning review meetings.
• Provide technical and specialist advice to the EU-SUSI Project team, both proactively and on request.
• Assist in conducting outcome harvesting to track impacts of EU-SUSI Project interventions.
• Work with ICT4D consultants to periodically update the project management information system (MIS).

Capacity Building for Partner and Oxfam Staff

• Support EU-SUSI Project teams in establishing knowledge creation, sharing, and learning loops, including producing case studies, presenting key results, and facilitating learning workshops.
• Contribute to enhancing the skills and knowledge of Oxfam staff and implementing partners in planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Facilitate MELSA learning events and processes and help ensure a strong ongoing learning network across the EU-SUSI Project.
• Support the development of MELSA plans for implementing partners.
• Train Oxfam and partner staff on MEL for influencing tools.

Partner Management

• Review partner reports periodically to ensure compliance with Oxfam policies and procedures on partner management.
• Develop templates for partner activity reporting.
• Participate in partner risk management processes (PRISMA).
• Attend regular meetings with partner organizations to understand their context and operating environment and ensure positive, open, and productive working relationships.
• Establish and strengthen the complaints and response mechanism (CRM) at each project location to ensure beneficiaries can safely and confidentially provide feedback.
• Monitor complaints received and follow-up processes through a tracking mechanism

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Education/Knowledge & Experience:

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Statistics, Economics, Business Administration, other relevant qualifications.

Experience

• Minimum of 4 years “hands-on” working experience in designing learning, and monitoring systems; program work, including field experience and/or with institutional donors.
• Good knowledge and experience of learning, and capacity development/transfer in relation to managing donor grants or donor funded programmes.
• Critical focus on providing a superior service level to managers and colleagues and delivering agreed results within time and budget constraints and to expected standards.
• Good organizational and personal management skills, with ability to priorities work issues to meet deadlines with minimal supervision and adjust to constantly changing situations while maintaining focus on delivery and follow-through.
• Well-developed conceptual, critical, and analytical thinking with the ability to convey complex information in a straightforward, interesting way, and influencing this to a wider audience.
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English.
• Proven awareness of professional standards, trends and issues affecting this set of responsibilities, demonstrating continuous learning.
• Ability to represent Oxfam in a professional and competent manner with external individuals and organizations. 
• Proven experience working with partner organizations and helping them develop their independent expertise and ability to deliver results, through effective capacity building and learning and development activities.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using a Computerized information management system (Ms. Word, Excel, Statistical analysis software etc.) 
• Tech savvy with a strong level of IT Expertise and use of mobile survey/field data collection tools ODK, Kobo Toolbox, GIS mapping, etc.)
• Excellent in various statistical packages and software including SPSS, STATA, Excel, Access, etc.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting women’s rights and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work. 
• Knowledge or appreciation of Nigeria in terms of its political, economic and social trends plus a good understanding of the key development and humanitarian issues in the region. 

Desirable

• Knowledge and / or experience of common Oxfam norms objects, standards and tools.
• Good knowledge and awareness of issues related to Oxfam’s strategic objectives and theories of change.

Competency

• Influencing: To engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organization. To spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities, to have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.
• Self-Awareness: To develop a high degree of self-awareness around your own strengths and weaknesses and your impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.
• Humility: To put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of everyone. we are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.