MEAL Assistant

Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. IRC has been working in Ethiopia since 1999 and is implementing coordinated, community-managed programs aimed at improving the quality of lives and recovery of livelihood of the disaster-affected population’s through promoting individual participation, strengthening institutions, and emergency response.

Position overview

The MEAL Assistant is part of the M&E department and will work closely with the field based M&E Officer and CR Officer based in Addis. The position holder will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of robust client feedback channels at their respective locations which may include design and administration of surveys, focus group discussions, proactive and reactive feedback mechanisms. The employee will be accountable for aggregating client feedback, identifying key themes and challenges or opportunities to respond to, and presenting these to the management team for a decision on how to respond. The candidate will also be desirable for recording and monitoring feedback, and for ensuring that the loop is closed, and clients are advised of decisions taken.

Specific Responsibilities:

Feedback Planning and Implementation

• Collect client feedback through various channels that IRC installs including community meetings, surveys, discussions, phone lines, suggestion boxes, SMS among others
• Regularly update the excel-based Feedback Registry on an everyday basis and raise cases including breach of IRC code of conduct, allegations of child abuse or sexual exploitation, and other major programmatic complaints
• Receive, record, and classify complaints about attention by the MEAL Officer and refer to the respective sectors.
• Collect responses from the program staff on the feedback and communicate back to the client
• Facilitate the preparation of CRA logistics before field visits e.g. paper-based data collection tools, promotional materials, etc.
• Ensure accurate and confidential filing of CRA reporting forms such as client feedback form, Feedback Registry, surveys, interviews, minutes from community meetings, reports, datasets among others
• Generate reports on the implementation and use of feedback channels, per sector, including limitations and challenges.

Feedback Monitoring, Reporting, and Response

• Aggregate and disaggregate client feedback (according to gender, age, status, sector, risk level, and other client's appropriate disaggregation).
• Present statistics on feedback received and feedback content in clear formats to highlight feedback trends to the program team, as well as synthesize qualitative feedback in ways that provide the detail that the program will need to craft an appropriate response.
• Analyze key themes, challenges, and opportunities for program improvement.

Other

• Provide support to the M&E Office to conduct ongoing monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Job Requirements

• BA degree or Diploma/Level IV in Economics, Management, sociology, and other relevant fields of studies
• 0-year experience for BA Degree and 3 years for Diploma holders
• Analyze and communicate data in a way that facilitates effective decision making
• Proactively engage with clients and community members, acting as a community liaison focal point
• Driven and able to balance multiple tasks, commitments, and to work flexibly in a team
• Creativity, curiosity and enthusiasm, and the ability to develop and test new ways of working and solutions to problems
• Strong oral and written communications in the local language and Amharic is required.

Desirable:

• Working experience with refugees and/or IDPs, and an understanding of the feedback channels preferred by displaced people
• Experience in implementing feedback channels. These may include surveys, FGD, hotlines, suggestions boxes, open feedback, etc.
• Written and verbal communication in English is an added advantage.
• Passionate about humanitarian work and assistance!

Reporting line:

The MEAL Assistant will report to the M&E Officer on issues related to day-to-day activities. On technical issues related to Client Responsiveness, the MEAL Assistant will receive technical support from the CR Officer in Addis.  

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

How to Apply

Candidates who meet the above qualifications; please send your CV and application letter through

IRC Careers 👉 https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/20504?c=rescue

Internal Career Site 👉 https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/2/home/requisition/20504?c=rescue

Your application letter/cover letter must include the following information.

• Name of the position you have applied for
• Date of application
• Summary of your qualifications and experience
• Motivation/objective of why you have applied for the job
• Please include at least 3 references from current and former supervisors.

 Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply!