MEAL Officer

The MEAL Officer supports monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning capacities of the IRC mission in Uganda, ensuring high-quality programming and supporting the Country Strategic Action Plan. The role leads MEAL activities, supervises staff, manages data collection and analysis, and promotes participatory monitoring and accountability mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall technical leadership on MEAL functions for Yumbe–BidiBidi operations, ensuring high standards in data collection, documentation, analysis, reporting, and accountability to clients, partners, and donors.
• Lead systematic documentation of program progress, learning, best practices, and evidence for internal and external use.
• Supervise and provide technical guidance to the Data Officer and MEAL Assistant(s), ensuring timely deliverables, quality outputs, and professional growth.
• Represent IRC in technical meetings, coordination forums, and external engagements related to MEAL and Information Management.
• Foster strategic partnerships internally and externally to strengthen data systems, learning, and accountability mechanisms.
• Champion access to and use of data for shared learning, sound decision-making, and data-driven program adaptations.
• Lead the implementation of MEAL systems in alignment with IRC Country and Global Strategies across the project cycle.
• Implement the MEAL plan, using the log frame, indicator performance tracking table (IPTT), and indicator reference sheets to guide data collection and reporting.
• Collect, compile, and update monitoring data on outputs and outcomes from Protection, Cash, and other sector activities.
• Conduct Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM), including household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews on cash use, satisfaction, safety, access, and barriers.
• Ensure systematic monitoring of outputs and beneficiaries, including accurate beneficiary registration and tracking, output verification and reconciliation, routine beneficiary like PDMs, market assessments and vulnerability assessments monitoring and validation exercises and real-time tracking of performance against targets.
• Collaborate with program and MEAL staff to ensure data is collected, compiled, verified, and meets IRC and donor data quality standards.
• Oversee digital data collection tools (CommCare, Kobo, ODK, etc.), ensuring timely updates, revisions, quality checks, and dashboard visualization.
• Conduct routine Data Quality Assessments (DQAs), audits, and spot checks to ensure data completeness, accuracy, and consistency.
• Undertake regular analysis of monitoring data and facilitate real-time program adaptation with program managers.
• Produce high-quality reports and dashboards highlighting key findings, trends, risks, and recommendations.
• Document and share learning from monitoring findings to inform proposal development and program improvements.
• Lead and manage baseline, midline, endline surveys, and external evaluations and vulnerability assessments in coordination with MEAL Manager and program teams.
• Develop evaluation frameworks, tools, methodologies, and Terms of Reference (ToRs).
• Supervise enumerators and data collection teams during evaluation exercises.
• Ensure evaluation findings are documented, disseminated, and translated into action plans.
• Manage evaluation data cleaning, analysis, and reporting processes to ensure methodological rigor and quality reporting.
• Promote and institutionalize participatory monitoring approaches that actively engage beneficiaries in assessing program quality and relevance.
• Facilitate community reflection sessions, feedback dialogues, and participatory review meetings.
• Ensure community voices inform program design, implementation, and adaptation.
• Support community-led monitoring mechanisms where appropriate.
• In close collaboration with the MEAL Manager and AAP Officers, oversee documentation and tracking of client feedback through the Client Feedback Registry (CFR).
• Maintain updated feedback databases and ensure timely data entry and analysis.
• Produce monthly feedback analysis reports to inform strategic and programmatic decision-making.
• Lead onsite discussions to develop and monitor action plans responding to client feedback.
• Strengthening capacity of project teams on accountability, safeguarding, and client responsiveness.
• Support development and dissemination of accountability materials (briefs, posters, brochures) to stakeholders and communities.
• Directly supervise Data Officer(s), MEAL Assistant(s), and enumerators.
• Provide mentorship, coaching, and performance monitoring to ensure high-quality output.
• Build capacity of MEAL and program teams in data management, reporting, accountability, and knowledge management.
• Participate in recruitment, onboarding, and training of MEAL Assistants, Data Officers, and field enumerators.
• Foster an inclusive, respectful, and high-performing team environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Information Management, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or related technical field (additional experience may substitute).
• Minimum 3 years of progressive experience in MEAL, data management, or related roles.
• Demonstrated experience supervising technical staff (Data Officer/MEAL Assistants).
• Strong understanding of output and beneficiary monitoring, logical frameworks and Theories of Change, evaluation methodologies, participatory monitoring approaches and accountability and client feedback mechanisms.
• Proven experience managing baseline/endline surveys and evaluations.
• Proficiency in mobile data collection tools (CommCare, Kobo, ODK).
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or GIS tools is an added advantage.
• Advanced Excel skills and strong report-writing ability.
• Strong analytical, systematic thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• High attention to detail and ability to work under pressure.
• Willingness to travel to field locations regularly.

Skills

• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Data Management
• Supervising Technical Staff
• Output and Beneficiary Monitoring
• Logical Frameworks
• Theories of Change
• Evaluation Methodologies
• Participatory monitoring
• Accountability Mechanisms
• Client Feedback Systems
• Baseline and Endline Surveys
• Mobile Data Collection
• CommCare
• Kobo
• ODK
• Power BI
• Tableau
• GIS Tools
• Advanced Microsoft Excel
• Report Writing

Languages

English