Position Title: MEAL Officer (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) Officer
Project: SAMBHAV JEEVAN: Enabling Better Lives through Sight and Sound
Reports to: Project Manager, SAMBHAV JEEVAN
Duty Station: NNJS Project Office, Birendranagar, Surkhet with regular travel to all project catchment areas in Karnali Province
Supervises: No direct reports; works closely with project team, the Disability Inclusion Officer and the Admin & Finance Officer for data inputs
Contract Type / Duration: Full-time, fixed-term project position aligned with the project cycle; subject to performance and continued project funding
Background
Karnali Province continues to face a high burden of preventable and treatable eye and ear health problems, particularly among populations living in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Limited availability of specialized services, weak referral systems, and geographic barriers have resulted in inadequate access to quality care for the majority of communities. In this context, there is a critical need to design, plan, and implement comprehensive community-based eye and ear care interventions. The proposed project aims to strengthen early detection, expand outreach services, and improve access to affordable and inclusive care, ensuring that underserved populations in Karnali can receive timely and effective eye and ear health services.
Position Purpose
The MEAL Officer is responsible for designing, operating and continuously improving the project's monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning system; for the timely and accurate collection, management and analysis of disaggregated project data; for producing the project's MEAL-related reports on schedule; and for ensuring that communities, including persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups, have a genuine and accessible voice in shaping and reviewing project delivery through a functioning feedback and complaints mechanism.
Key Responsibilities:
i) MEAL System Design and Management
- Develop and implement the project's full Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan, and keep it updated throughout the project cycle.
- Design and maintain data-collection tools (registers, screening/camp forms, referral forms, complaint forms) that capture results disaggregated in line with the Log Frame.
- Set up and administer the project's Database Management, ensuring camp, screening, surgical, referral and training data are entered, cleaned and backed up in a timely manner.
- Track progress against all Log Frame indicators and flag off-track indicators early.
- Maintain and regularly update the project risk register, in coordination with the Project Manager.
- Support Program Manager to prepare standard operation plan (SOP) of the activities.
ii) Reporting and Compliance
- Prepare, or coordinate inputs for, all MEAL-related deliverables in the Reporting Plan, including: the Indicator Tracking Report and Activity Plan Report, the Quarterly and Annual Project Reports, the updated M&E Plan and updated Project Risk Register, the Annual Reflection Report, and the monthly project update and plan.
- Work closely with the Program Manager and Admin & Finance Officer to ensure narrative and financial reporting are consistent and submitted to CBM Global on schedule.
- Maintain project records, data and documentation in line with the contract's requirement, and ensure data is available for audit or monitoring visits on request.
- Support preparation for internal and external audits, donor monitoring visits, including organizing evidence and facilitating access to community-level data.
- Prepare and submit the datae as requested for funding organization.
iii) Accountability, Community Engagement and Feedback
- Establish and manage an accessible community feedback and complaints mechanism (complaint boxes, providing contact details, telephone log, suggestion box) at base hospitals, eye/ear camps and community events.
- Ensure feedback and complaints are logged, reviewed, responded to, and reported at least quarterly.
- Facilitate regular consultations with beneficiaries, local Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and community leaders to assess service effectiveness, and ensure their input feeds into project adaptation.
- Coordinate for community-level learning and sharing sessions, and document lessons learned for internal reflection.
iv) Safeguarding-Related MEAL Duties
- Support the Disability Inclusion Officer in implementing and monitoring the project's safeguarding reporting, investigation and response procedures, including tracking the required face-to-face safeguarding training for staff.
- Ensure any safeguarding, fraud or other substantial risk incident identified through MEAL processes.
- Ensure Data Protection standards to all personal data collected through MEAL processes (informed consent, secure storage, anonymization/pseudonymization before sharing), and report any personal data breach within 48 hours.
v) Evaluations and Learning
- Coordinate logistics, data provision and stakeholder engagement for the project's Baseline, Mid-Term and Final/End-Term Evaluations, working with the appointed independent evaluators/consultants.
- Uphold the principles of quality, accuracy, utility, participation, ownership, ethics, reliability, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and impartiality.
- Document and help produce project case studies, blogs, newsletter and accessible success stories (audio/video/print), in coordination with the Program Manager and Disability Inclusion Officer.
vi) Disability and Gender Inclusion in MEAL
- Ensure all data collection, analysis and reporting is disaggregated as demand by the project and findings are used to identify and close equity gaps in service access.
- Work with partners and stakeholders to ensure MEAL processes (data collection tools, feedback mechanisms, evaluation participation) are accessible and participatory for persons with disabilities.
vii) Coordination and Capacity Building
- Provide MEAL-related orientation and on-the-job coaching to Community Eye Health Workers, base-hospital data collectors and volunteers on data quality, recording and reporting standards.
- Represent the project's MEAL function in Project Coordination Committee meetings, project review and reflection meetings.
- Perform other MEAL and programme-quality-related duties requested by the Project Manager or NNJS management in support of project objectives.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree (Master's preferred) in Public Health, Statistics, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field.
- At least 3 years of professional experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) or M&E roles within an I/NGO, preferably in health, disability inclusion or community development programming.
- Demonstrated experience designing and managing data-collection systems and databases, and contribute donor-standard quarterly/annual narrative and indicator reports.
- Experience supporting or coordinating external evaluations, audits or reviews.
- Prior experience working in Karnali Province or similar remote/hard-to-reach contexts is an advantage.
- Experience working with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) or on disability-inclusive programming is strongly preferred.
Skills and Competencies
- Sound understanding and skills in qualitative and data collection, management and analysis.
- Strong data management and analysis skills, including proficiency with mobile/digital data-collection tools, data management and analysis software.
- Sound understanding of log frames, theory of change, and indicator design, including disaggregation by sex, age and disability.
- Working knowledge of safeguarding, data protection and accountability.
- Facilitation, coaching and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work respectfully and effectively with community members, persons with disabilities, government officials, and partners.
- Willingness and ability to travel frequently within Karnali Province, including to remote hill and mountain districts.
