As MEAL Technical Advisor, you will work as part of a team on a large project and provide oversight of MEAL functions of the Malawi ER4 Graduation project to serve the poor and vulnerable. Your management and technical knowledge will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming. As a senior leader you will proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Manage a key aspect of the development, implementation, and consolidation of the MEAL portfolio of the Malawi ER4 Graduation project. Serve as a contact on responsibility to USAID/BHA and public, private, and non-government stakeholders, when needed.
• Manage key MEAL functions of the project to meet donor expectations in terms of timely and quality results and budget. Contribute to ensuring coordination between program and operations leads. Contribute to ensuring the CRS program quality standards are adhered to per MEAL policy and procedures.
• Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage MEAL team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching. Strategically tailor individual development plans and complete performance assessments for direct reports. Contribute to the development of MEAL staffing plans and the recruitment process of senior MEAL staff.
• Manage and mitigate risk through monitoring national and regional issues that may impact MEAL staff and programming. Ensure all staff understand and adhere to CRS staff safety and security policies and plans.
• Promote, uphold, and model a commitment to the efficient use of agency and donor resources. Help ensure compliance with USAID/BHA grant, including financial tracking and oversight of partner budgets, finance, administration, and reporting to USAID/BHA.
• Maintain relationships with key MEAL staff of consortium partner organizations in regard to area of responsibility. Contribute to coordination of the MEAL roles and activities of staff from other consortium member organizations in implementation in line with CRS partnership principles.
• Create and maintain proper conditions for learning. Establish a safe environment for sharing ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to deficiencies. Identify performance gaps and training opportunities for CRS and partner staff and recommend training and technical assistance.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Very good strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Very good relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships.
• Experience implementing USAID-funded Early Recovery, Risk Reduction, and Resilience (ER4) is preferred.
• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts of the graduation approach, cash and voucher assistance, and social protection and their intersection with climate change, natural resource management, risk reduction, positive youth development, conflict sensitivity/social cohesion, and gender transformative approaches.
• Experience working in an advisory and/or management role on the implementation of cash assistance in humanitarian and/or development programming, specifically in relation to poverty alleviation, food and economic security, risk reduction, financial inclusion, health, nutrition, education, and/or child protection.
• Experience in Commcare, GIS, ARCGIS, MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

• Qualifications

  Basic Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in a relevant technical area.
  • Minimum of five years relevant international working experience in an advisory or management role with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, with a minimum of three years working for programming interventions in food and economic security and emergency programs.
  • Previous experience providing technical assistance and developing successful proposals for external donor funding is required.
  • Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts in monitoring and evaluation. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure a proper cross-sectoral approach.
  • Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and training applying adult learning principles and practices.
  • Experience with program monitoring and evaluation, including applying data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation.
  • Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
  • Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, and knowledge-sharing networks.
  • Strong knowledge of USAID regulations and experience implementing USAID programming is required.