Program Quality Accountability & Learning (PQAL) Coordinator is responsible for functionality of country level monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) system, knowledge management and oversight of program quality, supporting business development and evidenced-based advocacy and providing leadership to the PQLA team comprised of KM and and MEAL Coordinators. The position holder will be a member of the Programs team and will be reporting directly to the CARE Somalia Deputy Country Director for Programs.

It is expected that this role will enable and significantly accelerate roll out of CO MEAL approach and procedures, ensuring cross-learning among projects, creating systems for accountability to beneficiaries, donors and other stakeholders, and to build capacity of MEAL staff. the position holder will be responsible for contributing to strategy discussions, providing technical assistance on MEAL for each programmatic sector; and developing successful mechanisms for learning. S/he will be responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that information collected is reflected upon, used to improve ongoing programs, and is in corporated into consistently high quality reports and proposal development.

Responsibilities:

1. Guiding Development and Implementation of Country Office Impact Measurement Systems
   • Guide and assist country programs’ MEAL Managers and MEAL team to accelerate design and rollout of MEAL system, focusing on developing and implementing country and project-specific MEAL strategies, tools, systems and plans that are in line with CARE’s global M&E processes and feeds into CARE global indicators/databases;
   • Ensure MEAL staff provide support to the humanitarian and development project teams in conducting field programme quality exercise and data management including analysis;
   • Develop and manage the country MEAL Framework and other meta evaluations;
   • Working closely with communications team members, support the MEAL teams to collect best practices, case studies (and other learning) which demonstrate qualitative and quantitative changes over time;
   • Working closely with the Deputy Country Director for Programs, support the Program Coordinators in ensuring that programme management, information management, accountability, and learning systems are developed and up-to-date and contain quality and accurate information that supports decision making by Senior Management Team and programme teams;
   • Working closely with Deputy Country Director for Programs as well as Program Coordinators, support the project planning process in line with quality requirements including development of log-frame, MEAL plans, and theories of change; and
   • Liaise with CARE International (CI), CARE Member Partners (CMPs), Deputy Regional Director for Program quality, and MEAL staff to ensure integration and coordination of systems;
2. Program Planning, Monitoring and Reporting
   • Produce country level program performance dashboards ahead of all SMT meetings, showing country level program implementation rates, budget burn rates and reporting;
   • Ensure programs/projects use the necessary monitoring tools to inform and improve individual program/project as well as feed into a broader country-level data management system and country strategy;
   • Provide oversight for monthly Program Review Meetings (PRMs) as a platform to review program performance;
   • Support country level donor reporting schedule ensuring timeliness and quality of all donor reports, and nurture a culture of structured and rigorous donor reporting;
   • Support the production of country level annual reports, based on Program/Project Information and Impact Reporting System (PIIRS) and Advocacy and Influence Impact Reporting (AIIR) tool; and
   • Lead the process for collecting and reporting annual CO data in PIIRS in close collaboration with all CARE Somalia programs’ teams as well as CARE International.
   • Provide support to the Country Office strategy design/review processes including organizing strategy development workshops, information gathering, reviewing draft documents, and socializing/sharing the final strategy with key stakeholders.
3. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND LEARNING
   • Ensure all key program documentation (evaluations, studies, donor reports, monitoring visit reports) are properly packaged and shared with relevant team members and other stakeholders.
   • Take the lead in organizing semiannual and annual Programme Quality reviews and learning events for all projects with relevant programme leads, partners, and other stakeholders;
   • Develop and manage a knowledge management and learning framework/agenda, ensuring evidence-based programming, feeding learning into programme design and implementation, and programme knowledge is being captured;
   • Support in the development of the communication and visibility strategy and oversee its implementation.
   • Coordinate on and produce key learning documents, and processes in country;
   • Liase with Program Coordinators and Technical Advisors to promote a culture of learning, information sharing, dialogue, and critical analysis, intended to improve quality of programming, adoption of good practices, and influencing policies and practices at scale both internally and externally.
   • Participate in M&E-related working groups and maintain close working relationships with MEL counterparts in other relevant international NGOs, and local NGOs and associations.
4. Program Quality and Accountability
   • Strengthen upward (including donor) and downward accountability (to impact population/targeted beneficiaries, partners and other stakeholders) within the humanitarian and development programmes so as to ensure value for money;
   • Establish & ensure that Feedback and Accountability Mechanisms (FAMs) are implemented/coordinated and utilized according to agreed principles and following the minimum standards of accountability;
   • Support (and lead where possible/deemed necessary) on key evaluations, assessments and tool implementation to increase program quality and accountability: Rapid Gender Analysis, Rapid Rural Appraisals, Participatory Rural Appraisals, Community Entry Tools, Community Engagement Tools, Community Scorecard, Social Accountability, etc…;
   • Coordinate with CARE global team members to guide the process of impact evaluations and other research studies from the ‘ design, implementation and documentation phases to ensure the quality of research studies carried out in the CO.
   • Ensure that program reports reviews, baseline and end-line studies adhere to research ethics, laid scientific protocols and withstands peer review rigour; and
   • Support in ensuring that staff and related personnel in her/his team are familiar with key organizational policies and procedures and can identify when needed how these may have been breached; The CI Safeguarding policy, Protection from Sexual Harassment; Exploitation and Abuse and Child Abuse, The anti-discrimination and harassment policy; and The code of conduct and the organizations Values.
5. Business development and new program design
   • Provide updated contextual information and credible evidence to enrich and ground the design of new programs on contextual realities and evidence of what works;
   • Ensure that MEAL and other PQAL aspects are properly resourced across all new program designs and related budgets;
   • Support the Strategy & Partnerships Director in producing country level funding dashboard analyzing previous funding trends, current funding performance and future funding pipeline – including and especially maintaining the CO’s Proposal Tracker;
   • Coordinate and Provide quality inputs into writing specific sections of new program proposals including context analysis, MEAL and sustainability sections.
6. Capacity building and Coordination for staff and partners
   • Build the Capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain an excellent M&E system, including the periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring data;
   • Provide technical supervision and leadership to the MEAL Coordinators/Specialists);
   • Ensure the program teams and relevant staff understand and use the Programme Quality standards and tools;
   • Work with the programme Coordinators and Technical Advisors to develop and deliver training materials;
   • Work closely with CARE Somalia partners to improve program quality and implementation, including capacity development support;
   • Lead in mapping learning spaces for the PQ team within CARE and externally.
   • Identify staff development opportunities and develop appropriate capacity building plans in close coordination with program coordinators and HR.
   • Support in the recruitment of competent M&E program staff and organize the program teams to perform M&E activities.

Qualifications:

• Masters in development studies, Economics or any other relevant Social Science from a reputable institution/university
• Bachelors in development studies, economics and other relevant social science is required.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with reputable organizations in similar roles.
• Skills in using data analysis software like Nvivo, Power BI, SPSS and STATA.
• Excellent skills in research, evaluations, evidence-generation, policy and advocacy.
• Excellent Conceptual abilities, strategic thinking, analytical writing skills and knowledge.
• Leadership skills with proven experience in engaging, mobilizing and influencing people,
• Good communication, presentation, public speaking, discussion and negotiation skills.