ROLE PURPOSE:
The country head of Research and MEAL Manager is a key position within the Country Office. The role will take the overall responsibility of implementing the systems under Research and MEALframework and SCI Research and MEAL approach in Lebanon by ensuring strong, accurate and timely monitoring systems for all projects including indicator performance tracking, appropriate and accurate data management, use of quality benchmarking and action trackers for accountability, reporting and learning. S/he will oversee the design and implementation of a quality, comprehensive and integrated Research and MEAL System that meets SCI standards; staff management, mentorship, and development; strategic and annual planning, internal reporting, as well as programme development and Research and MEAL resources. S/He will lead in determining and undertaking research to deliver the country office’s evidence and learning agenda to inform SCI project design and implementation to deepen the impact of our work on children’s lives, as well as position the Lebanon Country Office as a thought leader and influencer on wider policy and practice around our breakthroughs in child survival, development and protection.
As a member of Extended Senior Management Team (ESMT), the role will also involve analysing the data and provide input to the country leadership to inform strategic decision making.
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 2: The post holder will have access to personal data about children and/or young people as part of their work;
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Programme Quality & Development Director
Staff reporting to this post: 4
Budget Responsibilities: TBD Depending on research projects
Role Dimensions: The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including Save the Children members, the Country Office Programme Development & Quality team, advocacy colleagues, Regional Advisors, technical counterparts in other organisation, donors etc. The role is also expected to engage with internal technical working groups and communities of practice.
Context : Humanitarian and development
Primary Technical area: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Design and Implementation of a Comprehensive Research and MEAL System that meets SCI standards (25%)
- Lead and oversee the development and implementation of a CO-wide Research and MEAL System for humanitarian and development programmes and may include local implementation partners as well. This system requires close collaboration with the Operations and PDQ Departments and must be in line with SCI’s Quality Framework. Project-specific Research and MEAL systems need to meet demands and standards of different donors.
- Lead use of monitoring frameworks, tools and processes to measure performance and quality. This includes supporting thematic and operation staff to develop and monitor Quality Benchmarks and KPIs.
- Lead routine collection, analysis and use of evidence, including disaggregation for gender, disability and the most marginalised and deprived, to document impact, innovate and learn what work for children, and inform management, policy and programme solutions. This includes needs and baseline assessments, feasibility studies, evaluations and research.
- Lead use of systems that safely and appropriately ensure accountability to children and communities with whom we work by building trusting and collaborative relationships through information sharing and two-way communication, participation, and feedback and reporting mechanisms.
- Systematically identify, document, share and use learning from Save the Children and others’ work, in order to continuously adapt and improve our programming. This includes learning agendas, learning workshops and after-action review, action planning and tracking of learning uptake.
- Lead Research and MEAL emergency preparedness and response within existing country Research and MEAL frameworks, systems, tools and processes, adhering to the SC MEALiE framework, Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere Charter and Red Cross Code of Conduct.
- Champion knowledge management through the development and use of platforms that store and display evidence and learning that is made accessible and actively used between countries, regions and the Centre
- Support in the roll-out of PRIME, particularly on the MEAL components, to ensure common understanding on the usage of the system across the Research and MEAL team
- Ultimate accountability for the roll out of Commcare data system
- Work with the Research and MEAL Lebanon head office team, field Research and MEAL team, the PDQ Department and PDQ Thematic Sector teams to ensure that all projects have quality assurance mechanisms integrated into their design and implementation.
- Explore innovative opportunities to pilot approaches that are new or could expand to further areas of programming.
- Ensure that KPIs related to Research and MEAL activities are regularly met through institutionalization of robust systems for tracking, reporting and following up improvement actions.
- Foster innovation by identifying opportunities to pilot new approaches and to upgrade tools, systems and process based on advances in the aid sector.
Research, Evidence & Learning (15%)
- Maintain regular and proactive dialogue with technical/thematic leads and field teams to identify critical programmatic knowledge gaps.
- Initiate, adapt or test new practices, approaches or methodologies, that will inform our Country Office Research, Evidence & Learning agenda with a view of improving the impact of our work in Lebanon
- Undertake analytical work, with support from the Research and MEAL team and technical advisors and specialists, on quality child rights programming to generate country, thematic and cross-thematic learning on trends and opportunities for SCI Lebanon to achieve better outcomes for children.
- Lead the country office in the design, delivery and regular review of the Country Office Research, Evidence & Learning agenda
- Participate in designing and implementation of studies, assessments and learning in coordination and cooperation with sectors’ technical experts and programme staff.
- Apply leading-edge thinking and best practice at all stages of the research process to ensure that SCI research and evaluation outputs are delivered to the highest standards, on time and on budget
- Lead and implement with Research and MEAL team in the development of learning products (including child-friendly ways) and work with communications team to communicate research & evaluation findings
- Build repository of learning products from the country programme and ensure dissemination
- Undertake meta-analysis and systemic reviews of SCI Lebanon programme evaluations and research to generate sectoral learning on trends, opportunities, risks etc and lead Research and MEAL team to strengthen analysis and communicate programmatic learning to the wider Country Office team through document sharing, presentations, etc.Foster a culture of learning in the Lebanon Country Office, including the systematic collection, storage and dissemination of evidence and learning that is used throughout the project cycle by all staff
- Scope, seek out, engage and maintain new partnerships with INGOs, UN and academic institutions to support the deliver our Research, Evidence & Learning Agenda, including opportunities for information sharing and learning exchanges with external stakeholders
Research and MEAL Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development (15%)
- Lead the country’s Research and MEAL team by structuring it appropriately and then hiring and retaining highly-qualified and motivated Research and MEAL staff, including matrix management of field staff
- Build the technical expertise and coherency of the team through use of a Community of Practice that includes regular workshops and staff exchanges.
- Manage the performance of Research and MEAL staff by clearly setting objectives, assessing performance, and providing coaching, mentoring, and training that aligns with SCI’s Global Research and MEAL Capacity Building Strategic Workplan.
- Ensure Research and MEAL staff have and understand clearly defined roles and responsibilities that are also understood by Program Ops and PDQ teams.
- Promote all aspects of Research and MEAL through training and capacity building for multiple stakeholders including Research and MEAL staff and PDQ Leadership to support the creation of an organizational culture which prioritizes Research and MEAL leading to quality programming.
- Participate in relevant Research and MEAL training opportunities and networks in country, region and globally.
Strategic and Annual Planning (10%)
- Ensure that evidence and learning is brought together across thematic and operational regions to develop a Country Strategic Plan (including participating in a Child Needs Situational Assessment).
- Support the development of key annual planning documents like the Humanitarian plan and Top Ten, including identifying future evaluations and ensure that data is accurate.
- Support PDQ staff to analyse progress against organisational objectives and strategies.
- Lead on the application of SCI Theory of Change with particular focus on driving innovation through development and provision of evidence and learning for replicable breakthrough solutions to the problems facing children
- Develop and implement Country Research, Evidence & Learning Strategy securing broad buy-in across functional teams
- Link SCI Lebanon work on Global Results Framework and Common Approaches to use and inform best practice
- Manage interdependencies with other functional teams and strategic initiatives within the Country Office to foster alignment with regional and global priorities in Research & MEAL work
Internal Reporting (10%)
- Ensure accurate data collection and processing for all regular reporting including internal reports such as the Country Annual Report, the Programme Quality KPIs, Milestone Reporting, categorised emergency sit reps, and “Total Reach”.
- Support Research and MEAL aspects of donor reporting, including review of baseline, mid-term, endline or any other donor/project specific studies.
- Respond to any internal or SC member request for specific information including production of geographic, thematic or programme-specific data.
- Ensure that regularly updated Research and MEAL mechanisms are in place for each project including technical reports and Research and MEAL tracking tools that identify necessary future actions.
- Ensure data quality and accuracy (including for external reporting as needed).
Programme Development and Research and MEAL Resources (15%)
- Work closely with the PDQ, operations and NBD teams to ensure Research and MEAL plays an integral role at every stage of the project lifecycle, leading to enhanced quality, accountability, management and impact.
- As a contributor to proposal development, review and improve Research and MEAL technical narrative and budgets within proposals, support development of SMART indicators with technical teams, ensure quality mechanisms are in place, and ensure consistency with the CO and SCI Research and MEAL strategies.
- Ensure that adequate Research and MEAL resources are included in proposals and work creatively to secure sufficient funding from diverse sources to ensure capacity to deliver Research and MEAL according to SCI quality standards.
- Effectively manage the Research and MEAL budget by understanding sources of funding and possible gaps, and optimizing available resources.
- Ensure cost recovery for the CO Research and MEAL team at the minimum 5%
Research and MEAL in Partnerships (10%)
- Work closely with Partnership team, to ensure Research and MEAL will be considered at every stage of the partnership cycle (i.e. selection/identification, assessment, implementation, closeout)
- Promote all aspects of Research and MEAL through training and capacity building for local implementing partners
- Collaboratively work with local implementing partners in establishing or strengthening Research and MEAL systems, in particular the minimum standards, as deemed fit based on the context and/or partnership agreement
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field or equivalent field experience
- Proficient in speaking and writing English.
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Essential
- Minimum of 7 years of programming experience within the aid sector, preferably linked to one of Save the Children’s priority technical sectors (Child Poverty, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, Health & Nutrition), and with the majority of that time focused on overseeing comprehensive Research and MEAL systems that ensure programme effectiveness and quality.
- Experience of rolling out Research and MEAL systems at pace, including emergency Research and MEAL frameworks
- Understanding and experience of all nexus contexts
- Experience adhering to international quality standards (Red Cross Code of Conduct, Sphere, CHS) or equivalent.
- Experience and knowledge of monitoring systems, including robust and responsible data collection and use.
- Experience and knowledge of evidence generation and learning on what works (and doesn’t work) for children, including designing/commissioning, implementing and applying: needs assessments, baseline studies, evaluations and research, learning workshops and learning agendas.
- Experience and knowledge of systems for accountability to children and communities, including information sharing, participation of adults and children, and feedback and reporting mechanisms. Ability to prepare and facilitate technical Research and MEAL trainings and workshops across countries in the region (including remotely). Direct experience working with communities in participatory activities.
- Proven success in building and managing a team and dedication to developing staff capacity through training, supervising, coaching and mentoring.
- Skilled at communicating and influencing across relevant teams and offices.
- Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets
- Demonstrable analytical and problem solving skills.
- Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, defining and planning a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in.
- Ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner.
- Proficiency in relevant data collection and analysis software.
- Strong remote-working abilities and self-motivated.
- Willingness to travel to field sites.
Desirable
- Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant region/context
- Experience of promoting quality and impact through at least one cross-cutting area: gender equality and inclusion, adaptive and safer programming; child rights; disability; migration and displacement.
- Experience and knowledge of Save the Children’s structure, mandate and child focus.
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Equal Opportunities
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI’s global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Gender Equality Policies, supported by relevant procedures.
Child Safeguarding:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Safeguarding our Staff:
The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy
Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.
