MEAL Officer- Addis Ababa

Introduction

In the framework of the project funded by the Commission for International Adoptions (CAI), the MEAL officer will support MEAL activities of this multi-regional initiative spanning 18 months. The project operates across three key regions in Ethiopia: Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa City Administration, and Amhara Region (Dessie), applying an integrated approach to address critical vulnerabilities affecting children, youth, and families.

Organization

CIFA is an international NGO with over 40 years of experience in protecting vulnerable children and youth. Active in Ethiopia for more than 20 years, CIFA promotes access to quality education, child protection, gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and inclusive livelihoods. Through its integrated approach, CIFA has developed strong expertise in managing multi-sectoral projects, linking institutional support with grassroots socio-economic inclusion across Addis Ababa, Amhara, Dire Dawa, Harari, and Oromia.

Project

The 18-month CAI-funded project is a multi-regional and multi-country initiative designed to intervene deeply in three core interconnected sectors: Child Protection, Education, and Preventing Irregular Migration. Operating simultaneously in Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Dessie (Amhara), the project aims to strengthen local protection mechanisms, enhance access to inclusive education, and mitigate the root causes of irregular migration by fostering sustainable socio-economic alternatives and raising community awareness.

Position

MEAL Officer

Duration Contract

Annual contract, with a 60-day probation period and the possibility of extension depending on funds, performance and project needs.

Location

Addis Ababa: Flexible/Multi-regional field mission (covering Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Dessie-Amhara).

Key Tasks

MEAL System Implementation & Tool Deployment

• Support Framework Execution: Assist the MEAL Coordinator in rolling out the Country-level MEAL Framework across specific project sites.
• MEAL system designing: Design and maintain the project’s Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP), data collection tools, and M&E database.
• Tool Coding & Maintenance: Deploy and manage digital data collection tools structured by the Coordinator using mobile platforms such as ActivityInfo.
• Logframe Tracking: Track project indicators regularly against the established Logical Frameworks (LogFrames) and Indicator Tracking Tables (ITTs).
• Database Updates: Maintain the integrity and routine data entry of the local project databases, feeding accurate inputs up to the national MEAL database.

Data Collection, Quality Assurance, and Field Reporting

• Routine Monitoring: Conduct regular field visits to project sites to verify activity progress, data accuracy, and the school-family monitoring application.
• Data management: Lead routine data collection, Manage digital data collection using Activity Info.
• Surveys & Evaluations: Coordinate the baseline, mid-term, and endline evaluations, including supervising temporary field enumerators and support to external consultants where engaged, and consolidate lessons learned.
• Data quality Assurance: ensure strict adherence to Data Quality Assurance (DQA) protocols, and monthly/quarterly indicator tracking across the target schools.
• Data Cleaning & Analysis: Perform initial data cleaning and basic quantitative/ qualitative analysis on data collected from the field, highlighting trends or deviations to the MEAL Coordinator and the Project Managers.
• Reporting Support: Draft descriptive field monitoring reports and provide verified monthly data inputs to help the Coordinator compile comprehensive reports for the Country Representative and Headquarters.

Accountability, and Beneficiary Feedback

• FCRM Management: Manage the project’s feedback, complaints, and referral tracking system (Online form, hotline and confidential reporting boxes), ensuring timely referral of protection concerns and confidentiality of case data.
• Feedback Logging: Log all community feedback and complaints transparently, resolving routine issues and immediately escalating sensitive matters to the MEAL Coordinator.
• Case Studies: Document success stories, community case studies, and qualitative “lessons learned” during field visits to promote internal learning.

Learning

• Reporting & Documentation: Prepare inputs for Quarterly Technical Updates, the Mid-Term Review, and the Final Completion Report.
• Performance Monitoring & Learning: Facilitate quarterly PMP review meetings and contribute to adaptive management and learning processes.
• Evidence Generation: Ensures that reliable, timely, and disaggregated evidence is generated against the project’s Logical Framework and Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP)

Any other task required by the MEAL Coordinator and the Project Managers.

Remuneration

The employee’s Gross Salary will be € 520.67 [Five hundred twenty euros and sixty‑seven cents ] based on the salary scale of the Organisation (Grade 4 -Step 1) and will be paid at the end of each month to the employee’s bank account.

This gross salary included monthly transport allowance and pension fund as per the law of the Country and medical & life insurance as per the policy CIFA.

Child Safeguarding

CIFA ETS is committed to safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of all children involved in its programs. The successful candidate will be required to adhere to CIFA’s Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct, and the offer of employment is subject to satisfactory reference and background checks.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education:

• University degree in Statistics, Social Sciences, Economics, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Master’s Degree (Asset)

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in mobile data collection setup (ActivityInfo, KoboToolbox, ODK).
• Strong data management skills in MS Excel (formulas, pivot tables, data cleaning).
• Familiarity with basic data analysis or visualization software is a plus.

Soft Skills:

• High attention to detail, strong field-coordination capabilities, and excellent cross-cultural communication skills for engaging with local communities.

Experience

• Minimum of 2–3 years of hands-on experience in M&E/MEAL roles within an NGO environment

Languages

• English: Fluency in written and spoken English is required (essential for professional reporting and data management).
• Amharic: Fluency in Amharic is mandatory.
• Local Languages (Asset): Fluency or working knowledge of regional languages spoken in Amhara (Dessie) or Dire Dawa is highly valued.

Other Requirements

• Software Proficiency: Excellent command of MS Office tools (particularly Excel for data management, plus Word and PowerPoint) and remote collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
• Mobility: High willingness and flexibility to travel frequently for multi-regional field missions across Addis Ababa, Dessie (Amhara), and Dire Dawa to verify data quality and monitor progress.