ar Child Canada works with war-affected communities to help children reclaim their childhood through access to education, opportunity, and justice. War Child Canada has over 15 years of experience working in communities in conflict and post-conflict zones. All work is implemented in direct partnership with local communities, local civil society organizations and other stakeholders using a child-centered approach to development. War Child Canada currently works in Afghanistan, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Yemen, and is registered Canadian charity based in Toronto

War Child Canada’s flagship Afghanistan program advances social impact in the lives of vulnerable children, women and their families through its Justice, Education and Opportunity programs with child protection and gender across all its programs. The Afghanistan Country Program is currently undergoing an exciting expansion with newly secured long-term funding for programs in eight provinces Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Balkh, Samangan, Logar and Badakhshan, and will expand its program to other new provinces.

Position Summary:

The central purpose of this position is to assist Country Director and team in country office to establish and maintain MEAL system for Justice, Education and Opportunity programs with child protection and gender as cross-cutting themes in all War Child Canada’s programs. He/ She will support project staff in technical MEAL issues as well as to ensure sound technical quality of legal and reproductive health rights, psychosocial, youth empowerment and capacity building, mother and child health care, rights and protection and livelihood components. This will include thorough analysis of data and information from regular field monitoring visits and periodic evaluations and assessments to support and stimulate project staff and communities to plan and consider how they can further improve the program of the targeted communities and mobilize resources to implement MEAL activities effectively in all levels. The position is responsible for management and oversight of the PQAL team and as well as PQAL activities with reports to the Afghanistan Country Director and is supported technically by the M&E Specialists in WCC’s HQ in Canada.

Responsibilities:

Technical Support and Strategic Planning Management:

• Lead and support War Child Canada PQAL team in regular projects’ monitoring, data collection and analysis, effective dissemination and application of findings, and lesson learned.
• Provide technical support for developing, reviewing, and updating M&E tools and documents, mainly on designing clear objectives, results, and indicators.
• Provide technical support in conducting situation analysis, mainly in designing study methodologies, tools and sampling strategies.
• Support, develop and implement internal mechanisms for instructional learning, quality control mechanisms and programmatic integration. 
• Review and ensure high quality of program/project logframes, results frameworks.
• Provide technical support in developing MEAL monthly and weekly action plan based on project implementation team.
• Facilitate quarterly, annual and midterm end of project review meetings and workshops to enable progress and outcome level reflection with project teams and relevant stakeholders.
• Actively participate in and assist the development and review of Country Annual Plans (CAPs) and Country Annul Reports (CARs) and lead the processes of setting and reviewing MEAL goals, plans, beneficiary targets and reach.

Monitoring, Conducting Studies and Reporting:

• Provide technical support in developing Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning Plan for program and projects.
• Provide technical support in conducting baseline and end-line studies mainly on methodologies, tools and sampling strategies.
• Develop monitoring tools or data collection tools for justice, education, health and opportunity themes.
• Support the Head of Program and Project Managers in the preparation of donor and WCC internal project narrative reports (monthly, quarterly, annual, mid-term and end line) ensuring quality and accuracy of MEAL data and information.
• Working closely and in consultation with Head of Program, Program and Project Managers, organize and facilitate the progress of quarterly, bi-annual, annual, mid-term and end of project review and reflection meetings.
• Ensure that deliberations, outcomes and agreed action points of project review and reflection meetings are properly documented and actions points are followed up and implemented.
•  Use Kobo toolbox for collecting, analysing and managing data. Develop Indicators Performance Tracking Table for each program intervention.
• Provide qualitative and quantitative data for new proposals or new initiatives as per the need.
• Provide technical support on collecting data and managing reporting requirements on War Child Canada core indicators.
• Conduct field monitoring visits from the project sites on a regular basis.
• Collect qualitative and quantitative data as per the developed data set through tablets.

Accountability and Program Quality:

• Ensure that War Child Canada MEAL Team and partners’ MEAL staff at Country and provincial levels have clear understanding on program accountability to children and communities through training, mentoring, and coaching.
• Ensure that an effective system for Feedback and Complaint mechanism established and functioning at the program implementation levels. Ensure that feedback, suggestion and inputs from the targeted communities and beneficiaries are registered, recorded, and maintained properly.
• Follow up and support for the research on feedback, suggestions and inputs take place to ensure the accuracy and truthiness of feedback, suggestion, and inputs within the community.
• Ensure that periodic MEAL reports are shared and debriefed at different levels; action plans for addressing the quality gaps or any shortfalls are developed and followed up.
• Share the experiences on MEAL to War Child Canada and its implementing partner and bring new experiences and innovative ideas for improving the accountability system in country office program.
• Support WCC and implementing partner, Project Managers and team in the development, and review of project work and activity plans, and monitoring of progress against workplans.

Evaluations and Learning:

• Provide technical support in conducting/facilitating strategic program evaluations mainly across Justice, Education and Opportunity pillars.
• Provide technical support for conducting midterm as well as final project evaluations as per the project’s requirements. A thorough reviewing of evaluation ToRs, developing methodologies, and sampling strategy.
• Take lead on writing assessment reports and de-brief the findings to MEAL team, program implementation team and War Child Canada implementing partners’ staff.
• Provide support to Program managers in conducting lessons learned workshops.

Providing technical support to War Child Canada’s Implementation team:

• Provide MEAL technical assistance to partners’ MEAL and project implementation team and CSOs as per the need.
• Provide MEAL capacity building training to War Child Canada’s implementation staff and CSOs and implementing partners if applicable.
• Provide orientation session on data collection tools and MEAL planning to War Child Canada’s implementing staff.
• Provide training on on-line system and make sure the system is updated and running smoothly.

Job Requirements

Academic Background and Knowledge:

• Bachelor’s Degree preferably in relevant disciplines (e.g. business administration, Social Science, development studies, research methods). Master’s degree in relevant field is preferable.
• Additional qualification or certification of Project Management Professionals or any Monitoring & Evaluation related programming is highly desirable.
• At least 5-6 years of working experience preferably with INGOs in Monitoring and Evaluation.
• Expertise in capacity assessment, training, monitoring, and evaluation.

Skills:

• Excellent communication skills both in writing and oral including presentation, networking, and interpersonal skills: English, Pashto, Dari
• Experience and knowledge of monitoring evaluation accountability and learning
• Strong critical thinking and reasoning skills.
• Strong writing, proofreading, and organizational skills, as well as the ability to speak clearly and persuasively.
• Excellent computer, MS office skills.
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and meeting of deadlines.
• Good reporting skills including report compilation, analysis, and presentation.
• Culture sensitive and respect for local norms.
• Keeping confidentiality and privacy.
• Willingness to travel and stay in remote areas and inhospitable environment.
• Commitment to and understanding of War Child Canada’s aims, values, and principles.

Interested applicants are invited to send their resume and motivation letter electronically to:  kabulhr@wcc-afg.org 

War Child Canada is an equal opportunity employer; qualified Afghan women are strongly encouraged to apply.

The closing date is February 09, 2024 Please ensure your application email has the subject heading of ‘Program Quality, Accountability and Learning (PQAL) Manager VA # HR/WCC-010'. Otherwise, your application will not be considered. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be notified. No phone calls please.

For more information about War Child Canada, please visit www.warchild.ca