MEAL Assistant at Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) - 6 Openings

COOPI Cooperazione Internazionale is a humanitarian, non-confessional, and independent organization founded in 1965 in Milan, Italy. For more than 50 years we have been dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and to supporting populations affected by wars, socioeconomic crises, or natural disasters in their path to recovery and sustainable development, by making use of the professionalism of local and international operators, and through our partnerships with public and private bodies and civil society organizations. COOPI- Cooperazione Internazionale started its operations in North-East Nigeria in July 2014 to carry out a rapid evaluation of the most relevant constraints suffered by the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) displaced by the food crisis and the insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin.

COOPI aims to support the most basic and pressing needs of communities affected by the conflict. COOPI is providing multi-sectoral emergency response to the IDPs, returnees, and host population focused on food security, nutrition, protection, and education. COOPI's main area of intervention is Yobe and Borno State and we are also present in Sokoto State, North West.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: MEAL Assistant

Location: COOPI Locations of implementation, Yobe
Slot: 6 Openings
Employment Type: Full-time

Scope of the Vacancy

• The M&E assistant will provide support to multi-sectorial intervention toward IDPs in NE Nigeria, in the design, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of the program by managing data including Complain and feedback management and facilitating program implementation at the LGA level, under the guidance and direct supervision of the Project and M&E Officers.
• The M&E Assistant will be responsible for monitoring data gathering, analysis, and reporting.
• She/he will assist in tracking the progress of key indicators and provide timely reports to the M&E Officer.
• He/she will also be responsible for the collection and resolution of complaints in the field.
• He/she will ensure the accuracy of complaint registration and provision of feedback to beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries.

Main Responsibilities and Tasks

• Working under the supervision and guidance of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer, the MEAL Assistant will be based in Yobe State and any of the LGAs of implementation which are Yusufari, Yunusari, Fika, Fune, Nangere and Geidam.
• The MEAL Assistant will work closely with all program staff in the field to implement all MEAL commitments and improve program quality through enhanced data management systems and processes supporting WFP Project under activity I&II grant.
• The Assistant will support the MEAL officer in managing day-to-day MEAL tasks arising in the Field Office and providing technical support to field teams to ensure effective project implementation.

Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the CRM Officer and the MEAL Officer, and in collaboration with other collaborators of the projects and of the Base, She/he will:

• Receive and maintain clean data source documents from field staff.
• Ensure proper filing and storage of MEAL documents, including CFM databases, questionnaires, monitoring reports, and datasets, among others.
• Actively participate in sensitization and information sharing sessions for the beneficiaries and the communities related to their right to file complaints and receive feedback.
• Maintenance of an effective record and filing system for all complaints solved and pending issues including correspondences and other related documents for quick and easy reference.
• Report any issue which needs immediate action to the MEAL Officer and follow up on the resolution of such issues.
• Support the program team in facilitating the process of setting up Complaint Response Mechanism at Ward/ LGA level and handling complaint/ feedback.
• Be in charge of providing feedback to the complainants when complaints are resolved, with the support of the Food Management Committees
• With support from the MEAL Officer, conduct capacity building and mentorship to field staff.
• Keep the MEAL and other CFM databases up-to-date and support program staff prepare periodic high quality reports.
• Assist program staff during survey planning and implementation, especially preparing needed logistics and participating in data collection and cleaning.
• Develop project monitoring and evaluation tools with support from M&E Officer and Project Lead.
• Maintain confidentiality and observe data protection and other associated guidelines.
• Support MEAL officer in the compilation of Monthly, Quarterly, Biannual, and annual reports by providing timely, accurate, and updated data.
• Support project teams to prepare activity reports and documentation of best practices, lessons learned, assessment reports.
• In collaboration with the MEAL Officer, develop data templates to capture and store data in a mild form.
• Verify data by comparing it to source documents.
• Retrieve data from the database or electronic files as requested.
• Perform regular backups to ensure data preservation.
• Sort and organize paperwork after entering data to ensure it is not lost.
• Process data for use by, among other things disaggregating by gender, age, or any additional description as required by end-users.
• Organize the transferred data into relevant formats and computer files or database systems using appropriate IT.
• Supervise staff and enumerators on data collection and handling.

Profile of the Candidate (Education, Training, Competences, Skills)
Minimum Requirements:

• Undergraduate Degree / Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation, Sociology, Economics, Rural Development, Development Studies, Project Management, Statistics, Demographics, or any other relevant field.
• A minimum of 1 - 2 years of work experience and experience in M&E is preferred and with previous experience working in developmental projects.

Skills & Experience:
Essential:

• Fluency required (verbal and written), and the ability to read and write in English.
• Ability to manage, track and report on program data; proficiency with Excel in monitoring and analyzing data.
• Strong writing and communication skills, including familiarity with writing funder reports, SOPs, and other program management documents. 
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment and meet strict deadlines.
• Excellent critical thinking skills; ability to multi-task.
• Knowledge of Electronic Data collection tools.
• Knowledge of the local language (Hausa and Kanuri).
• Willing and able to be based and travel regularly within remote areas, where services are limited.

Application Closing Date
5th February, 2025.