MEAL Officer – AHEAD Project

About the role

The MEAL Officer will lead Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning activities for the AHEAD project, a multi‑year initiative that aims to shift humanitarian response from reactive aid to proactive, anticipatory action, particularly in conflict‑induced displacement contexts.

Key responsibilities

• Design and lead country‑level impact evaluations in Somalia, including tool development, sampling, statistical and qualitative analysis to compare anticipatory action with reactive response.
• Manage quantitative data collection through KoBo and conduct disaggregated analysis by age, gender and diversity.
• Facilitate ground‑truthing by validating AI‑driven forecasts against community early‑warning indicators.
• Organise after‑action reviews, contribute to case studies and support cross‑country learning via the AHEAD MEAL Technical Working Group.
• Document co‑design of AAPs and AA mechanisms, track national endorsement and advocate for evidence‑based funding decisions.
• Implement Community Feedback Mechanisms, including call centres and help desks, to ensure safe and inclusive interventions.
• Monitor project indicators such as forecasting accuracy, stakeholder use of forecasts and beneficiary perceptions.
• Conduct value‑for‑money and financial output analyses to compare proactive and reactive approaches.
• Support hard‑to‑reach assessments and develop access strategies for vulnerable populations.
• Train staff, partners and community committees on MEAL tools, data handling (GDPR) and conflict‑sensitive monitoring.
• Compile evidence and learning reports for national and global forums.

Required profile

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in Monitoring & Evaluation, Social Sciences, Development Studies or related field.
• Proven experience designing and implementing impact evaluations in humanitarian settings.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to manage large datasets and conduct statistical analysis.
• Familiarity with anticipatory action concepts and conflict‑induced displacement.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder‑engagement abilities.

Required skills

• KoBo data collection platform
• Statistical analysis (quantitative and qualitative)
• AI‑driven machine‑learning forecasting validation
• Financial and value‑for‑money analysis
• GDPR‑compliant data handling