MEAL and Knowledge Management Manager

MEAL and Knowledge Management Manager

Apply before:  31st January 2024
S.W. Nepal Pvt. Ltd. (Scott Wilson Nepal)
USAID Local Works Support
TERMS OF REFERENCE

Position: MEAL and Knowledge Management Manager, USAID Local Works Support
Duty Station: Scott Wilson Nepal Office, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu (Central Office), with frequent field visits to provinces and municipalities
Contract: 1 year (extendable to 5 years based on performance)
Salary: An attractive salary with additional benefits including a provident fund, gratuity fund, festival allowance, and medical and accidental insurance will be provided. Applicable taxes shall be deducted as per the law of Nepal.
Working Days: 5 days a week (Mon-Friday, 900 a.m. to 530 p.m.)
Reporting to: Chief of Party (COP), USAID Local Works Support

Introduction:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Nepal has awarded S.W. Nepal Pvt. Ltd. (Scott Wilson Nepal/SWN), as prime contractor, a contract to provide dedicated, long-term support to USAID’s flagship locally-led development program, Local Works. This five-year initiative commences from January 8, 2024.

Local Works is a locally-led development program aimed at capacitating local actors—including individuals, communities, networks, civil society organizations (CSOs), private entities, and governments—to take the lead in the development process, including priority setting, developing solutions, decision-making, and overall management. Since 2015, Local Works has operated in 32 countries, aligning with legislation from Congress to integrate locally-led development practice into the agency’s operations and programs, reflecting what Administrator Samantha Power states: “If we truly want to make aid inclusive, local voices need to be at the center of everything we do.”

The USAID Local Works Support, facilitated by S.W. Nepal Pvt. Ltd., will offer important services such as organizational capacity development (OCD), third-party monitoring, risk assessment, and local works coordination. More specifically, USAID Local Works Support will assess and capacitate local actors in areas like human resource management, financial management, and operations. This initiative aims to improve cooperation, coordination, and co-creation among local actors, including the USAID Mission to Nepal, local beneficiaries, and local governments. This will be achieved through targeted communication, outreach, and information-sharing activities. All activities and components under the Local Works Support will be underpinned with a focused effort to raise awareness and uphold gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).

Purpose of the Position:

MEAL and Knowledge Management Manager will lead Component C, focusing on monitoring, evaluation, and knowledge management activities. This includes designing the MEAL system aligned with the program’s logic model, leading data collection and analysis, and ensuring timely, accurate, and complete reporting. They will also supervise the communications and outreach officer and the knowledge documentation and reporting officer, fostering effective knowledge sharing and stakeholder engagement.

Scope of Work (SoW) and Responsibilities:

The service may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:

• The MEAL and Knowledge Management Manager is accountable for ensuring the successful development and implementation of the MEAL strategy and work plan of Local Works Support activities, ensuring USAID/Nepal and program standards are fully met.
• Provide significant support to the Chief of Party (CoP) to identify and implement key inputs needed for the effective delivery of the Local Works Support.
• Lead and support coordination, dialogue, and learning among Local Works implementing partners.
• Ensure the quality and standards of Local Works Support deliverables, including outputs, narratives, and financial reports, among others.
• Conduct communication and outreach activities to promote the success and results of the Local Works program.
• Support the MEAL and associated reporting needs for Local Works implementing partners.
• Support Local Works implementing partners to document learning and good practices for global sharing.
• Improve Local Works implementation of partners’ organizational MEAL systems.
• Support MEAL and associated reporting needs for local work-implementing partners.
• Develop a procedure for OCD of the organization and train OCD managers in mentoring the Local Works implementing partners.
• Ensure data quality and support USAID reporting requirements.
• Ensure gender and social implications or opportunities in the local work activities.
• Support Implementing Partners to improve their ability to employ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA).
• Liaise between Local Works implementing partners and other USAID partners to leverage opportunities for synergy and up-scale good practices.
• Lead the communication and outreach to promote the success and results of the LWS.
• Support COP in the day-to-day operation and management of the LWS office and partnerships.
• Any other related tasks assigned by COP or SWN management within the scope of the project.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in economics, monitoring and evaluation, political science, international relations, development studies, or other related fields.
• At least 8 years of experience in the development sector, civil society, or government, with a preference for candidates who have led Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) initiatives for a medium- to large-scale development program in Nepal. The candidate must have a minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible roles in knowledge management within the broader 8 years of experience. Strong conceptual knowledge about theories of change (ToC), logical frameworks, results-based management (RBM), MEAL plans, data quality assurance, data collection and analysis, and other MEAL-related ideas.
• Demonstrated professional experience and expertise in the design and delivery of MEAL systems and strategies.
• Strong experience in oversight and/or use of MEAL-related information systems, including expertise in analyzing and reporting on MEAL data.
• Strong leadership ability and experience in handling medium- to large-scale projects and teams of researchers and officers.

Core Competencies and Technical Expertise

• Excellent ability to work effectively under pressure, prioritize and implement multiple tasks within strict deadlines, and produce high-quality deliverables.
• Strong training, capacity-building, and facilitation expertise
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Nepali
• Strong at using MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint.
• Proactive and detail-oriented individual with a dedication to identifying solutions to problems.
• Ability and willingness for field travel.
• Positive attitude and a good sense of humor.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by emailing your CV, indicating your current address in Kathmandu, no later than January 31, 2024, at lws@swnepal.com.np, before 5 p.m. A cover letter is not required at this stage.

Only shortlisted candidates who meet the criteria will be contacted for the interview. We encourage candidates of diverse backgrounds, including women and those who are differently abled, to apply.

The potential applicants are encouraged to visit www.swnepal.com.np for more details on our team, location, and services.

Tagged as: Kathmandu, Meal Manager