MEAL Officer – RCCE, Accountability & Protection (Bunia)

The MEAL Officer – RCCE, Accountability & Protection supports the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning activities related to risk communication and community engagement, feedback mechanisms, and integrated protection components in the Ebola response in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. The role involves data collection, analysis, reporting, and coordination with teams and partners to ensure quality and timely information to adapt interventions effectively.

Responsibilities

• Implement MEAL system for RCCE, accountability and integrated protection activities according to logical framework, MEAL plan and quality standards of Ebola response.
• Collaborate with RCCE and Protection teams to harmonize indicators, data sources, disaggregation, collection frequency, reporting responsibilities and quality criteria.
• Develop and maintain consolidated database covering community dialogues, sensitization sessions, trainings, protection and MHPSS activities, feedback and complaints, rumors, community perceptions, referrals and follow-up actions.
• Digitize monitoring tools in CommCare integrating validation rules, unique IDs and controls to reduce errors and duplicates.
• Ensure operational use of CommCare, data synchronization and verification, user support and rapid reporting of anomalies and adjustment needs to MEAL Manager.
• Update Indicator Tracking Table, reach tracker, master lists of sites and partners and dashboards ensuring accuracy of targets, achievements, locations, periods and disaggregation.
• Monitor activities related to protection risk mitigation, MHPSS, safeguarding, PSEA and referral mechanisms and analyze their quality, accessibility, safety and relevance for different at-risk groups.
• Ensure protection data collection, storage, analysis and sharing comply with consent, confidentiality, data minimization, information security and do no harm principles.
• Ensure sensitive complaints related to safeguarding, PSEA, GBV and child protection are immediately referred to approved confidential mechanisms without investigation or unnecessary data collection.
• Produce aggregated analyses protecting identities and present results, trends, risks and recommendations in program reviews to guide intervention adaptation.
• Support adaptation and implementation of SOPs and feedback and complaints plans for Ebola response.
• Contribute to establishment and strengthening of safe, confidential, accessible and context-appropriate feedback and complaints mechanisms including hotlines, info points, suggestion boxes, community sessions and digital channels where feasible.
• Collect, record, categorize and track feedback, complaints, information requests and concerns from all channels ensuring referral, processing and closure within agreed timelines.
• Ensure mechanisms are accessible to women, girls, children, persons with disabilities, displaced persons, isolated communities, survivors, health staff and other at-risk groups.
• Maintain updated registers of feedback, complaints and referrals, monitor response times and closure rates and produce regular analyses to improve quality, safety and accessibility of services.
• Ensure feedback to communities on responses to their concerns respecting confidentiality and do no harm principle.
• Establish systematic monitoring of rumors, misinformation, concerns, information needs, trust levels and barriers to preventive behavior adoption.
• Monitor reach, quality, relevance and inclusiveness of community dialogues, home visits, sensitization sessions, radio broadcasts and activities with community leaders and structures.
• Conduct or support feedback sessions, focus groups, key informant interviews, mini-surveys and other community consultations to understand perceptions, priorities and barriers faced by populations.
• Analyze and triangulate rumors and perceptions by zone, population group, channel, theme and risk level and immediately report critical or sensitive rumors.
• Produce regular summaries on rumors, perceptions and information needs to help RCCE teams adapt messages, communication channels, target groups and community engagement approaches.
• Ensure community monitoring results are discussed in response management meetings and used to strengthen trust, intervention acceptance and safe service access.
• Train and support IRC teams, partners and community relays on data collection tools, feedback categories, referral, safe and ethical collection, confidentiality, data protection and use of results.
• Support partners to establish functional feedback mechanisms, document responses and submit quality data on time.
• Collaborate closely with RCCE, Protection, IPC/WASH, partnerships and operations teams to ensure coordinated response to community concerns.
• Promote a positive, inclusive, respectful and gender-sensitive work environment.

Requirements

• At least one year of relevant experience in MEAL, accountability/AAP, RCCE, community mobilization, protection, social sciences or related field; two years or more preferred.
• Experience in collecting and analyzing community feedback, facilitating focus groups or consultations with affected populations.
• Experience implementing complaints and feedback mechanisms, RCCE monitoring or protection activities in humanitarian contexts is desirable.
• Experience in epidemic response, public health emergency or insecure contexts is an advantage.
• Good understanding of accountability to affected populations, community communication, safe feedback collection and protection principles.
• Excellent facilitation skills and ability to engage respectfully with women, children, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups.
• Ability to handle sensitive information discreetly, apply referral mechanisms and strictly respect confidentiality.
• Good proficiency in Excel, Word and PowerPoint; experience with CommCare, Kobo, Power BI or similar tools highly desirable.
• Strong analytical, writing, presentation, organizational and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure.
• University or technical degree in monitoring and evaluation, social sciences, communication, social work, human rights, public health, community development or related field.
• Fluent French required; professional knowledge of English desired.
• Proficiency in Swahili and/or other local languages of Ituri strongly desired.

Skills

• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Accountability to Affected Populations
• Risk communication and community engagement
• Community Feedback Collection
• Focus Group Facilitation
• Complaint and Feedback Mechanisms
• RCCE Monitoring
• Protection Activities
• Epidemic Response
• Public Health Emergency Management
• Data Analysis
• Referral Mechanisms
• Confidentiality Management
• Excel
• Word
• Power Point
• CommCare
• Kobo
• Power BI
• Report Writing
• Presentation Skills

Languages

French, English, Swahili