MEAL Officer – IPC/WASH (Bunia)

The MEAL Officer – IPC/WASH supports the implementation of monitoring systems for IPC/WASH interventions in health facilities and community sites, ensuring data quality, digitalization, and analysis to guide the Ebola response in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. The role involves close collaboration with health and WASH teams, authorities, and partners to ensure harmonized monitoring and data-driven decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Implement the monitoring system for IPC/WASH interventions in health facilities and community sites supported by IRC and partners according to the MEAL plan, logical framework and Ebola response requirements.
• Develop and maintain a consolidated database to track activities, supported sites, trainings, supervisions, distributions of inputs and PPE, triage and WASH works, hygiene committees and corrective actions.
• Digitalize monitoring tools in CommCare integrating validation controls, unique identifiers and duplication reduction mechanisms.
• Ensure use of IRC's IPC Toolkit v2 for health facility assessments and maintain data quality, synchronization and exploitation.
• Update Indicator Tracking Table, reach tracker, master site lists and dashboards ensuring accuracy of targets, achievements, locations, periods and disaggregations.
• Regularly compare planned activities to achievements, identify implementation gaps and report actions requiring decisions or follow-up by Health/WASH and MEAL teams.
• Plan and conduct IPC assessments in health facilities coordinating with Health/WASH teams and health authorities using IRC's IPC Toolkit v2 and Ministry of Health IPC tools as appropriate.
• Harmonize approaches, indicators and collection methods to avoid duplication, strengthen national ownership and ensure comparability of results.
• Ensure reliable data collection on key IPC domains including screening, triage and isolation, hygiene, cleaning and PPE, water, sanitation, healthcare waste management and IPC governance.
• Analyze scores, deviations from standards and trends to identify critical risks, intervention priorities and support needs at health facilities.
• Contribute with Health and WASH Coordinators to develop recovery and improvement plans based on assessment results and monitor agreed actions, deadlines and progress.
• Ensure assessment results guide operational planning, prioritization of infrastructure and equipment, resource allocation and response adaptation.
• Implement regular quality controls to ensure completeness, accuracy, consistency, timeliness, validity and integrity of data from IRC teams and partners.
• Conduct field verifications and cross-checks between digital data, registers, activity reports, attendance lists, distribution forms and other primary sources and document corrections.
• Maintain databases, trackers, verification sources and dashboards applying appropriate backup, version control and access management procedures.
• Analyze data by health facility, health zone, partner, activity and period to monitor coverage, results, gaps, trends and corrective action progress.
• Update Power BI dashboards and other visualization products and produce clear summaries for monitoring meetings, internal and donor reports and performance reviews.
• Present key results and recommendations to MEAL and Health/WASH teams and promote their use for decision-making and continuous quality improvement.
• Ensure secure and confidential data management in line with IRC policies, especially for sensitive patient, health staff and incident information.
• Train and support IRC teams, partners, enumerators and health facility staff on monitoring tools, CommCare, indicator definitions, IPC assessments and data quality requirements.
• Provide practical support during digital tool deployment and initial data collections and ensure ongoing coaching to improve quality, consistency and timeliness of reporting.
• Collaborate with health authorities and partners to harmonize IRC tools with national systems, strengthen data flows and avoid duplication of data collection.
• Participate in planning meetings, program reviews and project cycle meetings to present results, gaps and priority follow-up actions.
• Contribute to an inclusive, respectful, collaborative and problem-solving work environment.

Requirements

• At least one year of relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation, data management, public health, WASH or related field; two or more years of experience is desirable.
• Experience in primary data collection, quality control, and reporting in humanitarian or health contexts.
• Experience in monitoring health facilities, IPC, WASH in health, or epidemic response is a significant advantage.
• Experience working with field teams, health structures, public authorities or local partners is desirable.
• Practical knowledge of indicators, monitoring plans, activity databases, digital data collection tools, quality controls and descriptive analyses.
• Practical experience with CommCare or similar mobile platform including form configuration, testing and deployment; knowledge of Power BI or visualization tools is desirable.
• Good command of Microsoft Excel and Word with demonstrated ability to structure and maintain databases, produce tracking tables, charts and clear reports.
• Ability to rigorously observe facilities, document evidence, identify inconsistencies and follow up corrective actions.
• Organizational skills, attention to detail, autonomy, flexibility and ability to work under pressure in an evolving environment.
• University or technical degree in monitoring and evaluation, public health, nursing, hygiene, WASH, environment, statistics, data management or related field.
• Fluent French required; professional knowledge of English desirable.
• Knowledge of Swahili and/or other local languages of Ituri is highly desirable.

Skills

• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Data Management
• Public Health Monitoring
• WASH Monitoring and Evaluation
• Primary Data Collection
• Quality Control
• Reporting in Humanitarian Contexts
• Health Facility Monitoring
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Epidemic Response
• Field Team Coordination
• Indicator Development
• Monitoring Plans
• Activity Databases
• Digital Data Collection
• Descriptive Data Analysis
• CommCare
• Form Configuration
• Form Testing and Deployment
• Power BI
• Data Visualization
• MS Excel
• Database Management
• Report Writing
• Facility Observation
• Evidence Documentation
• Corrective Action Follow-up

Languages

French, English, Swahili