MEAL Consultant

Background

Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) is an independent non-profit organisation comprised of human rights lawyers and jurists. working in fragile and conflict affected areas in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. We have a particular focus on gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence, rule of law and accountability, human rights abuses and violations, and transformative justice, working to bring justice to those who need it most. Our activities are centred around four mutually reinforcing pillars: (1) Legal empowerment and legal aid, providing legal information, assistance and representation to individuals and communities to facilitate their access to justice and thereby empowering them to assert their rights, including through (2) Strategic litigation, as a method for combating impunity for the perpetrators of atrocity crimes and for precipitating significant changes in the law, practice, or public awareness, (3) Strategic Advocacy, along with our national partners to promote human rights and the rule of law, often linked to strategic litigation cases, and (4) Technical assistance, to justice institutions, law faculties and national partners to strengthen their ability to deliver survivor-centred and effective justice.

LAW is seeking monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) consultants to join us. The consultants will work closely with the field and partner staff. We are offering a fixed-fee framework agreement for a minimum of one year (renewable with mutual agreement and subject to funding). Individual assignments with clear deliverables, timescales and costs will be commissioned under the framework agreement based on the requirements of our country programmes. Our programme counties include the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and whilst some work can be done remotely, some travel may be necessary. The consultant will have in-depth experience of conducting various MEAL tasks, and experience working in conflict and post conflict countries, with local civil society organisations, in one or several of LAW’s focus areas. LAW is in particular seeking consultants with experience and in-depth knowledge of East Africa contexts.

Position Description

Reports to:

Operations Director for overall framework agreement

Country’s Programme Managers or Executive Director for individual assignments

Duration:

12 months renewable subject to performance and funding

Location:

Remote. Travel to LAW programme locations and country offices may be required depending on assignment

Hours:

To reflect the agreed upon assignment

Flexible / Daily rate

Functions/Key Deliverables:

The Consultant will perform a range of activities which will vary depending on the assignment, but may include any or all of the following:

• Design and implement mid-term and/or final evaluations of projects.
• Prepare monitoring and evaluation reports for LAW and LAW’s donors and provide concrete recommendations to improve LAW’s programme design and delivery.
• Prepare MEAL plans for LAW’s programmes and projects, develop and implement methodologies and standards for monitoring and evaluating project activities and improving data quality, develop presentations and written reports based on findings.
• Advise and support LAW’s and its local partners’ teams to design, implement and improve monitoring frameworks.
• Advise and support LAW’s and its local partners’ team to design, implement and improve accountability frameworks.
• Design and support qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis in support of research projects and baseline surveys.
• Design baseline and beneficiaries’ surveys, pre and post training tests, feedback mechanisms and any other monitoring and accountability tool required.
• Provide technical advice on proposals, in particular result frameworks and MEAL frameworks, and support the development of the logframe, including indicators allowing LAW to adequately measure the results and impact of its projects.
• Develop and improve systems to store, manage and retrieve monitoring and evaluation information and data.
• Collate and analyse monitoring and evaluation data from partners and other sources and provide reporting on projects’ outcomes.
• Identify risks to projects’ ability to report on outputs, outcomes and impact.
• Advise and support LAW in the development of learning frameworks, support LAW to integrate learning at every stage of the project cycle to improve the design of projects and their integration in larger programming.
• Develop presentations and written reports on lessons learned.
• Other related outputs as agreed upon between the consultant and LAW.

Experience, Skills and Qualifications Required:

• Master’s degree in law, development studies, social science, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in the humanitarian or development sector, in MEAL or being involved in strategic decision-making processes and at senior management level in projects involving transitional justice, legal aid, Human Rights, GBV, gender equality and vulnerable groups more generally.
• Minimum five years’ experience in monitoring and evaluations in the humanitarian or development sector, with a record of monitoring projects and conducting evaluations of project with an emphasis one or several of LAW’s areas of focus.
• Experience working across insecure or conflict-affected and fragile environments and demonstrated understanding of protection challenges in various complex operating environments.
• Excellent drafting and communication skills, including fluency in English.
• Excellent relationship management skills and experience working with civil society organisations at the grassroot level.