MEAL Officer

Base: Mykolaiv

Starting date: February 2026

Contract duration: 3-month probation period with possible extension after successful completion

About PIN Ukraine:

People in Need (PIN) has been active in Ukraine since early August 2014. Currently, PIN is one of the major humanitarian actors in Ukraine responding to the recent military escalation providing humanitarian aid to conflict-affected people across Ukraine. 

PIN is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic. PIN encourages applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds and values diversity.

General information about the role of the person: 

Under overall supervision of the MEAL Coordinator, the MEAL Officer designs, implements and keeps close track of the MEAL system under the dedicated project BHA Dovira 2 and/or sectoral programming for which she/he acts as the MEAL Focal Point. She/he provides technical support and guidance to the project teams assigned. The MEAL Officer also plays an important role in improving program information management and data quality, and in strengthening knowledge sharing and learning across the organization and communities. The MEAL Officer assumes responsibility for full-cycle monitoring of assigned programs and implementing of appropriate MEAL activities. 

Reporting relations and interdependencies with other functions: 

Internal relations:

• Internally, the MEAL Officer cooperates with the MEAL department and relevant program and operation team members to support timely and quality implementation of the MEAL activities. The MEAL Officer directly reports to the MEAL coordinator, depending on the current PIN Country Program structure.   

External relations:

• Externally, once needed and requested, might coordinate with external parties, such as implementing partner organization, consortium partners, sub-grantees and other stakeholders.  

Specific duties and responsibilities:  

Quality MEAL system management:

• Collaborates with program staff to ensure timely execution of assigned MEAL activities as well as smooth cooperation between the MEAL team and project team; 

• Analyses monitoring information and findings, ensures preparation of MEAL related reports, including field, baseline, post intervention monitoring-PIM/post distribution monitoring-PDM, endline, and evaluation reports, analyses monitoring information and findings, and provides recommendations as required for project planning, performance management, and reporting. Ensures that findings and recommendations are shared with relevant project managers (PMs) and project team; The process includes:  

• preparation of the MEAL data collection tools; 

• mobilisation and training of enumerators;  

• facilitating survey activities through ensuring clear instructions, coordination and other necessary support to the enumerators;  

• planning data collection activities in cooperation with the relevant project team, Civil Society Organization (CSO) and/or sub-grantee(s)/implementing partner(s); 

• providing technical means for conducting surveys (inclusive of preparing and providing smartphones, tablets); 

• ensuring daily updates on progress and challenges to the MEAL Coordinator; 

• analysing data obtained during data collection activities and secondary data review as well as drafting monitoring reports; 

• ensuring proper dissemination of findings and recommendations that result from MEAL activities, including organizing feedback sessions/workshops with project teams; 

• following up on the execution of the recommendations provided to the project team or based on team hierarchy handing on the recommendations to senior MEAL colleagues to follow up with the project team; 

• Supports the conduct of data quality assessments, including cross-checking of means of verification, to ensure evidence-based programming; 

• Supports project staff in needs assessment studies; supports in designing the tools for needs assessment and in carrying out quantitative and qualitative data collection exercises; 

• Provides support to the MEAL Coordinator in analysing existing tools and procedures and developing new tools for the MEAL related activities as requested. Critically assesses the tools, methods and data collection practice in everyday work in the field to improve the existing methodologies; 

• Provides MEAL related inputs to project proposals and checks that the donor requirements are taken into consideration; 

• Supports organized storage of data collected and ensures that all the data related to the projects is updated and archived in PIN internal archiving system (ELO) according to PIN Data Protection policies uses Sharepoint to store working documentation;   

• Identifies potential risks in the MEAL activities and takes proactive steps to mitigate those risks. 

Project progress tracking and reporting:

• Engages in providing regular technical support in routine and results-based monitoring to project team, including interpretation of findings, formulating recommendations and meaningful reporting on indicators; 

• Performs and organizes field-monitoring visits to assess progress of the project implementation using standard monitoring and evaluation tools and methodologies, including surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, etc; 

• Prepares and submits monitoring reports to the project team and other relevant team members to follow up on the main findings and recommendations. Ensures consistency in feedback utilization by the project team.   

Organizational learning and capacity-building:

• Promotes and strengthens understanding of the importance of MEAL among other PIN’s staff in the country program; 

• Supports and mainstreams learning efforts at PIN country program: a) identifies key learning areas for ongoing and new projects, b) mainstreams learning aspects in existing MEAL frameworks, studies, analyses, reporting and learning-related events, c)contributes to reflection workshops to ensure adaptation and integration of the findings in the current and future projects. The MEAL Officer contributes to lessons-learnt on programmatic level; 

• Engages in maintaining overview of lessons learnt in MEAL, promotes good practices and identifies ways to strengthen the planning, monitoring and evaluation processes within the project(s); 

• Engages in preparing presentation of evaluation(s)/ other MEAL activities and findings for internal sharing and a brief fact sheet for external use; 

• Pays special attention to and organizes capacity building of staff of CSOs/ PIN sub-grantees in the domain of MEAL; facilitates quality improvement in MEAL of partner CSOs. 

Accountability, use and dissemination of findings:

• Supports the project teams in strengthening the accountability mechanisms at project level, including performing beneficiary verification process such as initial data collection, eligibility assessment, identity verification, data validation and cross-checking etc.  

• Closely works with project team and CFRM team to ensure CFRM is included in a well-established manner across the projects; 

• In case of being the CFRM focal point, participates in collecting beneficiary feedback received through the PIN community feedback and response mechanism, as well as through observation and direct interaction with beneficiaries during site visits. Supports the reception of feedback and responds to complaints and feedback from beneficiaries and other stakeholders; if necessary and where she/he is not the CFRM focal point, replaces CFRM Hotline Operator/CFRM Assistant in his/her duties. 

HR management:

• Recruits or participates in recruitment of personnel (e.g. the MEAL Assistants, enumerators) dedicated to data collection exercises in the field; she/he directly manages (if relevant) the MEAL Assistants, and external enumerators. 

• Conducts regular performance appraisal sessions to ensure continuous professional development and work effectiveness of his/her team members.  

• Considers the capacity-building needs of his/her team members and seeks relevant  internal/ external trainings for skills development.

Requirements:

Education:

Master’s degree in sociology, social sciences, statistics, economics, or a related field

Work Experience:

2–3 years of experience in an NGO.

Professional / Technical competencies:

Proficient in MS Office, Kobo, and ActivityInfo; preparation of data collection tools; planning and coordinating data collection activities in cooperation with the relevant project team, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and/or sub-grantees/implementing partners; facilitating data collection processes with enumerator teams; analyzing data obtained during primary data collection and secondary data review; and writing monitoring reports based on the findings.

Specific behavioral (personal) competencies:

Self-management, flexibility and openness to change, problems and tasks solving approach, ability to work collaboratively in a team, adapt to a fast-paced humanitarian environment, and maintain composure under stress, result orientation.

English:

Knowledge of English is an advantage.

We offer:

• A competitive salary according to the People in Need salary scale.

• Opportunities for professional development through various capacity-building activities, including trainings, workshops, and seminars.

• 28 calendar days of annual leave, plus 3 additional New Year bonus leave days.

• Possibility to work one day per week remotely for office-based staff.

• Coverage of accommodation and per diem costs for work-related travel outside the assigned office region and/or in cases of excessive travel distance or time, in accordance with People in Need travel policy.

• Provision of a laptop, mobile phone (including prepaid SIM cards), and People in Need branded items (backpack, thermal mug, notebook, portable power bank).

• People in Need offices are equipped with all necessary security and energy-resilience measures, ensuring uninterrupted internet access.

• Free coffee, tea, milk, and water available in all offices.

• A multicultural and friendly working environment, with approximately 300 staff members in the Ukraine programme.

Application procedure:

Please send clearly marked CV and Motivation letter. Please note, only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Written test and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled.

Please note that PIN does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process.

We support the principles of inclusiveness and non-discrimination in the selection process. You can submit an anonymized resume - without specifying your name, age, gender, photo or other personal data. Such resumes will be reviewed on a general basis in accordance with professional experience and qualifications.