MEAL Officer

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

MEAL Officer

(Work Location – Savannakhet is preferred or Vientiane Office)

This position is available to LAO nationals only

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, nutrition, health, agriculture, education, environment, microfinance and peacebuilding.

Job Summary:

Empowering to Act for Circular Transition in Plastics in Lao PDR (EMP-ACT) is a four-year project (2025-2028) funded by the EU and CRS, that will support Lao PDR’s efforts to reduce single-use plastic consumption and prevent plastic pollution, in line with national strategies like the National Plastic Action Plan 2024-2030.

The project will be implemented in Savannakhet and Khammuane provinces. It seeks to enhance awareness and participation of consumers in reducing single-use plastic use, increase availability of sustainable plastic alternatives, and strengthen public sector support for plastic transition through policy dialogue.

The MEAL Officer is responsible for supporting the implementation of high-quality MEAL activities for EMP-ACT from project start-up, through project close-out. Under the supervision of the EMP-ACT Project Manager, and with support from the Country Program MEAL Manager, the MEAL Officer’s role will include contributing to the development of standardized data collection tools, weekly to quarterly data collection in collaboration with other project staff, monthly data quality inspections, and implementation of project feedback and complaints response mechanisms. The MEAL Officer will ensure that systems are in place to measure project progress and impact, and that data is readily available to inform programmatic adjustments and evidence-based decision-making. In collaboration with project staff, community mobilizers, and government partners, the MEAL Officer will support initiatives to ensure that learning is incorporated in all stages of the project cycle and that the project consistently applies best practices and works towards improving the lives of the people CRS serves.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned project MEAL activities as outlined in the Detailed Implementation Plan in line with CRS program quality principles, standards and MEAL policies, procedures, and practices; donor MEAL requirements; and industry best practices.
• Support the creation of a comprehensive MEAL system for the project utilizing CRS’ SMILER+ methodology.
• Support the development and implementation of research on plastic value chains, plastic recyclability, and consumer behavior research to inform behavior change interventions and improve sustainable plastic use and recycling systems.
• Based on the assessments conducted, support the development of policy briefs by providing required information and recommendations drawn from the assessments.
• Monitor and report any MEAL-related challenges and gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist project staff in their efforts to reflect on project experiences.
• Support actively seeking and responding to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other stakeholders as defined by the FRM.
• Support field-level project MEAL activities (including digital data collection) and assist partners in their efforts to collect and ensure timely analysis of project data per specified mechanisms and tools. Collaborate with partners to prepare MEAL-related aspects of reports per established reporting schedule.
• Support the capacity building of government, business, education, and NGO partners and provide technical support activities to ensure effective impact.
• Complete project documentation for assigned MEAL activities. Assist with identifying information for case studies and reports on promising practices.
• Support program learning and decision making by posing thoughtful questions, engaging with project data, reflecting upon and sharing with project management the information gathered from community members and partners.
• Support MEAL administrative tasks such as, but not limited to, raising requisition forms and advance requests, and preparing materials for data collection activities, workshops, trainings, and learning events.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred. Degree in statistics, development studies, population studies, social sciences, or a related field would be a plus.
• Minimum of 3 years of work experience in project support. Experience in the field of MEAL and for an NGO would be a plus.
• Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Proficiency in MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) required

Required Languages – Fluency in written and spoken Lao is required. Excellent proficiency in reading and writing English is required.

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 30%.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with field staff and local government partners

• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred.
• Proficiency in data management systems preferred

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

Supervisory Responsibilities

No supervisory responsibilities.

Key Working Relationships

Internal: Project Manager, Program Manager II Program Quality, MEAL Manager, Marketing & Communications team

External: Government partners, NGO partners, medium and small business, waste management facilities, education institutions (including schools and universities)

MEAL Competencies (for CRS MEAL Program Staff)

Each staff member in this position is expected to have basic knowledge and ability and, with guidance, be able to apply the following competencies in common situations that present limited difficulties:

• Monitoring
• Evaluation
• Accountability
• Learning
• Analysis and Critical Thinking

In addition, each staff member in this position is expected to have elementary understanding of and to demonstrate a willingness and potential to learn about:

• MEAL in Design
• ICT4MEAL
• Management in MEAL

APPLICATION INFORMATION: To apply for this position, please submit an application letter stating your expression of interest along with your most current CV by email to: LA_HR@crs.org.

Closing date for applications: April 18, 2025. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS IS AN EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.