Senior Project Officer - MEAL

Job Title: Senior Project Officer - MEAL

Reports to: Project Director

Department: Uganda, Programming

Location: Kampala

Deadline: September 18, 2026 no later than 5pm

Note: CRS is recruiting in anticipation of an award – recruitment for all candidates is contingent upon successful award of the project.

Job Summary:

As a monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) lead for the project team in Uganda, the Senior Project Officer, MEAL will facilitate the achievement of project objectives by coordinating and reporting on all project MEAL activities and providing MEAL-related technical guidance and advice to staff and implementing partners advancing Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable. The incumbent’s coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the project applies best practices in MEAL and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Organize and lead the implementation of all assigned project MEAL activities in-country as outlined in the Work/Detailed Implementation Plan, in line with CRS program quality principles, standards and MEAL policies, procedures, and practices; donor MEAL requirements, and industry good practices.
• Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project reflection and learning activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. 
• Lead the roll-out and implementation of the project’s feedback, complaints and response mechanism (FCRM). Support actively seeking and responding to feedback from all members of targeted communities and other stakeholders as defined by the FCRM. 
• Support the collection, analysis, validation, and reporting of project and milestone data through national information systems as feasible, working with government counterparts to improve data quality, completeness, timeliness, and use for decision-making.
• Coordinate and facilitate national and sub-national consultations with government and key stakeholders to identify MEAL system strengths, gaps, priorities, and opportunities for strengthening, and support the development and implementation of agreed capacity strengthening plans.
• Provide technical assistance and mentoring to government MEAL personnel and local partners to strengthen data collection, reporting, analysis, learning, and use, while promoting the integration of project-supported tools and processes into national systems over time.
• Coordinate and oversee MEAL-related working relationships with all local project stakeholders and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact. Identify and respond to key stakeholders’ information needs in MEAL activities, using a range of appropriate communication methods.
• Supervise and perform ad hoc inspections of various MEAL processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project MEAL activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.
• Support and coordinate MEAL capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project MEAL activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards. Optimize partner and government participation and capacity development in the implementation of MEAL systems.
• Coordinate provision of any MEAL-related logistical and administrative support to staff and partners.

• Ensure timely, project documentation for assigned MEAL activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements. Assist with preparation of trend analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices.

  
  

Required Languages - Strong written and spoken English required

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 30% to project locations and field offices outside Kampala.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgments.
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners.
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented mindset.
• Attention to detail, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
• Strong understanding of child protection, family strengthening, family-based care, social service systems, and/or early childhood development programs and the associated monitoring, information management, reporting, and learning requirements.
• Demonstrated understanding of government-led monitoring and information systems and experience identifying practical approaches to strengthen system functionality, institutional capacity, data quality, and data use in low-resource settings.
• Ability to effectively use MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

 Supervisory Responsibilities: None

 Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in International Relations or in the field of MEAL would be a plus.
• Minimum of 4 years of work experience in project support, ideally in the field of MEAL and for an NGO.
• Experience with child protection, family strengthening, family-based care, social service systems, and/or early childhood development programs and the associated monitoring, information management, reporting, and learning requirements.

 Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Staff supervision experience.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
• Experience with child protection, family strengthening, family-based care, social service systems, and/or early childhood development programs and the associated monitoring, information management, reporting, and learning requirements.
• Experience with government-led monitoring and information systems and experience identifying practical approaches to strengthen system functionality, institutional capacity, data quality, and data use in low-resource settings.

Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions. 
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

Please Note: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer: We encourage all qualified candidates to apply for this position, including individuals from marginalized backgrounds and people with disabilities. Please ensure you follow the instructions outlined below when applying.

This position is open to Ugandan nationals only.

Submit your application no later than 5:00 PM on September 18, 2026.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.  Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.  We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.  The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.  All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.