ROLE PURPOSE:
The Senior Food Monitor will support the PALAM/A project by overseeing and documenting the appropriate implementation of food supply chain operations and monitoring the distribution of commodities to schools/School Meal Providers. Specifically, responsible for independently monitoring transporters and warehouse staff as food moves along the supply chain. Also, the Senior Food Monitor is responsible for monitoring the project and distribution teams as they conduct School Meal Providers sensitization, student registration, and deliver food rations to targeted students in a timely orderly manner according to accepted commodity management best practices. The role holder will observe and monitor the School Meal Provider kitchen or school kitchen and storage facilities to check the stock and the quality of food items provided by the PALAM/A project. The role will also observes local markets to determine if any monetization of commodities is occurring.
In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: MEAL Coordinator in assigned district
Staff reporting to this post: N/A
Role Dimensions:
Responsible for independently monitoring of PALAMA commodity chain in three different stages such as transporters, warehouse, and point of distribution in the attached district. Also, the Senior Food Monitor is responsible for monitoring the project and distribution teams as they conduct School Meal Providers sensitization, student registration, and deliver food rations to targeted students in a timely orderly manner according to accepted commodity management best practices. The Food Monitor also observes and monitors the School Meal Provider kitchen or school kitchen and storage facilities to check the stock and the quality of food items provided by the PALAM/A project.
SAVE THE CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL
ROLE PROFILE
The position will also support maintaining relationships between Save the Children & Provincial Education and Health authorities attached to district and provincial Education and Health Offices.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Commodity Transport Monitoring
- Using a prepared Logistics Monitoring Form, observe, document and report on the loading, off-loading, and transporting of commodities to ensure adherence to PALAM/A policies and donor regulations,
- Monitor the work of labourers handling commodities and ensure that they are handling these carefully to minimize loss during loading/off-loading at warehouses and final distribution point.
- Monitor School meal providers used proper transport mode to transport commodity and ensure commodities are handled in a safety manner to minimize loss/damage during off loading commodity at school/ school meal provider’s storage
- Gather information that can be used to reconstruct timelines of damages to commodities that occurred while under transporter control
- Conduct random sampling with school meal providers to ensure commodity transport allowance are being received properly, on time and in the correct amount.
- Coordinate with the registered transport suppliers to gather any relevant data needed for Transport Performance monitoring
- Monitor the condition of the vehicles that transport USDA commodities from warehouses to JDPs, from JDPs to schools or SMP home-based storerooms.
- Perform any other duties as may be required by the MEAL Manager or MEAL Officer.
School Meal Provider Home-based Storerooms and School Storerooms
- Register school meal providers for each school year or when a new SMP is enrolled by verifying the relevant documents.
- Monitor commodities are arrive on time to the school storage /SMPs storerooms and are recorded properly.
- Conduct random inspections of school/school meal provider’s storerooms and kitchens to ensure hygiene practices are maintained according to the SC standards.
- Conduct routine monitoring at storerooms and ensure commodities are staked and stored as per the commodities standards and commodities are released according to the PALAM/A agreed ration size.
- Monitor the School Meal Provider’s stock ledger against the actual commodity stock and report any discrepancies along with loss and damage report.
- Monitor the distribution of foods for every FDP and produce reports.
- Submission of distribution plans for each FDP and actual beneficiaries to the District Coordinator for approval.
- Review all the SMP Documents and compare them with the Beneficiary List (designated number of students). Record all changes and report them regularly.
- Follow up on Beneficiary Complaints from the Help Desk and give Beneficiaries feedback on their complaints.
Monitoring of Food Preparation and Distribution to Students:
- Observe SMP kitchens maintain good hygiene practices (while cooking, cooking areas, and kitchen utensils )
- Monitor adequate commodity compared to students attended numbers and check respective supporting documents
- Observe and report on appropriate food preparation and distribution methodologies in eligible schools and ensure student beneficiaries are receiving meals according to the approved school feeding menu and as per agreed ration sizes approved by the donor.
- Closely monitor the work of School Meal Providers during the time of meal distributions to students to ensure that all actions adhere to SC policies and donor regulations and to minimize the risk of damage, loss, theft and/or misuse of commodities.
- Inspect quality and quantity of the school meals distributed to students at the school level to ensure SC/USDA standards are adhered.
- Ensure the quality of project activities in collaboration with MEAL officers such as SMP training programs, cooking demonstrations, reflective meetings with beneficiaries, and learning sessions.
Reporting:
- Compile all Monitoring Forms (Logistics, Warehouse, School Feeding, and PDM) and ensure that these are submitted in a timely manner to the MEAL Officer.
- Support the MEAL Team in documenting any complaints or feedback received as a part of monitoring duties and ensure that this is followed up on in a timely manner and collecting pieces of evidence for capturing learnings of the project such as feedback and suggestions from key stakeholders/photos/videos/impact stories as it is required.
- Work co-ordinately with the commodity team in the joint monitoring visits and share the findings for follow-up actions if required.
- Monitor all School Meal Provider activity at the Joint source group, kitchen, and storage facilities and report periodically.
- Document and promptly notify team members and management about any noncompliance to standards or issues discovered that require corrective action.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Social Science, Humanitarian, Information Technology or any other related discipline.
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:
Essential
- A minimum of 2 years progressive experience in a similar role in humanitarian or international development programming/projects.
- Proven field experience working with beneficiaries in a monitoring and evaluation capacity.
- Previous experience in USDA or USAID/FFP or other commodity-based feeding programmes will be an advantage.
- Understanding of monitoring & evaluation functions and best-practices and basic anti-fraud practices.
- Ability to collect, record compile and analyze data documenting key programmatic details especially as relates to commodity quantities, storage methodologies and numbers of beneficiaries.
- Good communication skills with the rural community members and leaders, and local authorities and the ability to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds.
- Willingness and the ability to travel to remote field locations.
- Strong attention to detail, organizational. and time management skills
- Good written and verbal communication skills in English and Tamil or Sinhala.
- Experience in KOBO Toolbox or other electronic data collection systems.
- Competence in Microsoft Office packages.
- Quick learner with the ability to think creatively.
- Experience of, and commitment to, working through systems of community/child participation, and accountability with right-based approaches.
- Ability to travel to SCI project locations.
- A good understanding of the mandate of Save the Children, commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of Save the Children, and its humanitarian standards such as Child Safeguarding and the Code of Conduct.
- Willingness and ability to ride a motorbike and having a valid motorbike license
