Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Lead

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Programme Development & Quality

LOCATION: Lusaka, Zambia

GRADE: NAT 2

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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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ROLE PURPOSE: 

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Lead will be responsible for providing leadership to strengthen organizational capacity to design and implement effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems. S/he will have an integral leadership role within the Programme Development and Quality (PDQ) department and work closely with Technical Specialists, Programme Managers and other departments.  S/he will actively seek to incorporate innovation, best practices, and lessons learned for improvement of programme quality. The role will include capacity building of MEAL and programme/partner staff; strategic and annual planning, internal reporting, as well as programme development

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Programme Director

Staff reporting to this post: 1+ (the role will have either direct or matrix line management of project MEAL staff)

Role Dimensions: The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including Save the Children members, the Country Office Programme Development & Quality team, advocacy colleagues, Regional Advisors, technical counterparts in other organisation, donors etc. The role is also expected to engage with internal technical working groups and communities of practice.

Context: Development and Development-Humanitarian Nexus

Primary Technical area: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Design and Implementation of a MEAL System that meets SCI standards

• Lead the development and implementation of a MEAL System for the Zambia County Office.  This requires close collaboration with the Programme Ops and PDQ Departments and must be in line with SCI’s Quality Framework. Project-specific MEAL systems need to meet demands and standards of different donors.
• Lead use of monitoring frameworks, tools and processes to measure performance and quality. This includes supporting thematic and operation staff to develop and monitor Quality Benchmarks.
• Lead routine collection, analysis and use of evidence, including disaggregation for gender, disability and the most marginalised and deprived, to document impact, innovate and learn what work for children, and inform management, policy and programme solutions. This includes needs and baseline assessments, feasibility studies, evaluations and research.
• Lead use of systems that safely and appropriately ensure accountability to children and communities with whom we work by building trusting and collaborative relationships through information sharing and two-way communication, participation, and feedback and reporting mechanisms.
• Systematically identify, document, share and use learning from Save the Children and others’ work, in order to continuously adapt and improve our programming. This includes learning agendas, learning workshops and after-action review, action planning and tracking of learning uptake.
• Where relevant, lead MEAL emergency preparedness and response within existing country MEAL frameworks, systems, tools and processes, adhering to the Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere Charter and Red Cross Code of Conduct.
• Champion knowledge management through the development and use of platforms that store and display evidence and learning that is made accessible and actively used between countries, regions and the Centre,
• Work with New Business Development, the Program Operations Department, and PDQ Thematic Sector teams to ensure that all projects have quality assurance mechanisms integrated into their design and implementation.
• Explore innovative opportunities to pilot approaches that are new or could expand to further areas of programming.
• Ensure that KPIs related to MEAL activities are regularly met through institutionalization of robust systems for tracking, reporting and following up improvement actions.
• Foster innovation by identifying opportunities to pilot new approaches and to upgrade tools, systems and process based on advances in the aid sector.

MEAL Structure and Capacity 

• Review the country’s MEAL structure and ensure it is fit for purpose
• Ensure MEAL, Programme and PDQ staff have and understand clearly defined roles and responsibilities that are also understood by Program Ops and PDQ teams.
• Identify capacity gaps and design and deliver MEAL capacity building for MEAL, programme and partner staff and foster an organizational culture which prioritizes MEAL leading to quality programming
• Manage the performance of MEAL staff (direct reports and matrix managed) by clearly setting objectives, assessing performance, and providing coaching, mentoring, and training that aligns with SCI’s Global MEAL Capacity Building Strategic Workplan.

Strategic and Annual Planning

• Ensure that evidence and learning is brought together across thematic and operational regions to develop a Country Strategic Plan (including participating in a Child Needs Situational Assessment).
• Support the development of the Country Annual Plan (CAP) including identifying future evaluations and ensure that data is accurate.

Support PDQ staff to analyse progress against organisational objectives and strategies

Internal Reporting

• Ensure accurate data collection and processing for all regular reporting including internal reports such as the Country Annual Report, the Programme Quality KPIs, categorised emergency sit reps, and “Total Reach”.
• Support MEAL aspects of donor reporting, including review of baseline, mid-term, endline or any other donor/project specific studies.
• Respond to any internal or SC member request for specific information including production of geographic, thematic or programme-specific data.
• Ensure that regularly updated MEAL mechanisms are in place for each project including technical reports and MEAL tracking tools that identify necessary future actions.
• Ensure data quality and accuracy (including for external reporting as needed).

Programme Development and Partnerships

• Work closely with the Programme Ops team to ensure MEAL plays an integral role at every stage of the project lifecycle, leading to enhanced quality, accountability, management and impact.
• As a contributor to proposal development, ensure development of strong logical frameworks and review and improve MEAL technical narrative and budgets within proposals, support development of SMART indicators with technical teams, ensure quality mechanisms are in place, and ensure consistency with the CO and SCI MEAL strategies.
• Ensure that adequate MEAL resources are included in proposals and work creatively to secure sufficient funding from diverse sources to ensure capacity to deliver MEAL according to SCI quality standards.
• Build effective partnerships with research institutions and MEAL partners and identify opportunities for collaboration including in new bid development to have MEAL/research capacity incorporated in programme design

Advocacy & Representation:

• Support CO advocacy efforts by providing evidence-based data in line with identified priority advocacy objectives and assist to identify key opportunities for Save the Children Zambia to position itself as the leading organisation for championing children’s rights in Zambia.
• Represent SC in the donor community as requested and /or assigned by the Director of Programme Development and Quality and ensure maintenance of good flow of information and knowledge on MEAL among relevant stakeholders. This could include, but not limited to, monitoring and evaluation, programme reporting, advocacy issues, contextual information from Zambia

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others

Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
• The post holder must commit to work in an international agency that respects racial diversity and fights racism in all forms, and to model positive behaviours and respect to all colleagues, partners and communities.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Master’s degree in relevant field or equivalent field experience

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Minimum of 5-7 years of programming experience within the aid sector, preferably linked to one of Save the Children’s priority technical sectors (Child Poverty, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Education, Health & Nutrition), and with the majority of that time focused on overseeing comprehensive MEAL systems that ensure programme effectiveness and quality.
• Understanding of both emergency and development contexts, with a preference for experience in both contexts.
• Experience adhering to international quality standards (Red Cross Code of Conduct, Sphere, CHS) or equivalent.
• Experience and knowledge of monitoring systems, including robust and responsible data collection and use.
• Experience and knowledge of evidence generation and learning on what works (and doesn’t work) for children, including designing/commissioning, implementing and applying: needs assessments, baseline studies, evaluations and research, learning workshops and learning agendas.
• Experience and knowledge of systems for accountability to children and communities, including information sharing, participation of adults and children, and feedback and reporting mechanisms. Ability to prepare and facilitate technical MEAL trainings and workshops across countries in the region (including remotely). Direct experience working with communities in participatory activities.
• Proven success in building and managing a team and dedication to developing staff capacity through training, supervising, coaching and mentoring.
• Skilled at communicating and influencing across relevant teams and offices.
• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets
• Demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, defining and planning a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in.
• Ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner.
• Ability and willingness to be flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure contexts, including flexibility to work with incoming emergency response teams.
• Proficiency in relevant data collection and analysis software.
• Strong remote-working abilities and self-motivation.
• Willingness to travel to field sites.
• Proficient in speaking and writing English.
• Desirable
• Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant region/context
• Experience of promoting quality and impact through at least one cross-cutting area: gender equality and inclusion, adaptive and safer programming; child rights; disability; migration and displacement.
• Experience and knowledge of Save the Children’s structure, mandate and child focus.

KEY COMPETENCIES 

Technical competencies:

• Ensures linkages across portfolio ensuring quality and coherence of MEAL systems and evidence gathering
• Manages resources and capacities to develop and maintain quality MEAL systems
• Facilitates strategic alignment of data to global priorities

Generic Competencies

• Child Rights: Promotes an enabling environment for participation, and accountability to children
• Be the Innovator: Promotes innovation to find new and better approaches to driving progress for children
• Deliver Results at Scale: Promotes a clear focus on impact in project and programme design, management and oversight

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD ONLY ATTACH A COVER LETTER AND AN UPDATED CV.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday 4^th June 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Save the Children reserves the right to re advertise if suitable applicants are not found.

Save the Children is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer that does not engage in any practices which discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, colour, religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status and we will never ask that you pay for anything as part of the selection process or thereafter