Summary 

Save the Children is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Director for an anticipated five-year USAID-funded Multi-Sector Nutrition Activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Activity will improve nutrition outcomes in rural and hard-to-reach communities in the DRC, particularly for women and children, through locally led, multi-sectoral approaches integrating health, agriculture, WASH, education, and social and cultural norm shifts. 

The MEAL Director will develop, implement, and continuously improve M&E systems for all project activities. The Director will incorporate best practices to ensure information collected is accurate, timely, and disseminated appropriately in high quality reports. The MEAL team will use these findings to apply continuous learning and adaptation to  improve the program and achieve activity objectives. In addition, they will also be actively involved in promoting learning through documentation of lessons learned and developing approaches for community analysis and using data for decision making.

This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USAID approval as well as project award and funding. It will be based in Kinshasa, DRC, for the five-year period of performance. Congolese candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.  

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties) 

Provide leadership, training, and mentoring to develop and implement MEAL activities (including designing tools, conducting data collection and analysis, and sharing and using data) to assess, adapt, and improve program impact.   Develop MEAL plan, learning agenda, and systems for capturing and documenting data and relevant information on project activities, beneficiaries, outputs, outcomes, and impact.   Design methodology and coordinate research activities for project operations and assessments.   Effectively rollout MEAL collection and reporting systems to all staff and partners through training, site visits, manuals, and other technical support as needed.   Capture appropriate cost information to track financial indicators, including benchmarking information to analyze program effectiveness and cost-effective inputs.   Ensure programming alignment to targets and indicators contained in project proposal and use the information from the MEAL systems and tools to improve program effectiveness.    Support all project reviews and evaluation activities, including coordinating mid-term and final evaluations, and supporting donor and external reviews.   Provide on-going support to maintain MEAL systems; identify skill gaps and build capacity among project team members, partners, and stakeholders.   Prepare high quality, accurate and timely reports for Save the Children, project partners, and donors as required.  

 Required Qualifications 

Master’s degree in statistics, mathematics, or related field is required.   Advanced training in quantitative methodologies, including database management; experience in qualitative research techniques a plus.   Minimum of seven years of experience in monitoring and evaluation related to nutrition, food security, SBC, WASH and/or public health programming.  Strong analytical skills and an understanding of monitoring, evaluation and assessment tools to promote evidence-based learning.   Experience with USAID indicators, systems, and M&E requirements a plus. Ability to analyze complex data and summarize the inputs for a range of audiences and applications.   Demonstrated skills required to gain support from staff across teams and to build the capacity of others.   Sound strategic thinking and planning skills, including ability to think creatively, innovate, and set manageable work plans and priorities and evaluate progress.   Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French. Proficiency in additional languages such as Kiswahili, Tshiluba, Kikongo, Lingala, etc. preferred. Familiarity with the political, social, and cultural context of the DRC. 

About Save the Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond.  As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

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