Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Specialist

Country/Region: Uganda

Location: Kasese

Organization: Save the Children International

Join us to lead sustainable change for children:

• Be part of a GLOBAL and DIVERSE technical community
• Get EXPOSURE in many different contexts
• Test and scale up INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
• Influence policies that affect MILLIONS OF CHILDREN

OVERVIEW 

Are you passionate about being an advocate for children? Do you want to use your expertise to bring about lasting change for children and be a part of an inspiring, dynamic global movement?

THE ROLE:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Specialist will lead the MEAL function of Kasese field location which currently has three (3) projects. The job holder will lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the MEAL system for programmes focused on Disaster Risk Reduction, Child Protection, Prevention of Child Labour in the coffee value chain, and Youth Economic Empowerment in Kasese District and similar contexts. The role will ensure that programmes are evidence-based, results-driven, and aligned with national and international SCI MEAL requirements but also child rights and development frameworks.

Working directly under the Senior MEAL Specialist, and closely with the MEAL Specialist at Country Office, the MEAL Specialist will generate high-quality evidence to inform programme implementation, strengthen accountability to children, donors, and communities, and support learning and adaptive management across interventions that engage children, government institutions, private sector actors, civil society organisations, and communities. The position will play a critical role in documenting programme outcomes and supporting advocacy efforts aimed at eliminating child labour and strengthening youth resilience and livelihoods. He/she will also share capacity with MEAL and programme staff regarding quality data management and other MEAL related activities. He/she will be directly responsible for managing feedback and issues from the beneficiaries and partners through timely update of the online action trackers for the project and working with the project coordinator and the Regional Project Manager to close these.

Sounds interesting? Read more below

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

A. Project Design and Evidence Generation

• Contribute to project design by supporting context analyses, needs assessments, and stakeholder mapping to better understand the socio-economic realities affecting children, youth, and households in target communities.
• Participate in participatory problem analyses with communities, government actors, and private sector stakeholders to identify drivers of child labour, youth unemployment, and other protection risks.
• Support the generation of evidence on key issues such as child labour prevalence in agricultural value chains, barriers to youth employment, and vulnerabilities affecting children and families.
• Document critical lessons learned, emerging challenges, and best practices to inform programme design, adaptation, and scale-up.

B. Establish and Strengthen the Project MEAL System.

• Lead the development and operationalisation of the project’s MEAL framework including the Logical Framework, Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT), and Performance Indicator Reference Sheets (PIRS) as these are mandatory MEAL Documents for SCI.
• Develop monitoring tools, data collection instruments, and reporting templates for routine tracking of programme activities, outputs, outcomes, and indicators.
• Coordinate routine monitoring activities including data collection, analysis, and validation to assess programme performance against targets.
• Ensure quality benchmarks are routinely monitored for key activities and updated on the Kobo toolkit.
• Conduct baseline studies, outcome monitoring, and programme assessments to generate evidence on the effectiveness of project interventions.
• Analyse programme data and produce strategic insights to support project management and technical teams in assessing progress and adjusting implementation strategies.
• Conduct periodic Data Quality Assessments (DQAs), spot checks, and verification exercises to ensure the reliability, completeness, and accuracy of programme data.
• Monitor project activities and performance benchmarks and ensure that corrective actions are identified, documented, and followed up through project action trackers.

C. Design and Operationalise Accountability Mechanisms.

• Support the establishment of context-appropriate feedback and complaints response mechanisms that allow beneficiaries, including children and youth, to safely share feedback or concerns about the project, this is a core activity of this role.
• Support the project team in the development of information sharing materials/briefs, posters, and brochures, and take part in the dissemination of project information materials to relevant stakeholders, partners and clients.
• Ensure systematic documentation, tracking, and resolution of complaints and feedback received through accountability channels. This also goes with updating the online issue tracker. Also monitor response timelines to ensure timely resolution of issues.
• Generate periodic Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) reports to inform project management and partners about community feedback and emerging issues.
• Strengthen partner capacity to implement accountability mechanisms that align with safeguarding standards and child protection principles and participate in different district fora for AAP.
• Ensure ethical standards in all programme research and data collection activities, including obtaining informed consent and adherence to ethical review processes where require.

D. Integration of Digital Tools and Information System

• Promote the use of digital data collection and management systems such as Kobo, , or similar platforms to improve data quality and efficiency.
• Ensure secure storage, management, and integrity of programme data within Management Information Systems (MIS) and other digital platforms. All project reports and data MUST be stored on SharePoint
• Support programme teams and partners in adopting digital monitoring tools and building capacity in their use.

E. Learning, Knowledge Management and Adaptive Programming

• Coordinate the design and implementation of programme evaluations including baseline, midline, endline, and special studies in collaboration with partners and stakeholders.
• Facilitate reflection meetings, learning workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions to strengthen adaptive programme management.
• Document programme results, impact stories, case studies, and best practices to support evidence-based programming and advocacy.
• Support dissemination of programme findings through reports, learning briefs, policy notes, and stakeholder engagement forums.
• Ensure that evidence and lessons learned are integrated into programme decision-making, policy dialogue, and future project design.

F. Planning, Budgeting and Reporting

• Support integration of MEAL activities and resources into project workplans, budgets, and pipeline planning processes.
• Provide technical guidance to programme teams on activity planning, monitoring indicators, and reporting requirements.
• Ensure that project reports meet donor and organisational quality standards and are informed by accurate and validated programme data.
• Monitor the utilisation of MEAL budgets and ensure timely implementation of MEAL activities.
• Support project leadership in analysing programme performance data and presenting findings during project review and coordination meetings.

G. Communication, Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintain effective coordination with project teams, partners, government institutions, and other key stakeholders involved in programme implementation in the district and beyond.
• Support collaboration with district authorities, child protection structures, labour officers, and other relevant government actors to strengthen monitoring and reporting systems.
• Foster strong relationships with partners and stakeholders to promote information sharing, coordination, and joint learning.
• Stay informed about key development trends, policy developments, and sectoral priorities related to child protection, youth employment, and livelihoods programming.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

To be a strong supporter and advocate for children in this role you will need to have;

• Strictly having worked in or supported the INGO especially in the field locations involving multiple partners implementing child protection, livelihoods/child poverty, education, agricultural or disaster risk reduction projects.
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in either Statistics, Business Statistics, Education, Community Psychology, Business Administration or Development Studies with Post Graduate training in M&E.
• Minimum of Five (5) years working experience in monitoring and evaluation working experience (preferably with international donors in Education, Child Protection, and Social Protection Programming related programmes).
• High level of competence on multiple statistical analysis packages (ideally SPSS, STATA, R, ArcGIS, NVivo, and/or ATLAS. ti)
• Experience in training and mentorship of the people you have worked with including partners. This also includes strong partnership management.
• Additional training and experience in statistics or monitoring and evaluation and MIS is an added advantage.
• Experience of working with local partners in Education, Child Protection, Safeguarding, and Child Rights Governance, Health, Nutrition and Education is an added advantage.
• Computer literacy and excellent documentation skills are a MUST. Microsoft office especially word, spreadsheet (Excel), Access, PowerPoint, and SharePoint applications.
• Availability and willingness to work extra hours during times of humanitarian responses.
• Ability to intervene with crisis management or troubleshooting as necessary.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.
• Commitment to Save the Children Values.

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.

Equal Opportunities 

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

• We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Fraud, Bribery, and Corruption 

• We need to ensure necessary and appropriate steps to prevent fraud, bribery, and corruption within our areas of responsibility, report and respond to all incidents and concerns and comply with the Counter-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and Procedure. All types of fraud, bribery, and corruption must be prevented, including where it benefits the organisation (SCI).