The IRC seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Lead for an upcoming five-year, multi-million dollar FCDO health project activity in Afghanistan. The project will contribute to better educated and healthier populations, especially women and girls and vulnerable groups, through reduced morbidity and improved reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. The project aims to directly reach an estimated 750,000 women and children and indirectly contributing to wider efforts to reach 12.1 million men, women, and children with essential health and nutrition services.
This is a senior position which requires outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, and organizational, team-building and representational skills. The MEAL Lead will be responsible for developing and implementing the project’s MEAL strategy, in accordance with IRC, FCDO, and international best practices. S/he will work closely with the Team Leader, program and technical staff, and implementing partners to ensure relevant data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform adaptive management and design decisions, and to provide project updates against impact targets and objectives.
Recruitment is contingent upon successful award of the project, and selection of final applicant is subject to FCDO approval.
Responsibilities
• Develop and manage a MEAL system across all project components which leverages qualitative and quantitative data collection and assessment methods and draws from a variety of data sources to measure progress and evaluate impact.• Oversee the development, measurement, and reporting of qualitative and quantitative input, process, output, outcome, objective, and goal-level performance indicators for the project.• Foster an environment of learning and adaptive management across the project staff in accordance with FCDO’s MEAL frameworks and tools through regular progress meetings and learning events.• Lead IRC staff and implementing partners training and capacity building on MEAL best practices.• Ensure Accountability to Affected People (AAP) by maintaining an effective client responsiveness and accountability mechanism that enables beneficiaries to raise their concerns, feedback, and complaints with the organization throughout the project life cycle.• Communicate information obtained through MEAL activities to program staff, and external stakeholders, including FCDO and relevant national and provincial authorities, to develop lessons learned and best practices which inform strategic decision making. • Work in collaboration with FCDO’s Assurance and Learning Program (ALP) representatives and support validation exercises and evaluations (if conducted) of the activities financed by FCDO under the ALP program.• Liase with IRC’s Education Research teams for the development and rollout of rigorous project evaluations • Utilize relevant ICT4D MEAL tools to improve data collection, analysis, and reporting.• Organize regular learning activities (including after action reviews, quarterly reflection events, and data quality assessments) to ensure activities are meeting their impact targets and accurate, complete, and timely data is being collected to inform implementation approaches.• Conduct regular visits to project sites, as possible, to provide technical assistance and ensure proper monitoring of project activities.• Produce M&E monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports for the Team Leader and donors.
Requirements
• Master’s degree from an accredited university in Social Sciences, Public Health, International Development, Research or Statistics, or related field.• Minimum of 10 years of leadership experience in M&E for similar health programming, preferably for FCDO. • Experience working in Afghanistan on health programming.• Significant experience carrying out M&E activities & research/learning in conflict or crisis situations, preferably in Asia and/or Afghanistan.• Strong familiarity with ICT4D MEAL tools and programs for mobile data collection, analysis, and reporting, including PowerBI.• Strong negotiation skills, and ability to create and cultivate collaborative relations with local counterparts, donors, implementing partners and other stakeholders.• Strong communication skills, both oral and written.• Strong supervisory experience, particularly in remote operating environments.• Fluency in English required; additional Dari or Pashto language abilities preferred.

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