The MEARL department is a function within the Programme Development and Quality (PDQ) Department for Save the Children and the role will support execute the MEARL Priorities in line with the Country Office PDQ Priorities. The MEARL Coordinator Role will lead and strengthen the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning (MEARL) function for Save the Children. With a primary focus on strengthening Accountability, Knowlegde Management and Learnig components of the function.
Further, the role will support the MEARL component of the LEGO-funded Teachwell Voices project, a flagship advocacy project aimed at securing policy and legislative reforms that enable the integration of refugee teachers into Kenya’s national education system. Central to this role is generating high-quality evidence and learning that drive policy influence across the project’s three outcome areas: strengthening policy and legal frameworks, amplifying refugee teachers’ participation and voice in decision-making, and increasing financing for refugee teacher professional development, retention, and well-being.
Working closely with project teams, MEARL colleagues, strategic partners, and government stakeholders, the MEARL Coordinator will design and oversee a harmonized MEARL system that delivers timely, credible data and insights to support advocacy, decision-making, and stakeholder engagement. The role will ensure continuous quality improvement, robust data quality assessments, and effective accountability mechanisms, knowledge management and learning within the country office.
The MEARL Coordinator will lead documentation of evidence, success stories, learning, and best practices that strategically inform advocacy, policy dialogues, and stakeholder engagement as well as programme adaptation. By cultivating a strong learning culture and strengthening partners’ capacity in data collection and use, the role ensures that evidence meaningfully contributes to programme reporting, adaptation and policy change influence. The post holder will also be called upon to support MEARL functions during humanitarian crises as needed.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: MEARL Manager, with a dotted accountability to Team Lead – LEGO
Staff reporting to this post: None
Role Dimensions: The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including GoK, Save the Children members, the Country Office Programme Development & Quality team, advocacy colleagues, donors etc.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY :
Program Design and Adaptation
- Continuously assess policy, legislative, institutional and stakeholder dynamics to inform adaptive programming and advocacy.
- Engage stakeholders, and partners in participatory problem analysis to ensure project strategies align with their priorities and strengthen policy influence.
- Lead and coordinate relevant assessments to inform the programmes and projects’ theory of change and evidence needs for progamming and policy engagement.
Establish and Operationalize a Strong MEARL and MIS System (Evidence Generation)
- Implement a harmonized MEARL plan with the Project Manager and partners to track progress toward the project’s outcomes and advocacy engagements.
- Lead MEARL planning and reflection sessions with staff, partners, and government stakeholders to align evidence needs and advocacy priorities.
- Oversee results monitoring, policy tracking, evaluations, and research, and use the IPTT and other tools to guide adaptive decision-making.
- Generate strategic analysis to inform project management, advocacy briefs and policy influencing materials.
- Maintain high-quality data systems by refining data collection tools, conducting routine data quality assurance, and leading monthly Quality Benchmark monitoring and follow-up.
- Promote and support digital data collection platforms (Kobo, ODK) to enhance timely, reliable evidence generation for programming, advocacy and reporting.
Accountability and Stakeholder Engagement
- Implement a harmonized MEARL plan with the Project Manager and partners to track progress toward the project’s outcomes and advocacy engagements.
- Lead MEARL planning and reflection sessions with staff, partners, and government stakeholders to align evidence needs and advocacy priorities.
- Oversee results monitoring, policy tracking, evaluations, and research, and use the IPTT and other tools to guide adaptive decision-making.
- Generate strategic analysis to inform project management, advocacy briefs and policy influencing materials.
- Maintain high-quality data systems by refining data collection tools, conducting routine data quality assurance, and leading monthly Quality Benchmark monitoring and follow-up.
- Promote and support digital data collection platforms (Kobo, ODK) to enhance timely, reliable evidence generation for programming, advocacy and reporting.
- Support review the country office accountability function, and implement the accountability priority actions and improvement plan in line with the 10-Point Accountability Systems Uplift plan.
- Support development and dissemination of information products (briefs, policy summaries, evidence snapshots) tailored to diverse audiences and community.
- Facilitate the establishment of context-specific feedback and complaints mechanisms, ensuring feedback informs advocacy and programme adaptation.
- Manage the complaints and feedback database, ensuring timely, quality responses and analysis that strengthens the programme.
Learning, Knowledge Management
- Lead in the review of the country office learning and knowledge management systems and implement the KM and Learning Uplift plan for the country office.
- Document and disseminate evidence, success stories, outcome-level changes, and Most Significant Change stories that highlight the impact of policy shifts.
- Systematically capture, package, and share learning and best practices to inform programme adaptations. Further, lead to conceptualize and facilitate learning events to reflect on evidence and co-create policy solutions.
Planning, Budgeting and Reporting
- Coordinate with project teams to ensure MEARL resource and budget allocations adequately support evidence generation, accountability, and learning.
- Provide support in preparing and reviewing annual and quarterly project plans and reports, ensuring MEARL sections clearly demonstrate advocacy progress and influence.
- Oversee MEARL budget utilization and ensure timely implementation of MEARL activities aligned with programmatic milestones.
MEARL Engagements and Coordination
- Represent Save the Children in relevant MEARL coordination platforms to share evidence and strengthen key systems focused on MEARL.
- Facilitate key strategic monitoring initiatives on advocacy including the implementation of the Advocacy and Political Will Monitoring.
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
QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant sector, Statistics, Public Policy, Sociology or Development Studies preferably with Post Graduate training in M&E or Project planning and Management.
- Minimum of 5 years working experience in monitoring and evaluation working experience (preferably in a policy influence or advocacy environment focused organization).
- Proven experience in Political Will Monitoring and Advocacy Monitoring.
- Proficient in both quantitative and qualitative data management methodologies with a focus on advocacy process and impact measurement.
- Skills in data analysis and visualization principles and software (STATA, SPSS, Advanced Ms Excel, NVivo, ATLAS.ti, Power Bi etc.).
- Experience promoting participation of children, community members and leaders and/or facilitating focus group discussions (especially with beneficiaries including children).
- Familiarity with mobile data collection platforms (i.e. CommCare, Kobo Collect, ODK etc).
- Experience with monitoring and evaluation techniques to assess the quality and effectiveness of program strategies for program learning.
- Strong understanding and exoerince in process monitoring for adoovacy and policy change measurement.
- Child Rights: Promotes an enabling environment for participation, and accountability to children
- Excellent communication skills, results oriented and self-driven.
- Proficient in speaking and writing English.
THE ORGANIZATION
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
- No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday.
- All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
- Violence against children is no longer tolerated.
Save the Children is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ and assign the best-qualified talent.
Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.
Disclaimer:
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Job Info
- Job Identification14854
- Job CategoryMonitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
- Posting Date05/12/2025, 10:30
- Apply Before18/12/2025, 10:30
- Job ScheduleFull time
- Locations CO – Nairobi
