Overview
The MEL Specialist is responsible for developing and implementing the project’s monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) system, including managing the MIS and strengthening partner capacity to improve programme effectiveness.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop, implement, and manage the project’s MEL framework, including indicators, tools, reporting templates, and data collection systems.
- Track project activities, outputs, outcomes, milestones, and targets against the approved work plan.
- Provide timely, accurate, and credible data to donors, management, partners, and stakeholders.
- Lead and coordinate baseline, midline, endline, thematic, and cohort-based evaluations.
- Serve as the technical focal point for external consultants, supporting evaluation design, TOR development, procurement inputs, sampling validation, inception processes, and review of evaluation tools and protocols.
- Oversee data collection processes, ensure adherence to agreed methodologies, maintain data quality and consistency, safeguard ethical standards, and ensure secure data storage and handover.
- Support analysis of changes across different participant or community cohorts over time, interpret findings against the project logframe and theory of change, and generate evidence for decision-making.
- Facilitate learning processes by synthesising findings, documenting lessons learned, identifying best practices, and promoting evidence-based adjustments to project design and implementation.
- Strengthen the capacity of implementing partners and project staff on MEL systems, data collection, reporting protocols, knowledge management, and the use of evidence for decision-making.
- Serve as the project’s knowledge management focal point, manage evidence repositories, disseminate learning products, support reporting, and ensure alignment with Plan International Ghana and global MERL standards.
Required Experience
- A minimum of 7 years’ experience in program planning, monitoring, evaluation, learning and research of complex development projects, and development and implementation of child protection frameworks, child labour measurements and education data.
- Proven expertise and experience in developing and implementing Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems, including Management Information Systems (MIS) and dashboards.
- Demonstrable experience in implementing MEL frameworks within multi-million-dollar institutional grants, particularly in areas such as child labour and protection, gender transformation, educational development, and community integration.
- Strong understanding and proven application of project cycle management principles.
Qualifications
Advanced degree in statistics, measurement, planning, monitoring & evaluation, development research, or other relevant fields.
