MEAL Consortium Team Lead Jobs – International Rescue Committee

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Job Title: MEAL Consortium Team Lead

Organisation: International Rescue Committee

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About Organisation:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power.

Job Summary: The MEAL Consortium Team Lead provides strategic leadership and technical oversight for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) across the FCDO RESET consortium. The role is responsible for designing and leading a harmonised, high-quality MEAL system that ensures data integrity, robust evidence generation, accountability to affected populations, and adaptive programming across all consortium partners. The position ensures that MEAL systems are fully embedded in programme design, implementation, and decision-making processes, enabling real-time learning, donor compliance, and strategic programme adaptation. The role also plays a critical leadership function in ensuring that consortium results are credible, comparable, and aligned with FCDO reporting standards, while supporting evidence-based decision-making at both operational and strategic levels.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Lead the design, implementation, and continuous strengthening of a=consortium MEAL strategy aligned with IRC global MEAL standards and FCDO requirements.
Ensure MEAL systems are designed to support adaptive management, strategic decision-making, and donor accountability at all levels.
Establish and chair consortium MEAL governance structures and technical working groups to ensure alignment and quality assurance.
Ensure MEAL systems generate high-quality evidence for programme steering, strategic planning, and donor engagement.
Lead the design and oversight of a robust consortium-wide monitoring system ensuring consistency, reliability, and comparability of data across partners.
Standardise indicators, measurement frameworks, and reporting methodologies in line with FCDO and IRC requirements.
Lead Data Quality Assurance (DQA) systems, including audits, verification exercises, and routine data quality checks.
Ensure monitoring systems capture both quantitative performance data and qualitative insights for adaptive programming.
Lead design and oversight of mixed-methods research including contribution analysis, outcome harvesting, and cost-effectiveness studies.
Ensure evidence is translated into actionable recommendations for programme adaptation, scaling, and policy influence.
Promote use of evaluation findings in donor reporting, sector learning, and strategic decision-making.
Provide strategic leadership for the design and implementation of consortium-wide accountability systems ensuring meaningful participation of affected populations.
Establish harmonised, accessible, and safe feedback and complaint mechanisms across all programme locations.
Integrate safeguarding, SEA, and protection-sensitive reporting into all MEAL systems.
Ensure accountability data is systematically used to inform programme adaptation and service delivery improvements.
Lead institutionalisation of a consortium-wide Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) system. .
Embed learning into programme steering mechanisms and donor reporting cycles.
Promote a strong organisational culture of evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management.
Lead integration of FCDO VfM framework (economy, efficiency, effectiveness, equity) into all MEAL systems.
Conduct consortium-wide cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness analysis to inform strategic decision-making.
Ensure VfM evidence informs donor reporting, programme design, and strategic investment decisions.
Develop and enforce consortium MEAL standards, tools, and reporting frameworks.
Strengthen partner MEAL capacity in results-based management, adaptive programming, and data quality assurance.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Master’s degree in economics, Social Sciences, Education, Statistics, Monitoring & Evaluation, Project Planning and Management, Development Studies, Public Policy, or a related field.
A Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring & Evaluation or equivalent professional qualification is an added advantage.
Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) within humanitarian or development programmes, including at least 5 years in senior technical or leadership roles.
Proven experience leading MEAL systems for large-scale, multi-year, multi-partner donor-funded programmes (FCDO, USAID, EU/ECHO or equivalent), with responsibility for harmonised frameworks, reporting systems, and performance tracking.
Demonstrated expertise in refugee response and resilience programming, including livelihoods, cash-based programming, graduation approaches, and self-reliance models.
Strong background in designing and implementing evaluation systems, including baselines, midline/endline studies, Value for Money (VfM) analysis, and adaptive learning frameworks.
Experience managing MEAL functions in complex consortium or multi-stakeholder environments, including coordination with government, UN agencies, NGOs, and donor partners.
Proven ability to develop and manage integrated MEAL systems, including logframes, Theories of Change, indicator tracking systems, and data quality assurance mechanisms.
Demonstrated capacity to translate complex quantitative and qualitative data into clear donor reports, strategic learning products, and actionable programme recommendations.
Advanced quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, including ability to triangulate data from multiple sources to generate evidence for decision-making and donor reporting.
Strong MEAL system design expertise, including logframe development, Theories of Change, indicator performance frameworks, and results-based management systems.
Proficiency in MEAL data collection, management, and visualization tools, including Power BI, KoboToolbox, CommCare, STATA, SPSS, and equivalent platforms.
Excellent communication skills in English, with demonstrated ability to produce high-quality analytical reports, donor briefs, and evidence-based recommendations.
Proficiency in additional languages relevant to the Uganda context is an added advantage.