Senior Manager Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Tempo Inteiro

CARE seeks a Senior Manager Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) for an anticipated USDA-funded five-year, $28 million McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (FFECN) project in Mozambique. The expected start date is October 2025 running through September of 2030. The principal objectives of the McGovern-Dole Program are as follows:

• Strategic Objective 1: Improved literacy of school-age children.
• Strategic Objective 2: Increased use of health, nutrition, and dietary practices; and
• Strategic Objective 3: Improved Effectiveness of Food Assistance through Local and Regional Procurement

By providing school meals, teacher training, government capacity-building, and related education and nutrition support, the FFECN project will help boost school enrollment, increase attendance, and improve literacy results, as well as improve the nutrition, health, and wellbeing of Mozambican primary school students. The project will also ensure graduation from USDA support by strengthening the GoM’s school meal resource allocation, capacity, and accountability systems to achieve education, health, and nutrition objectives.

The Senior Manager MEL will be responsible for establishing and managing the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning system for CARE’s program, ensuring that it aligns with both the organization’s global standards and the specific requirements of the donor. This will entail working collaboratively with program teams to develop and implement a robust MEL framework that captures accurate and relevant data, promotes learning, and ensures accountability to both beneficiaries and donors. The Senior Manager will also be responsible for routinely analyzing data to be used for learning and adapting the program’s interventions to ensure the project is on target to meet the project’s results framework and overall objectives.

This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USDA approval. It is also subject to project award and funding. National candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will be based in Maputo, Mozambique.

Responsibilities

• Collaboratively work with program teams to develop and implement a robust MEL framework that captures accurate and high-quality data, promotes learning, and ensures accountability to both beneficiaries and donors.
• Ensure alignment of MEL activities with program goals and lead targeting for annual work plans and ensure inclusion of MEL activities. Analyze project data on a monthly basis and present the data to the Chief of Party and technical leads, highlighting problem or challenge areas with specific course correction suggestions.
• Conduct field visits for data collection, validation, and to monitor data quality; ensuring timely compilation of high-quality data; provide on-the-spot and formal training of staff and hired data collectors as necessary.
• Capture and document lessons learned and champion advocacy for the scaling up of best practices.
• Oversee the prudent and timely use of the MEL budget, and work to ensure sufficient budgetary allocation each year.
• Lead the MEL team by providing regular coaching, supervision, performance assessments, and capacity building to enhance their skills and professional development.
• Provide technical leadership, capacity building and support to project and partner staff in planning and implementing MEL systems and activities, data-based program decision-making, and results reporting.
• Support the Chief of Party (COP) to coordinate all evaluations (e.g., baseline, mid-term and final project evaluations), studies, commodity tracking, and special project assessments.
• Ensure utilization of global best practices of US Government (USG) guidelines regarding Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in statistics, data management, public health, international development, economic development or other relevant qualifications is required, and a master’s degree is preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant senior experience in international development as MEL Manager on large humanitarian or development projects.
• Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods, survey design and implementation, and statistical data analysis.
• Demonstrated MEL experience in USG commodity focused programming preferably with Food for Education or Maternal and Child Nutrition (MCN).
• Strong experience and knowledge of USG M&E guidelines, systems, and reporting requirements including CLA principles, approaches, and their application to project learning and adaptation.
• Strong data visualization and report writing skills, and ability to translate technical information for non-technical audiences.
• Experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff and teams.
• Demonstrated skills building and maintaining relationships with project stakeholders, local partners, and local organizations.
• Fluency in Portuguese and English required (spoken and written).
• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated inter-cultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to the prevention of sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse.