Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Lead

• Work with a team dedicated to supporting women around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice
• Flexible across Australia, Asia and Pacific
• Full time, 3 months contract with possibility of extension to 6 months (cover for leave), part time options available

CARE Australia works to defeat global poverty by supporting women to create lasting change in their communities around the world.

About the Role

The MEAL Lead is the primary specialist lead and technical resource on Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) in CA. The Lead is responsible for ensuring that CARE’s programs are designed, implemented, and evaluated in accordance with policy and standards as set by CA and the CARE Confederation. The Lead supports identification and implementation of innovative approaches to MEAL and a culture of continuous improvement and learning within programs.

The MEAL Lead supports development and communication of a clear program quality framework and ensures its implementation by CA staff. Specifically, this includes supporting the development and application of systems, organisational policies and approaches that ensure program quality and impact at the organisational, country office, partner and community level. The Lead works in ways that are participatory and gender sensitive in the context of a localisation approach.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to building an innovative portfolio across WEJ, Climate Justice and GESI programs
• Support design of programs with high quality MEAL which ensures accountability to key stakeholders
• Identify innovative MEAL approaches to capturing impact and drive continuous improvement in program learning.
• Proactively contribute to the work of other Units–Program Delivery, Pacific Program, Business Development–and CA Departments to achieve CA’s program objectives and targets.
• Develop and lead effective systems and processes to measure impact of CA’s Theory of Change at a program/portfolio level for accountability and learning.
• Building on the Project and Program Information and Impact Reporting System (PIIRS), develop further CA’s systems and mechanisms for collection and analysis of performance information and integration with the Program Management Information System (PIMS).
• Lead processes and develop systems to ensure the use of information for sensemaking, learning and program adaptation across CA and with key project teams
• Provide reporting to CA Board and senior management on program quality, performance and impact
• Contribute to the development of CA policy / strategy in relevant areas (Gender, WEJ, Climate Change Evaluation, Research, Advocacy).

Ideally you will have:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field and a minimum of five years’ relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects, ideally in international contexts and/or in resource constrained settings.
• A demonstrated understanding of policy and practice regarding program design, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Strong initiative and drive, a record of innovation and achievement and demonstrated experience in the implementation of program policies and strategies including reporting on program quality, performance and impact.
• Experience designing, implementing and supporting others to implement locally led / feminist / participatory approaches to MEL.
• High level written communication skills, analytical skills, coordination and representation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to respond effectively to challenges, to work effectively in a small, diverse and busy team environment with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and proven high level organisational and time management skills including the ability to manage workflows and balance competing priorities to ensure timely processing to meet deadlines.
• An understanding of the importance of empowering women and girls
• A commitment to the protection of children and the prevention of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse.

What we can offer you

• A flexible and supportive working environment
• Generous salary packaging benefits
• 17.5% leave loading
• Professional development and training opportunities

CARE Australia will seek information from job applicants’ previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment, and/or child abuse the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer. By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE Australia requesting the information specified above.

CARE Australia is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and encourage applications from people living with a disability and/or have lived experience of disability. We also encourage, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to apply.