MEAL Manager

Posted date

29th October, 2025

Last date to apply

6th November, 2025

Country

Pakistan

Locations

Islamabad

Category

Others

Type

Fixed-Term

Position

1

Experience

7 years

Child Safeguarding:

Level 3 - The responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people

ROLE PURPOSE:

MEAL Manager provides strategic oversight and operational leadership in areas of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Leaning (MEAL). S/he ensures that high quality MEAL system is established, functional and is integrated into all aspects of Save the Children's (SC's) programming in Pakistan. S/he facilitates capacity strengthening of MEAL staff. The incumbent facilitates the process of integrated program design with the start of developing logical frameworks. The post holder will ensure all organizational reporting is done on time. S/he promotes a culture of learning and accountability.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Director of Influencing and Impact

Managing/Supervising: One MEAL Officer

Dimensions: The Pakistan Country Office (CO) has diverse programs in areas of FSL, Health, Nutrition, WASH, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, climate Resilience and Education and has projects across Pakistan

Key Working Relationships: Technical Advisors (TAs), Operations, Awards, HR, Finance, Partners MEAL counterparts, Regional Business Partners

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Leading the Implementation of a Comprehensive MEAL System that meets SCI standards:

• Lead and strengthen the process of developing organisational MEAL framework, systems, and structure in line with SC guidelines and procedures, ensuring accountability to donors and, most critically, beneficiaries. Ensure that systems captures indicators and monitoring of child participation, gender equality, inclusion, integration, and other program quality indicators, as relevant and required
• Oversee and guide the team in rolling out of MEAL framework, including management information system, aligned with the SCI Program Quality Framework
• Support the field teams to ensure that MEAL system is understood and integrated in program implementation, leading to enhanced quality, accountability, management and impact, including feeding into new program design
• Assist TAs in establishing quality benchmarks for each sector, developing checklist and tools to monitor benchmark, and ensure quality monthly reports
• Advise TAs, Field Managers and Program Managers to ensure participation of communities, including children in program management cycle: assessment and program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; and solicit and respond to community feedback
• Support TAs and other technical staff to design tools for monitoring and evaluation of project activities as agreed in MEAL framework.
• Coordinate and oversee strategic and operational evaluations, including real time review, baseline and end lines, evaluations of humanitarian action, program evaluations, end line survey, etc.
• For each program, ensure the following are in place: accountability mechanisms, indicator tracking mechanisms, quality assurance mechanisms, appropriate evaluation, and means to capture and share institutional learning. This system needs to be implemented in close collaboration with the Program Operations and I&I Departments.
• Ensure that the accountability staff adopts clear system of feedback and response from key stakeholders, particularly children, and present the information to Senior Management Team (SMT) for decision making
• Work closely with the Program Operations department to ensure that MEAL becomes an integral element of project implementation leading to enhanced quality, accountability, management, and impact
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis to inform course correction of responses. Present and disseminate information to inform senior management decision-making
• Proactively seek solutions for more complex data management requirements by working with IT colleagues, leading development of databases etc. including exploring and advocating for the use of appropriate technology
• Work with the Program Operations Department, and Thematic Sector teams to ensure that all projects have quality assurance mechanisms integrated into their design and implementation
• Lead on development of systems and tools to support performance monitoring against humanitarian global minimum and quality standards (e.g. Core Humanitarian Standard, Sphere, INEE etc)
• Lead the design and oversight of operations and quantitative research
• Lead on design and delivery of contextually appropriate response-level accountability mechanisms (including complaints response mechanisms, information sharing and participation opportunities)
• Promote all aspects of MEAL through training and capacity building for multiple stakeholders including MEAL staff and I&I Leadership to support the creation of an organizational culture which prioritizes MEAL leading to quality programming
• Lead key MEAL components of humanitarian responses, including rapid needs assessments (RNAs), response planning and strategy development, after-action reviews, and establishing robust systems for humanitarian response reporting

Internal Reporting:

• Ensure accurate data collection and processing for all regular reporting including internal reports such as the Country Annual Report, the Program Quality KPIs, categorized emergency reports, and other regular reports. This includes ensuring accurate data collection to calculate the 'total reach' (total number of beneficiaries) from all projects and that relevant results from all projects are included in regular internal reports.
• Respond to any internal or SC member request for specific information including production of geographic, thematic sector, or program specific information
• Ensure that regularly updated MEAL mechanisms are in place for each project including technical reports and MEAL tracking tools that identify necessary future actions
• Ensure data quality and accuracy (Data quality assurance)

Program Design, Development and MEAL Resources:

• Support participatory programme design and delivery processes alongside technical sector specialists to ensure programmes/projects are carried out with participation from all disaster-affected communities (including children)
• As a contributor to proposal development, review and improve MEAL technical narrative and budgets within proposals, support development of SMART indicators with technical teams, ensure quality mechanisms are in place, and ensure consistency with the CO and SCI MEAL strategies. Ensure that MEAL is an integral part at the program design stage and is included in all proposal development.
• Ensure that learning from the previous or current programs are fed into new program design
• Ensure that adequate MEAL resources are included in proposals and work creatively to secure sufficient funding from diverse sources to ensure capacity to deliver MEAL according to SCI quality standards. Effectively manage the MEAL budget by understanding sources of funding and possible gaps and optimizing available resource
• Support the program design and fundraising efforts, including log frame development, drafting narrative MEAL sections, budgeting for MEAL activities, and ensure that MEAL is an integral part of program design
• Oversee and ensure that inclusive process is followed in program design: inclusive and participatory assessment, including consulting communities and children, gender analysis, inclusion, partnership
• Work with the TAs and partner colleagues for integrated program design: child protection, gender, inclusion (disability or differently abled), marginalization and extreme vulnerability, etc.

MEAL Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development:

• Lead the MEAL team in the CO by structuring it appropriately and then hiring and retaining highly qualified and motivated MEAL staff. This includes direct supervision of all CO MEAL staff.
• Build the technical expertise and coherency of the team through use of a Community of Practice that includes regular workshops, staff exchange, and information exchange. This will create cohesion between MEAL staff working in different geographic locations and ensure capacity exists across regions and projects
• Directly or technically supervise field office-based and partner MEAL staff where appropriate. Participate directly or through other MEAL staff in the recruitment of project and field-based MEAL staff
• Provide leadership and technical support as needed so that MEAL staff members understand their roles and can perform them as required
• Manage the performance MEAL staff by clearly setting objectives, assessing performance, and providing coaching, mentoring, and training
• Manage the MEAL team to ensure that the MEAL system operates effectively and has sufficient support. This will include ensuring that there are clearly defined roles and responsibilities among MEAL, Program Operations, and I&I staff.
• At the organizational level, develop and manage a MEAL training program and toolkit that ensures dissemination of relevant and timely knowledge to other, important internal stakeholders

Participation in Strategy Development and Annual Planning:

• Ensure that data is brought together and findings from across thematic and operational regions to enable the development of a coherent and comprehensive Country Strategic Plan. This includes participating in a Needs Situational Assessments, CSP assessments (Mid-term and Endline).
• Support the review and assessment of the Country Annual Plans (CAPs) including identifying future evaluations and working with Program staff to ensure that data is accurate
• Support the I&I Director and other program staff to analyse progress against organisational objectives and strategies

Promoting a Culture of Learning:

• Work with the I&I Director, TAs, and field-based colleagues to enhance systems and forums, and clear agenda for capturing and using learning, including promoting participatory learning process with communities, children
• Guide the MEAL staff and field-based teams and engage communications to document learning
• Ensure that reflection or lessons learned events and workshops are organized regularly and at the end of the programs, and learnings are fed into new program design
• Oversee if learnings are captured and consolidated into learning database
• Communicate top level learning / analysis reports to the SMT for management decisions and advocacy and external sharing, including publications

Regional and Centre MEAL units support:

• Support the I&I Director on regional and global aspects, related strategy, cross thematic areas, reporting, advocacy, and protection mainstreaming and child safeguarding
• Be proactive in identifying and undertaking action research to test new innovations, identifying better opportunities and approaches and rolling out into Country Office program, working with RO MEAL Business Partners and team at HQ level
• Support accuracy of external reporting as needed
• Participate in relevant MEAL training opportunities and networks in Pakistan, RO level and at global level

Other:

• Responsible for effectively managing the MEAL budget (under this post responsibility), including any breakthrough accountability funds
• Other duties as requested by the Director I&I

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice):

As a member of the Pakistan Country Program, demonstrates behaviours that are consistent with Save the Children's Mission, Vision and Values and ensure their broader application by staff across the program.

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 others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically

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
• Harnesses internal and external technical resources in ways that can benefit the country program

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks
• Actively seeks new ways to develop the application of technical and professional standards within out programs

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency
• Demonstrates personal integrity and commitment to Save the Children values and policies.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential:

• Master's degree in Economics, Development Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Social Science, Statistics, Business Administration, Public Health or in relevant field
• 7 years of experience in areas of program development & quality
• Extensive experience in MEAL related role in INGO environment, preferably in a fragile context
• Excellent understanding of different components of MEAL and skills in leading MEAL systems
• Sound conceptual understanding in advancing gender equality in programming and at workplace
• Experience of, and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Previous experience of managing a team and managing projects
• Demonstrate skills in oversight of research, assessment and evaluations
• Hands on experience in strategic planning processes
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to work independently with very limited oversight and support
• Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff
• Excellent documentation and report writing skills
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tactic and diplomacy
• Excellent communication skills: in written and spoken English
• Adaptability and flexibility: be adaptive, flexible and accommodative in difficult and insecure operating environment
• Adherence to aims and principles of SC: good understanding of SC mandate and commitment to child participation

Desirable:

• Prior experience with Save the Children
• Experience or knowledge of working in an emergency-oriented context
• Experience in advancing gender equality and partnership

Additional Job Responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Save the Children has zero tolerance towards Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Fraud, Bribery and Corruption.

Save the Children holds its Safeguarding principles and policies with high importance and commits to rigorous procedures to ensure all our personnel and programs are safe, particularly for children. All candidates will, therefore, be subject to strict background checks.

Qualified candidates from minorities, indigenous groups, women and people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.