MERL Coordinator – SRH Alliance Full Time NEW

The Opportunity

The Global SRHR Alliance is launching a flagship pilot programme across eight countries in East Africa, West Africa, and the MENA region. This initiative, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to expand access to quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, particularly in conflict-affected and underserved communities.

The MERL Lead will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for the Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Accountability (MERL) function of the SRH Alliance. The role is responsible for designing and implementing robust MERL systems, coordinating performance monitoring and reporting, leading evaluations and research initiatives, strengthening accountability and learning mechanisms, and ensuring compliance with donor requirements. The position will support evidence-based decision-making, adaptive programming, and knowledge management across Alliance members and partners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the implementation of the SRH Alliance MERL Framework, ensuring alignment with donor requirements, the Results Framework, and Theory of Change.
• Coordinate baseline, midline, endline evaluations, assessments, and outcome harvesting processes.
• Develop and harmonize MERL tools, guidelines, indicators, targets, and reporting systems across Alliance partners.
• Ensure high-quality data collection, analysis, visualization, and reporting to support program performance and accountability.
• Produce timely and high-quality donor and internal reports, dashboards, and learning products.
• Strengthen accountability systems, including community feedback and response mechanisms (CFRM).
• Promote organizational learning, adaptive management, and evidence generation for program improvement and policy influence.
• Build the capacity of staff and partners in Results-Based Management (RBM), MERL methodologies, data management, and digital tools.
• Ensure integration of gender equality, disability inclusion, meaningful youth participation, conflict sensitivity, and climate adaptation within MERL systems.
• Lead knowledge-sharing, learning events, dissemination workshops, and documentation of best practices and success stories.
• Represent the Alliance in technical working groups, coordination platforms, donor forums, research networks, and stakeholder engagements.
• Foster partnerships with government institutions, NGOs, academic institutions, research organizations, and Alliance members to strengthen learning, innovation, and resource mobilization.

Safeguarding Children and Program Participants (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)

• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed per the appropriate procedures.
• Ensures that all staff in the unit/function/department and SRH Alliance member partners are properly inducted on and understand their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies;
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day-to-day work.
• Ensures that Plan Ethiopia contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted.

The Individual

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics or Economics, or Information Science or Reproductive Health or Public Health, Development Studies or Sociology.
• A minimum of five years of progressive professional experience in MERL in related Alliance or Consortium programs/projects.
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection, tools development and analysis.
• Experience in the use of Digital Data Collection tools or/and of data visualization software solutions, including relevant qualitative and quantitative software.
• Experience in participatory facilitation and capacity development.
• Experience in working with similar program and Dutch MoFA funded MEAL framework is preferred
• Experience in working on SRH and/ or related program or project
• Experience in working on consortium projects and with local partners in similar program is an asset
• Prior experience and expertise in applying MEAL strategies from a gender transformative and inclusive approach is desirable
• Experience in Results-Based Monitoring and PMERL is an asset.
• Fluency in English language is essential & in addition to Amharic other local Knowledge of Local Languages is a desirable