MEAL Manager

Job Title: MEAL Manager
Location: Mbale, Uganda
Reports to: Head of MEAL

Application Deadline: 30th September 2026

Direct Reports: 3 MEAL Officers

Program Background

GOAL is currently implementing the Green Resilient Enterprise for Empowered NTFP Development (GREEN) and Charity: Water Project in Uganda. The GREEN Project is a 28-month initiative implemented under the ReForEst Uganda Programme with funding from Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the European Union. The project seeks to enhance livelihoods, jobs and ecological resilience through sustainable Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) enterprises while contributing to forest conservation, restoration and climate resilience across 16 districts in Eastern Uganda and Napak District in Karamoja. The project focuses on five priority NTFP value chains: bamboo, honey/apiculture, shea, cashew, and wild mango. Through a Green Entrepreneurship Platform (GEP), incubation services, acceleration support, cottage industry, access to finance and market linkages, the project will strengthen 140 enterprises, 50 producer groups and support 10,000 households along these NTFP value chains.  The Charity: Water Project supports sustainable WASH programming in Mbale and surrounding areas through improved access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, community engagement, behavior change, infrastructure monitoring and service sustainability.

Job summary

The MEAL Manager will provide strategic leadership, technical oversight, quality assurance, accountability, learning, data management, and evidence generation across GOAL Uganda’s GREEN, and Charity: Water projects. The role will ensure high-quality data collection, analysis, reporting, accountability, learning, research and evidence generation. while supporting adaptive management, donor compliance and organizational learning. The position will supervise 3 MEAL officer and lead the design and implementation of integrated MEAL systems that generate reliable information for programme management, donor reporting, decision-making and continuous improvement across livelihoods, enterprise development, health, nutrition and WASH programming.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

Essential 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, Quantitative Economics, Economics, Biostatistics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Studies, Agricultural Economics, Social Sciences or related field with a Post Graduate Qualification in Monitoring & Evaluation, Statistics, Development Studies or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years progressive MEAL experience in humanitarian and development programming with at least 2 years of People management experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing MEAL systems for large donor-funded and/or multi-partner programmes.
• Experience in at least two of the following sectors: Livelihoods and Market Systems Development, Agriculture and Food Security, Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management
• Demonstrated experience leading or quality-assuring evaluations, surveys, mixed-method studies and results reporting.
• Demonstrated experience managing digital data collection platforms, relational datasets and large participant or enterprise registries.
• Experience working with NGOs or INGOs.
• Strong understanding of results-based management, logical frameworks, indicator reference sheets, performance monitoring plans and adaptive management.
• Advanced quantitative and qualitative research skills with demonstrable experience using: Excel (Advanced), Power BI, SPSS or STATA, CommCare.
• Strong analytical writing, data visualisation and presentation skills, with ability to translate complex evidence into practical management recommendations.
• Strong knowledge of accountability, safeguarding, ethical research, data protection and responsible data management.
• Experience developing dashboards, automated reporting workflows and interoperable data systems; familiarity with APIs or data integration is an advantage.
• Strong leadership, coaching and people-management skills.
• Strong communication, facilitation and presentation skills.
• High attention to detail, with the ability to maintain data quality and documentation across multiple projects and partners.
• Strong problem-solving, prioritisation and decision-making skills in a fast-moving implementation environment.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-management skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and reporting cycles simultaneously and to travel regularly to field locations.
• Commitment to accountability, safeguarding, inclusion, evidence use and continuous learning.

The key responsibilities of the role will be:

Strategic MEAL Leadership
•    Lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of project MEAL frameworks, including logical frameworks, indicator reference sheets, indicator tracking tables, MEAL plans, data-flow maps, learning agendas and performance-management systems.
•    Ensure alignment of project MEAL systems with GOAL Uganda, donor and sector standards.
•    Develop annual MEAL work plans and oversee implementation across all assigned projects.
•    Provide technical leadership to programme teams on results-based management, indicator interpretation, target setting, sampling, data use and evidence-informed decision-making.
•    Promote evidence-based programming and adaptive management approaches.
GREEN Project
•    Lead monitoring of project outcomes related to enterprise development, value chain strengthening, income generation, employment creation, financial inclusion and environmental conservation.
•    Oversee unique-ID based tracking of 140 NTFP enterprises, 50 producer groups and 10,000 participating households, with required disaggregation and controls to prevent duplication across activities and partners.
•    Ensure robust monitoring of incubation, acceleration, access-to-finance and Green Entrepreneurship Platform (GEP) interventions.
•    Oversee team of MEAL Officers
Charity: Water Project
•    Monitor WASH infrastructure functionality and sustainability.
•    Track access, utilization and quality indicators for water, sanitation and hygiene services.
•    Support monitoring of community behavior change interventions and functionality assessments.
Data Systems, Digital Transformation and Information Management
•    Lead development and management of project databases and Management Information Systems (MIS).
•    Design and supervise digital data collection systems using CommCare, KoBo Toolbox, ODK and related technologies.
•    Oversee data integration, cleaning, storage and protection.
•    Support dashboard development using Power BI and other visualization tools.
•    Ensure compliance with GOAL data governance policies and data protection standards.
Evaluation, Research and Assessments
•    Lead baseline, midline, endline and special studies across assigned projects.
•    Develop scopes of work and manage external consultants conducting evaluations, assessments and research, including quality assurance of methodologies, tools, analysis and deliverables.
•    Lead qualitative and quantitative research initiatives.
•    Facilitate outcome harvesting, beneficiary perception studies and learning reviews.
•    Support cost-effectiveness and value-for-money assessments where appropriate.
Accountability and Community Engagement
•    Lead implementation of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) systems.
•    Ensure effective complaint response and feedback mechanisms.
•    Monitor beneficiary satisfaction and responsiveness of project interventions.
•    Ensure feedback data informs project adaptation and decision-making.
•    Promote transparency and community participation in programme implementation.
Learning, Knowledge Management and Adaptive Programming
•    Facilitate quarterly learning reviews and reflection meetings.
•    Lead documentation of lessons learned, best practices and innovations.
•    Develop learning products, case studies, success stories and evidence briefs.
•    Support dissemination of learning to donors, government stakeholders and programme teams.
•    Promote utilization of evidence for programme improvement.
Data Quality Assurance
•    Lead routine Data Quality Assessments (DQAs).
•    Develop and implement data quality improvement plans.
•    Conduct regular verification and validation exercises.
•    Ensure compliance with donor indicator definitions and reporting requirements.
•    Build partner capacity in data quality management.
Reporting and visualisation
•    Ensure timely preparation of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports.
•    Produce analytical dashboards, performance summaries and exception reports that clearly identify progress, variance, data-quality issues and management actions.
•    Lead indicator reporting to donors and GOAL Country Management Teams.
•    Generate management information products that support strategic decision-making.
•    Present findings and recommendations to senior management and project teams.
Capacity Strengthening
•    Supervise and mentor MEAL Officers and field-based data teams.
•    Build the MEAL capacity of programme staff, co-applicants, third-party implementers and other partners through coaching, training and supportive supervision.
•    Develop and maintain practical MEAL tools, user guides, standard operating procedures, indicator reference sheets and reporting templates.
Conduct training on digital data collection, data quality, analysis, data use, accountability and learning methodologies.
Partnership, Representation and Coordination
•    Represent GOAL in district and national MEAL working groups.
•    Engage with government ministries, district authorities and donor representatives.
•    Support donor monitoring visits, audits and evaluations.
•    Collaborate closely with implementing partners, consultants and technical specialists.