MEAL Officer at Help Age International

The MEAL Officer plays a critical role in enhancing the quality, effectiveness, and accountability of HelpAge’s global programmes, advocacy efforts, and organizational performance. This role coordinates and provides technical input into the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks, supports learning processes, and provides technical advice to teams and Network Members.

The postholder will work collaboratively across teams and Impact Vehicles to coordinates performance measurement, evaluations, rapid needs assessments and key planning and reporting processes, ensuring that HelpAge’s programmes and influencing initiatives are grounded in evidence, informed by the voices of older people, and contribute to a strong culture of learning, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Key areas for impact/influence and responsibilities

Organisational Performance and Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks

• Coordinate and provide technical input into the development and implementation of robust M&E frameworks and tools for global programmes, advocacy initiatives, and Impact Vehicles.
• Support Impact Vehicle, cross-functional, and programmes teams in defining indicators, setting baselines, and tracking outcomes aligned to HelpAge’s Global Impact Framework.
• Coordinate the development and review of results frameworks, log frames, indicators, baselines, and targets across teams and Impact Vehicles.
• Lead the identification and development of appropriate data sources, data-collection methodologies and evidence requirements for organisational and Impact Vehicle indicators and targets.
• Act as the organisational focal point for standardising KPI measurement across all Impact Vehicles, establishing and maintaining consistent indicator definitions, measurement tools, evidence requirements and reporting approaches, subject to final technical sign-off by the Global Impact Adviser. Coordinate organisation-wide Impact Vehicle performance tracking, working with relevant teams to ensure the timely and consistent collection, analysis and reporting of results.
• Coordinate and undertake the drafting and revision of organisational MEAL policies, procedures, standards and guidance.

Technical MEL Support for Global Impact Team

• Provide advanced technical MEAL advice, support, and quality assurance across HelpAge’s global programme portfolio, working with programme teams and Network Members throughout proposal development, programme design, implementation, monitoring, reporting and learning.
• Provide technical support to advocacy teams to track and measure the outcomes and influence of campaigns, policy engagement, and strategic partnerships.
• Develop and apply methodologies and tools for monitoring policy change, stakeholder influence, and advocacy impact.

Accountability and Participation

• Provide guidance on participatory monitoring approaches, ensuring meaningful inclusion of older people and marginalised groups.
• Work with programme and network member teams to build inclusive, culturally appropriate feedback and response systems at community or country level.
• Collaborate with the Data and Accountability Officer to ensure feedback data is analysed and used to inform adaptive programming and advocacy refinement.
• Promote transparency, responsiveness, and power-sharing through strengthened accountability practices.

Organisational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Coordinate learning reviews, after-action reviews, and annual and mid-term reflection processes within and across teams.
• Document and disseminate key learning, good practices, and innovations.
• Facilitate cross-organisational learning events, webinars, and communities of practice.

Rapid Needs Assessments

• Act as HelpAge’s technical focal point for rapid needs assessments, establishing and maintaining organisational methodologies, tools, standards and guidance.Advise and coordinate teams undertaking rapid needs assessments, determining appropriate sampling approaches, data-collection methods, questionnaire design, analytical process, and quality-assurance requirements
• Undertake the coordination and final technical quality assurance of rapid needs assessment reports, including establishing requirements and timelines, coordinating and consolidating inputs from colleagues, and ensuring that findings and recommendations are methodologically robust, supported by the available evidence and suitable for organisational or external use.

Evaluation and Evidence Generation

• Act as a technical focal point for evaluations of short-term projects, advising teams on appropriate evaluation approaches, methodology and design, and coordinating evaluations as required, with overall organisational technical oversight remaining with the Global Impact Adviser.
• Provide technical quality assurance on evaluation design, methodology, findings, and deliverables.
• Support the development of evaluation terms of reference and methodologies, and support the process, from inception, data collection, analysis and delivery.
• Coordinate the dissemination of evaluation findings across the organisation, and support teams to use findings to influence strategy, fundraising, and programme design. Capacity Strengthening
• Design and deliver training and tailored support to HelpAge teams, partners, and network members on MEL and accountability.
• Develop user-friendly guidance, templates, and toolkits to strengthen MEL practices across the organisation.
• Build internal capacity for adaptive management and evidence use in decision-making.

Planning, Reporting, and Coordination

• Support the Global Impact Adviser by coordinating key components of HelpAge’s annual business planning, organisational and donor reporting cycles, including coordinating and reviewing inputs from teams across functions and regions.
• Work closely with the Global Impact Advisor and Data and Accountability Officer to ensure effective data use and alignment of organizational planning and reporting, systems, data use, and frameworks.
• Actively participate in the relevant cross-team learning and coordination platforms.
• Contribute MEL insights to fundraising, donor reporting, and strategic planning processes.

Skills and experience required

Essential

• Significant experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning in international development, humanitarian, or advocacy-focused organisations.
• Advanced knowledge of MEAL principles, demonstrated by experience designing M&E frameworks, theories of change, indicators, and MEL plans.
• Strong technical skills in both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Experience applying MEL in advocacy, campaigning, or policy-influencing settings.
• Experience coordinating donor or organisational reporting and translating complex programme and performance information into clear, evidence-based narratives.
• Experience coordinating organisation-wide or multi-team planning, performance measurement or reporting processes, including setting requirements, managing inputs and challenging incomplete or poor-quality submissions.
• Knowledge of accountability principles and practical experience with feedback, complaints, and response mechanisms.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience designing and delivering MEAL training and learning events.
• Ability to communicate technical information clearly to non-specialist audiences.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively across diverse teams and cultural contexts.
• Familiarity with digital data collection and analysis tools (e.g., Power BI, Kobo Toolbox, DHIS2, Excel).
• Demonstrated experience coordinating rapid needs assessments in humanitarian contexts, including developing methodologies and tools, directing technical inputs, addressing data-quality and analytical issues, coordinating report production, and providing final technical quality assurance.
• Excellent written and spoken English, including the ability to produce and quality assure high-quality organisational and donor reports.
• Flexibility to work across different time zones.
• Demonstrated understanding of and a commitment to the principles of Partner Led Programming is essential.

Desirable

• Excellent communication skills in English (spoken and written); Fluency in one or more additional languages used in the Global South (e.g., Spanish, French, Arabic) are highly desirable.
• Ability to work across cultures, sectors, and geographies in inclusive and equitable ways.
• Knowledge of ageing, disability, inclusion, humanitarian inclusion, or rights-based programming.