MEAL Director

POSITION SUMMARY:The MEAL Director plays a critical role in ensuring evidence‑based programming, accountability to affected populations, and continuous learning across Project HOPE’s Gaza country portfolio. This role leads the design and implementation of robust MEAL systems, ensures effective reporting to donors and stakeholders, and supports data‑driven decision‑making to improve program quality and impact. The MEAL Director will oversee all MEAL activities, from indicator development and data analysis to learning events and community feedback mechanisms, while building capacity of staff and partners in MEAL approaches and tools.The MEAL Director ensures full alignment with Project HOPE global MEAL frameworks, policies, and technical guidance issued by headquarters, adapting global standards to the Gaza operational context.While initially supporting PRM-funded programming, the MEAL Director provides strategic oversight across all current and future donor-funded projects within the Gaza portfolio, ensuring harmonized systems, cross-project learning, and consistent compliance with diverse donor requirements. The position maintains a functional reporting relationship with the MEL Advisor within the Project HOPE Technical Unit to ensure alignment with global technical standards and cross-country learning.PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:Strategic Leadership & Collaboration· Provide strategic direction and governance oversight for MEAL systems across the Gaza country portfolio, ensuring alignment with Project HOPE’s humanitarian values, donor requirements, and organizational standards.· Ensure harmonization of MEAL systems across multiple donor-funded projects (PRM, USAID/BHA, UN, EU, and others as applicable).· Lead development of a country-level MEAL strategy applicable to current and future awards.· Collaborate closely with program, operations, and finance departments to ensure MEAL integration across the full project lifecycle (design, implementation, reporting, and closeout).· Contribute to organizational strategy, policy development, and adaptive management by providing evidence‑based analysis and recommendations.· Represent Project HOPE in MEAL coordination forums, humanitarian clusters, and inter‑agency learning initiatives.· Provide technical leadership in proposal development, emergency applications, and donor modifications, ensuring strong theories of change, logical frameworks, and performance monitoring structures.· Ensure adherence to Project HOPE global MEAL policies, technical standards, and internal guidance, and oversee contextual adaptation at country level.Monitoring & Evaluation· Lead the development and execution of MEAL strategies and plans across all projects, ensuring alignment with donor requirements and Project HOPE standards.· Approve and provide oversight on data collection methodologies, analysis, and reporting processes, including indicator tracking tables (ITT), dashboards, and real‑time data systems.· Ensure rigorous data quality assurance and provide technical oversight on Data Quality Assessments (DQAs), aggregation from field teams and partners, and corrective action plans.· Provide oversight for program assessments (baseline, midline, endline), ensuring findings inform adaptive management and strategic decision-making.· Approve SMART indicators, targets, and tools for routine monitoring and project performance review.· Ensure harmonization of indicators and monitoring systems across multiple donor-funded projects to reduce duplication and increase efficiency.· Ensure consistent use and contextual adaptation of Project HOPE internal MEAL tools, templates, indicator reference sheets, and reporting systems across all projects.· Ensure beneficiary tracking systems include appropriate disaggregation, deduplication, and documentation controls.· Promote and facilitate operational research, evaluations, and evidence generation initiatives in coordination with the Technical Unit and global teams.Accountability & Learning· Provide strategic oversight to community feedback and response mechanisms (CFRM), ensuring they inform program adjustments and strengthen accountability to affected populations.· Coordinate lessons learned sessions, After‑Action Reviews (AARs), and other learning activities to enhance program effectiveness.· Oversee documentation of best practices, case studies, and success stories to showcase impact and promote internal and external learning.· Ensure accountability frameworks are adapted to Gaza’s complex humanitarian context, integrating protection, including cultural norms, conflict dynamics, and community trust.· Monitor complaint trends and safeguarding risks, escalating critical issues to senior leadership as appropriate.· Identify opportunities for studies, external evaluations, learning briefs, and peer-reviewed publications that strengthen Project HOPE’s evidence base and visibility.Reporting & Compliance· Provide strategic oversight of performance reporting across the Gaza country portfolio, ensuring timely, high-quality submissions in line with PRM and other donor-specific requirements, and providing final review and sign-off on all external reports.· Oversee the development and standardization of harmonized MEAL tools and templates across projects, including approved mobile data collection and management platforms.· Provide oversight to MEAL database systems to ensure effective beneficiary tracking, deduplication protocols, and accurate output reporting in compliance with donor requirements.· Ensure adherence to Project HOPE global MEAL policies and organizational reporting requirements, including use of DHIS2 and other designated internal systems, while maintaining functional alignment with the Technical Unit and harmonization between internal and donor reporting.Capacity Building· Build capacity of Project HOPE and partner staff through mentoring, coaching, and training on MEAL concepts, tools, and data literacy.· Strengthen local partner accountability systems through training and joint monitoring exercises.· Promote a culture of evidence‑based decision‑making and continuous improvement across the country portfolio.· Directly supervise and mentor the MEAL Manager, ensuring operational excellence and effective delegation across the MEAL team.Gaza‑Specific Considerations· Ensure MEAL systems are adapted to the Gaza context, including remote monitoring and contingency data collection during access restrictions.· Ensure integration of protection, gender, and inclusion considerations across monitoring and accountability frameworks.· Lead development of contingency plans for data collection and reporting during escalations or operational disruptions.· Strengthen community trust by ensuring transparent communication of program goals, results, and feedback mechanisms.QUALIFICATIONS:· Advanced degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Public Health, International Development, or related field.· Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in MEAL, including at least 5 years in senior leadership roles supervising multi-level teams in humanitarian or conflict settings.· Strong knowledge of donor compliance requirements (USAID, UN, EU, etc.) and humanitarian accountability standards (Sphere, CHS); demonstrated experience managing U.S. Government-funded humanitarian awards (e.g., USAID/BHA) strongly preferred.· Demonstrated experience overseeing MEAL systems across multi-donor humanitarian portfolios.· Proven experience managing and mentoring MEAL teams of 5+ staff, including senior technical personnel.· Experience preparing for donor audits, Data Quality Assessments (DQAs), and performance verification exercises.· Experience in refugee, displacement, protection-focused, or conflict-affected programming strongly preferred.· Demonstrated expertise in quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and reporting.· Advanced experience overseeing mobile data collection systems, database governance, beneficiary tracking systems, and data protection protocols.· Excellent facilitation, communication, and capacity‑building skills.· Proven expertise in program management, compliance, donor relations, and operational oversight.· Demonstrated ability to represent organizations at high‑level coordination forums.· Strong network of agencies and individuals active in emergency response capacities.· Strong writing, presentation and program development skills.· Outstanding organizational and communication skills.· Excellent ability to handle multiple tasks and many administrative details in a fast paced and constantly changing environment.· Fluency in English required; Arabic strongly preferred.PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Physical demands:· While performing the duties of this job, the employee must be mobile in an office environment and able to use standard office equipment.· Must be able to communicate in verbal and written form.· Project HOPE employees may be required to travel or work in countries where working conditions are classified as “hardship.”Work environment:· Typical office environment with exposure to a minimal noise level.· Emergency deployments may be in resource-deprived environments with austere living conditions.· Travel for extended periods may be by air and/or other modes of transportation.· Project HOPE employees may be required to travel or work in countries where working conditions are classified as “hardship.”HOW TO APPLYCareer Site