MEAL Manager

Job Summary: 

The MEAL Manager provides strategic leadership, management, and technical oversight of CARE Iraq’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) function. The role ensures that high-quality systems are in place for efficient monitoring and evaluation of  programme quality, outputs and outcomes, for continuous accountability to affected populations, and for evidence-based decision-making and learning, in line with CARE’s global frameworks and donor requirements. The MEAL Manager leads a unit comprised of a MEAL Coordinator and MEAL officer that supports implementing partners, and works closely with programme teams to support adaptive management of CARE Iraq’s interventions that lead to measurable impact with regards to all dimensions of equality and inclusion: building individual agency, reshaping relationships, and transforming structures. 

Key Responsibilities and Tasks 

1. MEAL Systems, Strategy and Governance

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of a coherent country-level MEAL system, aligned with CARE’s Global MEAL Framework, Country Strategic Plan, and donor requirements. 

• Ensure MEAL processes and approaches consider all dimensions of equality and inclusion programming and are embedded across the project cycle. 

• Ensure consistency and quality of MEAL approaches across projects, sectors, and partners. Provide regular analysis and synthesis of cross-programme results, evaluations, accountability data, and learning products, including the preparation of brief analytical summaries and recommendations for senior management to support strategic decision-making, programme adaptation, and organizational learning  

1. MEAL Planning,Toolsand Technical Oversight 

• Oversee the design and quality assurance of MEAL frameworks, plans, indicators, tools, and budgets across projects and sectors. 

• Ensure that appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies are used, including needs assessments, baselines, monitoring, evaluations, and learning exercises, as relevant and appropriate for each project. 

• Provide technical oversight of data management systems, ensuring data integrity, data accuracy, and appropriate and timely use of data.. 
• Coordinate with programme, finance, and operations teams to ensure MEAL activities are adequately resourced and feasible. 

1. Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP)

• Lead the design, implementation, and monitoring of feedback, complaints, and response mechanisms across CARE Iraq programmes and partner-led interventions. 

• Ensure feedback and accountability systems are accessible, safe, inclusive, and responsive, in line with Core Humanitarian Standards and CARE commitments. 
• Work closely with programme teams and partners to ensure feedback is systematically analyzed and used to improve programme quality, especially with regards to relevance and do-no-harm. 

1. Learning, Knowledge Management and Evidence Use

• Enable organizational learning by providing tools, processes, and facilitation support for reflection, learning reviews, and After-Action Reviews, in collaboration with programme teams and senior management  

• Ensure systematic documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, good practices, and evidence from programmes. 

• Support the use of MEAL data and learning to inform programme adaptation, strategy development, advocacy, and resource mobilization. 
• Lead or oversee evaluations, studies, and learning initiatives, including the management of external consultants or third-party monitoring where required. 

1. Reporting and Information Products

• Ensure high-quality MEAL inputs to donor reports, including interim and final reports, in close collaboration with programme teams. 

• Oversee country-level CARE results reporting processes (including PIIRS) and provide technical MEAL inputs to donor and relevant government reporting processes, where required, in coordination with programme and compliance teams 

• Support the establishment of dashboards and performance summaries for programme/project managers and partners informing management decisions and programmatic decisions.  
• Prepare analytical briefs and evidence summaries based on MEAL data and learning, to support decision-making by senior management and to inform external stakeholders such as donors, UN coordination mechanisms, and relevant government counterparts, through established CARE, donor, and coordination platforms where required. 

1. Partner Engagement and Capacity Strengthening

• Provide technical support and capacity strengthening to implementing partners on MEAL systems, tools, and standards. 

• Support partner assessments, MEAL capacity development plans, and ongoing mentoring. 
• Ensure partner-generated data meets CARE and donor standards and expectations while respecting local ownership and contextual knowledge. 

1. Team Leadership and Management

• Line manage the MEAL Coordinator and MEAL Officer, ensuring:  

• Clear roles and responsibilities 

• Effective work planning and prioritization 

• Performance management and professional development 

• Foster a supportive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture, with attention to staff wellbeing and workload management. 
• Coordinate workloads within the MEAL team to respond to multiple grants and deadlines. 

1. Safeguarding, Ethics and Risk Management

• Ensure MEAL systems uphold CARE’s Safeguarding, PSEA, and Do No Harm commitments. 

• Monitor and flag programme quality, accountability, or implementation of risks identified through MEAL processes to senior management. 
• Support audits, reviews, and compliance processes related to programme quality and accountability. 

Key Relationships 

Internal: 

• Country Director; Deputy Country Director – Programs; Programme Managers (#); Technical Advisors (#); Finance and Operations teams; Partnership Coordinator and Communications. 

External: 

• Implementing partners (#); Donors; UN clusters and coordination mechanisms; Peer INGOs; Consultants and research institutions. 

Accountability within CARE: 
A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability: 

A) Safety and Security:
CARE believes that personal safety and safety risk management is crucial for staff; however, this cannot be achieved unless each staff memberfulfils responsibilities such as Maintain Situational Awareness, staying informed, comply with protocols, preparedness, maintaining reliable communication, respect local norms, comply with policies and instructions, and report incidents promptly.  
Failure to do so can not only endanger their own safety but also compromise the entire team and organization. 

B) Representation of CARE Mission and Values:

• Actively communicate and promote CARE’s mission, values, and goals to all stakeholders, partners, and the public. 

• Utilize CARE’s logo and branding materials appropriately in all professional activities, ensuring donor acknowledgment and visibility. 

• Wear the official CARE identification material such as vest, badge and/or pin at all business settings including meetings and events to clearly represent the organization. 

• Employees are expected to engage in business related video/photo shoots, interviews, or audio recordings to promote CARE and its projects, enhancing organizational visibility. 

• Employees are encouraged to re-share CARE’s social media posts and follow official CARE channels on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to help amplify the organization’s message. 
• Ensure the organization’s logo and online presence are used professionally, with misuse potentially leading to disciplinary action. 

  C) Promoting Equality, Justice, and Climate Responsibility

Employees at CARE Iraq are expected to embody the organization’s core values of equality, justice, and climate responsibility. This includes fostering equity between men and women, promoting climate justice, and embedding these principles into the organizational activities and work culture overall. A key focus internally and externally is on empowering women through leadership opportunities, professional growth, and meaningful participation in decision-making, while addressing workforce imbalances and amplifying women’s voices to drive transformative change. 

Equally, all employees of CARE Iraq are expected to prioritize climate responsibility by encouraging sustainable practices, reducing ecological footprint, drive positive environmental impact, and supporting climate-affected communities. Integrating resilience and sustainability into all operations and actions will ensure a just and equitable future.  

These principles are central to CARE Iraq’s vision for justice, fairness, and environmental stewardship. 

D) Safeguarding and Ethics:
At CARE, we recognize our responsibility to promote human dignity and social justice within our organization. At the heart of CARE’s efforts toimpact poverty and social justice is our engagement with marginalized communities. We place human dignity at the centre of our work. We are aware of the importance of organizational culture and accountability in enabling a safe and supportive environment for programme participants, the communities where we work, our staff, related personnel and our partners.  

At CARE, we believe all people have a right to safety and to live their lives free from harm. The Safeguarding Policy is a response to CARE’s commitment and recognition of our responsibilities to protect and safeguard people we work with, and who work for CARE, from any form of abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and child abuse. To find further details about our Safeguarding Policy commitments, please click on this link CARE International Safeguarding Policy – October 2023_EN.pdf 

Qualifications and Experience 

• University degree (Master’s preferred) in social sciences, development studies, evaluation, data science, or a related field. 

• Minimum 5–7 years of progressively responsible MEAL experience, including team management. 

• Strong knowledge of donor MEAL requirements (EU, ECHO, BMZ, BHA, etc.). 

• Demonstrated experience in qualitative and quantitative methods, data management, and learning facilitation. 

• Proven experience working with local partners and building MEAL capacity. 

Skills and Competencies 

• Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills 

• Ability to work at both strategic and technical levels 

• Excellent communication and facilitation skills 

• Strong leadership and people management abilities 

• High integrity and commitment to CARE values 

If you’re interested in this role, kindly apply via MEAL Manager tendersglobal.net Jobs at CARE International in Iraq by 15th Feb 2026 at the latest. Regrettably, applications received after this date will not be considered.

Notes:

-A Strong Call for #Women Candidates: We highly encourage women candidates to apply for this role. At CARE Iraq, we are committed to equity and justice and strive to create a safe, inclusive space where everyone can thrive. Our goal is to build a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve and contributes to meaningful change in the lives of women and girls.

-Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

-For any inquiries regarding this position, please contact CARE Iraq HR Manager through