Job Vacancy at Africa Relief and Community Development (ARCD), Tanzania – October 2026

Job Title: MEAL Coordinator – East Africa
Organization: Africa Relief and Community Development (ARCD)
Number of Positions: 1
Duty Station: Tanzania Regional Office, with travel across East Africa
Reports To: Program Operations Manager – Headquarters (HQ)
Geographical Coverage: East Africa, Sudan, and Djibouti
Minimum Experience: 2 years
Application Email: jobs@africa-relief.org
Application Deadline: 28 October 2026

About Africa Relief and Community Development (ARCD)

Africa Relief and Community Development (ARCD) is a United States-based nonprofit organization headquartered in Clifton, New Jersey, with field offices across Africa. The organization implements humanitarian and community development programmes across the continent.

ARCD invites applications from qualified and experienced candidates for the position of MEAL Coordinator – East Africa, based at its Tanzania Regional Office. The successful candidate will support monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning activities across ARCD’s assigned country programmes and project sites.

Applicants must clearly indicate that they are applying for the East Africa position.

Job Purpose

The MEAL Coordinator plays a central role in ensuring the quality, accountability, data integrity, and learning impact of ARCD’s programmes across its African operations.

The position is responsible for implementing and supporting the organization’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) system across assigned projects and country offices. This includes ensuring effective project monitoring, accurate verification of results and beneficiary data, compliance with donor and organizational requirements, and the continuous use of lessons learned to strengthen programme delivery.

The MEAL Coordinator will provide independent monitoring and verification information directly to ARCD Headquarters while working closely with Country Directors, project teams, partners, and other field staff.

During a major humanitarian emergency, the successful candidate may be required to undertake responsibilities outside the normal role profile and work flexible hours.

Scope of the Role

• Reporting to: Program Operations Manager – HQ.
• Technical and management oversight: ARCD Headquarters.
• Coordination: Country Directors/Representatives, programme and project teams, and relevant field staff.
• Geographical scope: ARCD operations across East Africa, with primary responsibility for assigned countries and projects.
• Travel requirements: Regular travel to ARCD field offices and project locations across East Africa when required.

Key Responsibilities

1. Monitoring and Data Quality

• Develop and maintain monitoring tools, checklists, indicators, and data collection instruments for ARCD programme activities, adapting them to local contexts and languages where necessary.
• Conduct regular field monitoring visits to assess project implementation against approved scope, implementation plans, indicators, timelines, quality benchmarks, and donor requirements.
• Maintain and update Output Trackers and Indicator Performance Tracking Tables for active projects.
• Verify the quality, completeness, consistency, and accuracy of programme and beneficiary data through periodic spot-checks and sample verification.
• Verify beneficiary numbers, beneficiary lists, distributions, project outputs, GPS information, photographs, attendance records, and other supporting evidence where applicable.
• Identify discrepancies between reported information and actual field implementation.
• Track identified monitoring issues and corrective actions through to resolution.
• Immediately escalate significant discrepancies, project delays, data-quality concerns, and compliance issues to Headquarters.
• Build the capacity of field and programme staff in MEAL tools, data collection methods, documentation, and reporting requirements.

2. Evaluation and Learning

• Support baseline studies, needs assessments, mid-term reviews, final evaluations, post-implementation assessments, and operational research for ARCD programmes.
• Contribute to programme and project design by reviewing logical frameworks, results frameworks, indicators, and MEAL plans.
• Support the measurement of project results against approved targets and indicators.
• Document key lessons learned, challenges, successful practices, and recommendations.
• Ensure lessons learned are communicated to Headquarters and incorporated into future project planning where appropriate.
• Prepare quality case studies, evaluation findings, and learning reports in coordination with relevant programme teams.

3. Accountability

• Establish and maintain functional Complaints and Feedback Mechanisms (CFM) accessible to programme beneficiaries.
• Ensure beneficiaries are informed about available feedback and complaint channels.
• Document, track, and follow up on complaints in accordance with ARCD procedures.
• Escalate safeguarding concerns, fraud, serious misconduct, significant programme-quality concerns, and other serious cases through the appropriate ARCD channels.
• Track and report the resolution status of complaints and associated corrective-action plans.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality when handling beneficiary information and complaints.

4. Data Systems and Documentation

• Support accurate and timely collection and entry of MEAL information into ARCD-approved systems, including KoboToolbox, Apricot, Odoo, and other approved platforms.
• Conduct regular data-quality reviews to identify missing, inconsistent, duplicate, or inaccurate information.
• Follow up with responsible field teams to ensure required corrections are made.
• Ensure monitoring information entered into ARCD systems corresponds with available supporting evidence and actual field implementation.
• Maintain organized MEAL documentation and records for project and donor reporting purposes.
• Support Headquarters in improving standardized digital monitoring tools, forms, trackers, and dashboards.

5. Reporting and Coordination

• Prepare monthly, quarterly, annual, project-specific, and other MEAL reports as required.
• Submit official MEAL reports and significant monitoring findings directly to the Program Operations Manager – HQ.
• Provide Country Directors/Representatives and relevant project teams with findings requiring operational follow-up while maintaining Headquarters’ visibility.
• Provide verified beneficiary statistics, project progress information, indicators, and supporting evidence required for donor reporting.
• Review field monitoring information for accuracy and consistency before it is consolidated into official reports.
• Maintain close coordination with programme, project, partner, and field staff to ensure MEAL findings contribute to improvements in implementation.
• Participate in project review and coordination meetings as requested by Headquarters.

6. Project Completion Verification

Before project closure, the MEAL Coordinator will support verification that:

• Approved activities and outputs have been completed.
• Reported beneficiary numbers are supported by appropriate documentation.
• Required monitoring and reporting documents have been received.
• Required photographs, GPS information, beneficiary and distribution records, and other supporting evidence are available where applicable.
• Required baseline, pre/post, or final assessments have been completed.
• Outstanding monitoring findings and corrective actions have been addressed.
• Project completion monitoring findings are provided to Headquarters before final MEAL closure.

7. Independence of the MEAL Function

To protect the integrity and reliability of ARCD’s monitoring function, the MEAL Coordinator must ensure that:

• MEAL findings are based on verified evidence and objective assessment.
• Country and field management and project teams may provide information and operational coordination but may not alter or suppress MEAL findings.
• Significant discrepancies, suspected data manipulation, beneficiary irregularities, and material implementation concerns are communicated directly to Headquarters.
• The MEAL Coordinator can request project information and supporting documentation necessary to conduct assigned monitoring and verification activities.
• The MEAL Coordinator does not approve expenditures, procurement, contractors, project scope changes, or implementation changes unless separately authorized in writing by Headquarters.

8. Additional Responsibilities

• Perform additional MEAL-related duties assigned by Headquarters.
• Support emergency-response monitoring and reporting when required.
• Travel to ARCD field offices and project locations across East Africa when requested by Headquarters.

Behaviours and Values in Practice

ARCD expects employees to demonstrate the following values:

Accountability

• Take responsibility for the accuracy and quality of monitoring work.
• Promote accountability among project teams and partners.

Ambition

• Maintain high standards for personal and programme performance.
• Contribute to improving ARCD’s long-term programme quality.

Collaboration

• Build effective working relationships with Headquarters, country offices, partners, beneficiaries, and stakeholders while maintaining the independence of the MEAL function.

Creativity

• Develop practical and innovative solutions to monitoring, evaluation, data management, and reporting challenges.

Integrity

• Act honestly, objectively, transparently, and professionally.
• Protect the integrity of monitoring information.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Sciences, Public Health, Education, Development Studies, Statistics, Information Technology, Project Management, or a related field.
• Relevant professional training or certification in Monitoring and Evaluation, data management, project management, or a related area is an added advantage.

Experience and Skills

Essential Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate:

• At least two years of experience in monitoring, evaluation, data management, or research, preferably within an NGO, humanitarian organization, or international development organization.
• Experience with project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and project cycles.
• Experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Experience conducting field monitoring and data verification.
• Strong reporting, documentation, and analytical skills.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and general computer skills.
• Ability to identify inconsistencies and objectively report findings.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with both Headquarters and field teams.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project locations and ARCD country offices across East Africa when required.
• Commitment to ARCD’s vision, mission, values, policies, and accountability standards.
• Strong written and spoken English.

Desirable Requirements

The following will be an advantage:

• Previous experience with ARCD or a similar humanitarian or development organization.
• Experience using KoboToolbox, Apricot, Odoo, or similar monitoring and data-management systems.
• Experience working on donor-funded humanitarian or development projects.
• Experience conducting Data Quality Assessments (DQA).
• Fluency in relevant local languages used across East Africa.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their CV and a cover letter in English to:

Email: jobs@africa-relief.org

Application Instructions

1. Send your updated CV and cover letter in English.
2. Use the following email subject line: MEAL Coordinator – East Africa – Your Name.
3. Clearly state in your application that you are applying for the East Africa position.
4. Include your current country of residence in your cover letter.

Application Deadline: 28 October 2026

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications before the closing date.

Equal Opportunity and Safeguarding

ARCD is an equal opportunity employer committed to safeguarding the people it serves and its staff. All employees are expected to share this commitment. Selected candidates will be subject to reference checks.