Organization overview

SOS Children’s Villages Tanzania is a local non-governmental organization established affiliated 60 years to SOS Children’s Villages International, a worldwide childcare and protection organization that provides orphaned and destitute children with a permanent family home and educational opportunities. Currently SOS Children’s Villages International has Children’s Villages and other projects in 135 countries around the world. Globally, it runs the SOS Children’s Village Programme which has two main arms, i.e. Family Like Care based at SOS Children’s Villages and Family Strengthening Programmes supporting families in local communities. SOS Children’s Villages has been working in Tanzania since 1991. Our programs are currently working in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Iringa, Dodoma, and Mtwara.

Job Summary

The Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) provides strategic leadership and technical oversight for quality assurance across SOS Children’s Villages Tanzania programmes. The role is responsible for designing, implementing, and leading robust MEAL systems, generating high-quality evidence, guiding data-driven decision-making processes, identifying areas for learning and project improvement, and ensuring timely, accurate, and results-based reporting.

Major Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of a robust MEAL framework, ensuring integration across programmes and alignment with SOS Federation strategies.
• Operationalize Federation DME and MEAL strategic policies, standards, and tools at the national level.
• Oversee monitoring and quality assurance of programme outcomes, outputs, frameworks, logical frameworks, including development and use of KPIs.
• Ensure programme/project reviews, reflection sessions, corrective action planning, and lead high-quality performance reporting.
• Strengthen accountability mechanisms for children, young people, families, and communities, ensuring Do No Harm and Child Safeguarding standards are closed.
• Support complaint and feedback mechanisms and ensure learning loops are coordinated.
• Coordinate gender mainstreaming, CISS, youth, and systems strengthening.
• Coordinate participation in Federation and international research initiatives.
• Collaborate with government institutions, academia, NGOs, and research bodies.
• Lead documentation, packaging, dissemination of best practices, lessons learned.
• Promote a learning culture across programmes and support adaptive management.
• In collaboration with ICT, strengthen data visualization, dashboards, and analytics.
• Ensure compliance with organizational and donor requirements and GDPR alignment.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Abilities, and Behavioural Competences

• Master’s degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Social Sciences, Statistics, Public Health, Research Methods, Development Studies, or related field. Certification in MEAL or Results-Based Management is an added advantage.
• Minimum 8-10 years of progressive experience in MEAL, with at least 5 years in leadership/coordinator or senior-level positions.
• Good knowledge and understanding of the target group, i.e. vulnerable children, families, and communities.
• Awareness and understanding of the development of programmes rights including gender, education, health, HIV/AIDS, climate change, youth empowerment, etc.
• Experience in project management, planning, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and cross-cultural skills.
• Competent in MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of a robust MEAL framework, ensuring integration across programmes and alignment with SOS Federation strategies.
• Operationalize Federation DME and MEAL strategic policies, standards, and tools at the national level.
• Oversee monitoring and quality assurance of programme outcomes, outputs, frameworks, logical frameworks, including development and use of KPIs.
• Ensure programme/project reviews, reflection sessions, corrective action planning, and lead high-quality performance reporting.
• Strengthen accountability mechanisms for children, young people, families, and communities, ensuring Do No Harm and Child Safeguarding standards are closed.
• Support complaint and feedback mechanisms and ensure learning loops are coordinated.
• Coordinate gender mainstreaming, CISS, youth, and systems strengthening.
• Coordinate participation in Federation and international research initiatives.
• Collaborate with government institutions, academia, NGOs, and research bodies.
• Lead documentation, packaging, dissemination of best practices, lessons learned.
• Promote a learning culture across programmes and support adaptive management.
• In collaboration with ICT, strengthen data visualization, dashboards, and analytics.
• Ensure compliance with organizational and donor requirements and GDPR alignment.

• Good knowledge and understanding of the target group, i.e. vulnerable children, families, and communities.
• Awareness and understanding of the development of programmes rights including gender, education, health, HIV/AIDS, climate change, youth empowerment, etc.
• Experience in project management, planning, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and cross-cultural skills.
• Competent in MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

• Master’s degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Social Sciences, Statistics, Public Health, Research Methods, Development Studies, or related field.
• Certification in MEAL or Results-Based Management is an added advantage.