Development Coordinator - MEAL

CARE International works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice, placing women and girls at the centre of its work. CARE Zambia and its implementing partners are delivering the BMU-IKI-funded CBA-SCALE Southern Africa+ project from 2023 to 2028, which strengthens climate resilience in Zimba District through community-based adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and the integration of climate action into local and national policy. CARE Zambia, an international non-governmental relief and development organisation operating across Eastern, North-western, Luapula, Lusaka, and Southern provinces of Zambia, is seeking an experienced, innovative and motivated individual for the role below.

Position Details

• Job title: Development Coordinator - MEAL
• Reports to: Senior Project Coordinator
• Location: Zimba, Southern Province
• Contract type: Fixed term

Job Summary

The Development Coordinator - MEAL will lead the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) function for the CBA-SCALE Southern Africa+ project in Zambia, ensuring high-quality monitoring, accountability, learning, documentation, reporting and evidence generation throughout implementation. The role tracks progress against project outcomes and indicators, strengthens data quality and use, facilitates learning and adaptive management, supports knowledge management and documentation, coordinates accountability mechanisms, and ensures project evidence informs advocacy, policy engagement and future programming. The Coordinator acts as the main link between the Zambia project team, the CARE Zambia MEAL Unit, the Programme Quality and Impact (PQ&I) team, consortium MEAL structures, and implementing partners, ensuring consistency in reporting, learning and performance management across Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. The role also supports resource mobilisation, project design, and MEAL support to other CARE Zambia projects in the Southern Region as assigned.

Duties and Responsibilities

Monitoring, evaluation and performance tracking - Lead implementation of the project's MEAL framework, tracking outputs, outcomes and resilience results. - Coordinate routine monitoring of indicators, milestones and targets, and ensure timely progress reporting. - Maintain project databases, indicator tracking tables and monitoring systems per CARE and donor requirements. - Conduct data quality assessments, verification exercises and field monitoring visits. - Support teams and partners in analysing and using monitoring data for adaptive management.

Learning, documentation and knowledge management - Lead implementation of the Performance, Evidence, Reflection and Learning (PERL) agenda. - Facilitate reflection, after-action review and sense-making sessions with teams, communities, partners and stakeholders. - Promote use of documentation and learning tools among staff and partners. - Document lessons, good practices, innovations, case studies, human-interest stories and community adaptation experiences. - Develop and disseminate learning products, including briefs, factsheets, presentations and case studies. - Support cross-country learning and exchange among consortium partners in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.

Accountability and feedback mechanisms - Lead establishment and operation of the Feedback and Accountability Mechanism (FAM) across all intervention areas. - Ensure communities and stakeholders understand feedback channels and accountability processes. - Monitor and track feedback, complaints and response actions. - Generate periodic accountability reports and facilitate learning from feedback trends. - Ensure accountability mechanisms are inclusive, gender-responsive and accessible to all participants.

Consortium MEAL coordination and knowledge management - Serve as the Zambia MEAL focal point, coordinating reporting, learning and knowledge-sharing with consortium partners in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. - Consolidate and submit progress data, indicator results, evidence and learning products to consortium structures. - Participate in consortium technical meetings, learning platforms and communities of practice. - Promote harmonised MEAL, reporting, learning and evidence-generation approaches across partners. - Collaborate with partners, government institutions, research organisations and civil society to strengthen learning and influencing.

Reporting and data management - Coordinate collection, consolidation, analysis and reporting of performance data. - Support preparation of donor, consortium, quarterly, annual and management reports. - Maintain and archive means of verification and project documentation. - Work with the CARE Zambia MEAL Unit and PQ&I team on data management and reporting standards. - Ensure alignment with CARE's standard reporting frameworks and information management systems.

Evidence generation, advocacy and influencing - Generate and package evidence to support advocacy and influencing efforts. - Support development of policy briefs, learning briefs and technical papers. - Document and communicate outcomes of community-based and locally led adaptation approaches. - Support dissemination of evidence and learning to government, partners, civil society and networks.

Community-based monitoring and locally led adaptation tracking - Facilitate development and use of community-level indicators for Local Adaptation Plans. - Support Ward Climate Change Committees and community structures to monitor adaptation progress. - Strengthen participatory monitoring and community-led review processes. - Ensure community-generated evidence informs reviews, learning and reporting.

Capacity strengthening - Build the capacity of project staff, partners, government stakeholders and community structures on MEAL, PERL, data quality, documentation and reporting. - Mentor teams on monitoring tools, accountability mechanisms and knowledge management. - Support partners in strengthening compliance with CARE and donor MEAL standards.

Programme quality, design and resource mobilisation - Contribute MEAL frameworks, theories of change, indicators and learning agendas to proposal development and project design. - Review concept notes and proposals for logical results frameworks and measurable indicators. - Work with GESI and Livelihood Improvement Programme (LIP) staff to integrate gender-responsive and socially inclusive monitoring.

Other responsibilities - Perform other duties consistent with the position, as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Development Studies, Sociology, Social Work, Demography or a related field.
• At least 3-5 years of experience in MEAL, research, or project performance management within NGO or government programmes.
• Demonstrated experience in resilience programming, rural livelihoods, locally led and community-based adaptation, natural resource management, disaster risk management, gender equality and women's empowerment.
• Proven expertise implementing MEAL systems, facilitating learning and adaptive management, and managing accountability and feedback mechanisms.
• Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative research, data collection and analysis, report writing, evidence synthesis and development of knowledge products.
• Proficiency in data management and analysis tools such as SPSS, Excel, Kobo, CommCare, DHIS2 or similar platforms.
• Experience supporting evidence-based advocacy, policy engagement and influencing initiatives.
• Excellent analytical, communication, facilitation, coordination and stakeholder engagement skills, able to work independently and within diverse teams.
• Strong understanding of rural development, community resilience, and gender and power dynamics.
• Familiarity with CARE International MEAL standards and programme quality frameworks is an added advantage.

How to Apply

• Applicants should apply through the Apply button on this page.
• Ensure all academic qualifications are verified by the Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA).
• Closing date: 13th November 2026.
• CARE is an Equal Opportunity Employer promoting equity and diversity.
• As part of CARE's commitment to preventing sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse, reference checks are conducted on all final-stage candidates in line with the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. By applying for this role, you consent to CARE contacting your previous employers to seek information in line with this scheme.