MEAL & Research Lead – CASCADE Project at CARE International

Job Summary

CARE Nigeria is seeking a MEAL & Research Lead – CASCADE Project to provide strategic leadership, technical direction, and high-level coordination for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning (MEAL) and Research across the CASCADE program in Nigeria. The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded Catalyzing Strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience (CASCADE) project strengthens nutrition systems to end malnutrition for 1.1 million women of reproductive age and children under 5 years old. The 5-year (2022–2027) project is implemented by a consortium of CARE and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in partnership with national organizations, the private sector, academic institutions, and government. The MEAL & Research Lead ensures evidence-driven, adaptive programming for multisectoral nutrition, covering nutrition-specific interventions (maternal, infant, and young child nutrition) and nutrition-sensitive interventions (food security, livelihoods, WASH, gender, youth, VSLA, and resilience). Reporting to the CASCADE Consortium Lead, the position oversees the MEAL Officer, coordinates with consortium and national partners, and provides cross-cutting MEAL and research support across CARE Nigeria programs as required. The role also supports resource mobilization, advocacy, and donor engagement through evidence-based programming and knowledge products.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

Job Responsibility #1: Strategic Leadership for MEAL & Research

• Lead MEAL and Research strategy, aligned with CARE and donor frameworks.
• Ensure integration of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive outcomes.
• Promote evidence-based decision-making, adaptive management, and organizational learning.
• Provide advisory support to other CARE Nigeria programs as needed.

Job Responsibility #2: MEAL System Strengthening

• Develop and maintain robust MEAL systems, tools, SOPs, and digital platforms.
• Ensure data quality, validation, consistency, and compliance.
• Lead baseline, midline, endline, and annual performance measurement processes.

Job Responsibility #3: Research, Assessments & Evidence Generation

• Lead design and management of research studies, evaluations, assessments, and operational analyses.
• Ensure ethical compliance and IRB standards where applicable.
• Translate findings into actionable insights, dashboards, policy briefs, and learning products.
• Support evidence generation for maternal and child nutrition outcomes, food security, livelihoods, WASH, resilience, gender, youth, and VSLA programming.

Job Responsibility #4: Learning, Knowledge Management & Adaptive Programming

• Implement CASCADE learning agenda, After Action Reviews, and pause-and-reflect sessions.
• Ensure lessons inform adaptive multisectoral nutrition programming.
• Contribute to CARE national and global knowledge platforms.

Job Responsibility #5: Data Visualization, Advocacy & Donor Engagement

• Produce dashboards, scorecards, GIS products, and high-quality visualizations.
• Develop advocacy materials, briefs, infographics, and donor-ready evidence products.
• Support donor reporting, proposal development, and participation in donor meetings.

Job Responsibility #6: Consortium, Partner & Government Coordination 

• Harmonize MEAL approaches across consortium partners.
• Provide technical support, mentoring, and capacity-building to partners.
• Coordinate joint monitoring and data validation processes.

 Job Responsibility #7: Staff Supervision & Capacity Building

• Supervise the MEAL Officer and mentor staff.
• Build MEAL and research capacity of CARE staff and partners as needed.

Resource Mobilization

• Contribute to CARE’s resource mobilization efforts
• Contribute to resource mobilization, providing evidence, success stories, and learning products.
• Provide innovative solutions for food systems, livelihoods, and nutrition program design.
• Collaborate with Business Development Manager and project lead on funding opportunities

Other Responsibilities:

• Perform any other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATION/EXPERIENCE/TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Required

• Master’s degree in public health, Nutrition, Development Studies, MEAL, or related field (PhD preferred).
• Minimum 10 years of MEAL, Evaluation, Learning, or Research experience.
• Demonstrated experience in nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions including maternal and child nutrition, food security, livelihoods, WASH, gender, youth, VSLA, and resilience.
• Experience working with donors including Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Government of Canada – Global Affairs Canada, United States Department of State, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UK), European Union, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GiveWell, and other funders.
• Experience leading MEAL across multi-partner or consortium projects and building partner capacity.

Technical Skills:

• Digital data platforms (Kobo, CommCare, DHIS2, PowerBI).
• Data analysis (SPSS, STATA, R, Python), visualization (PowerBI, Tableau, GIS).
• Excellent writing for research, reports, policy briefs, and donor submissions.
• Leadership & Competencies:
• Strategic leadership and team management.
• Stakeholder engagement, consortium coordination, mentoring.
• Commitment to CARE values, gender equality, inclusion, safeguarding.

Competencies:

• Approachability                                 
• Building Effective Teams
• Customer Focus
• Integrity and Trust
• Drive for Results
• Comfort around Higher management
• Business Acumen
• Negotiating
• Organizational Agility