DMEAL Specialist — Faith and Community Initiative (FCI)

Job description

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith. Come join our 31,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories! Employee Contract Type: Local - Fixed Term Employee (Fixed Term) Job Description: Purpose of the Position The DMEAL Specialist designs, implements, and manages the country-level monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (DMEAL) system for the FCI country programme, aligned with the global MEL framework, standards, and indicators established by the WVUS Global MEL Team — while remaining responsive to the country context and aligned with national health information systems. Working collaboratively with the COP, technical teams, implementing partners, the Ministry of Health (MOH), Christian Health Associations (CHAs), and Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), the DMEAL Specialist leads country data collection, management, quality assurance, analysis, and reporting. The role ensures alignment with national HMIS/DHIS2 and donor reporting requirements (including DATIM/GHSD reporting systems); builds the MEL capacity of sub-partners and country staff; and promotes evidence-based decision-making, accountability, knowledge management, and continuous learning throughout project implementation. The role ensures all programme indicators intentionally reflect child well-being outcomes in alignment with World Vision's Child Well-Being Aspirations. Major Responsibilities DMEAL System Design & Management — 30% Lead the development, periodic review, and implementation of the country-level MEL plan and systems, including country implementation plans, indicator reference sheets, and data collection and reporting tools — tailored from the global MEL framework and appropriate to the country context. Adapt and apply global indicators, definitions, and MEL minimum standards at country level to ensure consistent, comparable reporting across the FCI consortium. Develop and maintain project monitoring and evaluation systems; establish indicator tracking and reporting mechanisms aligned with donor requirements (DATIM/GHSD or applicable reporting system). Strengthen DMEAL systems and capacity among sub-awardees and government counterparts to improve data quality and decision-making. Support the operationalization of integrated programming models including Area Development Programmes (ADPs) and the Hub-and-Spoke service delivery model. Establish and maintain functional beneficiary feedback, complaints, and response mechanisms aligned with World Vision accountability standards. Contribute MEL inputs to country work planning; ensure MEL activities are included and tracked against the work plan MEL framework, Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP), and indicator tracking system in place and functioning. Functional beneficiary feedback and response mechanisms established. Complaints and feedback addressed within agreed service standards. Timely, accurate donor reporting on all programme indicators. Data Quality & Analytics — 25% Lead country data collection, entry, management, cleaning, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of performance and contextual indicators. Conduct routine data quality assessments (RDQAs/DQAs), data verification, and data review meetings to ensure high-quality data are captured and reported. Analyze performance data and generate insights; support data visualization and dashboard development for the COP, Health Technical Specialist, and senior management. Promote routine analysis and interpretation of data to identify implementation bottlenecks and inform adaptive management. Ensure all programme indicators intentionally contribute to child well-being outcomes in alignment with World Vision's Child Well-Being Aspirations. Maintain functional, well-maintained health information systems and databases DQA scores achieve agreed standards. Less than 5% discrepancy rate between source documents and reported results Quarterly data verification exercises completed Functional, well-maintained health information systems/databases. National Systems Alignment, Reporting & Learning — 20% Align country DMEAL systems with national M&E guidelines and health information systems (HMIS/DHIS2 and disease-specific platforms); support integration of faith-based, community, and private health providers into the national reporting system, where appropriate. Collaborate with MOH, CHAs, FBOs, and other partners to ensure FCI reporting requirements are appropriately reflected within relevant national and partner health information systems. Work with provincial/regional and District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) and MOH counterparts to ensure timely collection, reporting, validation, and use of routine data through national systems — consistent with the FCI Consortium's HMIS/DHIS2-first, not parallel systems principle. Coordinate preparation of donor and internal reports; facilitate learning reviews and reflection sessions; document best practices and success stories. Provide the COP and Health Technical Specialist with timely data, dashboards, and analysis for programme management and decision-making. Support the transition agenda by strengthening country capacity to use and sustain national health information systems so that FCI monitoring and reporting can increasingly be integrated into routine government systems over the life of the programme 100% of donor reports submitted accurately and on time Routine indicator tracking updated according to reporting schedules. All required donor indicators reported with supporting documentation. Research, Evaluation & Knowledge Management — 15% Support the planning and implementation of learning activities; contribute to evaluations, operational research, and special studies in response to evolving project priorities and the needs of the consortium, partners, and donor. Coordinate assessments, surveys, and evaluations; support operational research and evidence generation. Document and share country innovations, lessons learned, and promising practices with the WVUS Global MEL Team to support cross-country learning, adaptive management, and continuous improvement. Contribute MEL requirements and technical inputs to interoperability and electronic reporting initiatives, where applicable, to support alignment of FCI reporting with national health information systems. Quarterly learning reviews conducted and documented. Lessons learned and best practices shared across stakeholders and with the WVUS GMT. Knowledge products produced according to annual plans. Capacity Strengthening & Supervision — 10% Supervise and provide guidance to country MEL staff (e.g., MEL Officers, data/database officers). Lead capacity development of local sub-partners and staff through training, mentoring, and coaching in data management, data quality, analysis, reporting, and data use. Strengthen partner data management systems; track improvements in partner reporting quality. Staff and partners trained in DMEAL systems and tools. Demonstrated improvements in partner reporting quality. Required Qualifications & Experience Education Master's degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Statistics & Demography, Health Economics, Epidemiology or related fields. Professional training in monitoring and evaluation methodologies, data management, and research methods. Certification in data analysis software (Power BI, DHIS2, SPSS, STATA, R, or equivalent) is an advantage. Experience Minimum 7–8 years of MEL experience on donor-funded health programmes, including design and implementation of country MEL plans and data quality assurance. Demonstrated experience with national health information systems and data platforms (HMIS/DHIS2), donor reporting systems (e.g., DATIM/GHSD), and working with MOH/DHMT counterparts. Experience designing M&E frameworks, performance monitoring plans, and indicator tracking systems. Experience conducting DQAs, strengthening routine health information systems, and supporting data use for decision-making. Experience managing health information systems and large datasets. Strong data analysis, visualization, interpretation, and communication skills using statistical, database, and dashboard software. Experience supporting U.S. Government-funded or other donor-funded development projects. Experience working with faith-based communities; experience in fragile/conflict-affected contexts preferred. Language Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English (Proficient). Proficiency in the national/local language(s) strongly preferred. Technical Competencies Organizational Awareness ( Proficient ) Understands FCI's mission, work, and priorities; applies knowledge of organizational structure, culture, and climate in achieving MEL goals. Programme Design & Implementation ( Proficient ) Understands development programme structures; carries out the vision of ministry programme through sound MEL design and implementation. Stakeholder Engagement (Advanced) Builds and maintains productive working relationships with Ministries of Health, implementing partners, FBOs, DHMTs, and consortium members to strengthen collaboration and achieve shared MEL objectives. Sector Knowledge (Advanced) Understands current methodologies and standards in health MEL; applies knowledge in designing, monitoring, and evaluating integrated health programmes including hub-and-spoke models. Funding Mechanisms Knowledge ( Proficient ) Understands diverse funding mechanisms and their MEL and reporting requirements; applies knowledge in contributing to work plans and MEL budgets. Managing Resources ( Proficient ) Identifies appropriate people, tools, time, and systems for accomplishing MEL goals; considers costs and benefits prior to allocating resources. Coaching & Developing Others (Advanced) Coaches and mentors MEL staff and sub-partner data managers; understands performance feedback and adult learning principles. Knowledge Management (Advanced) Organizes and manages MEL information resources; develops feedback loops to capture lessons learned and feed country experience into the WVUS Global MEL system. English Language Proficiency ( Proficient ) Ability to speak, understand, and write fluently in English. Required Skills & Abilities Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Data analysis using software such as Power BI, DHIS2, SPSS, STATA, R, or Excel. Development of M&E frameworks, performance monitoring plans, and results measurement systems. Data visualization, dashboard development, and reporting. National HMIS/DHIS2 platforms and donor reporting systems (DATIM/GHSD). Database management and data quality assurance. Knowledge management and organizational learning. Beneficiary accountability and feedback mechanisms. Capacity building and coaching in DMEAL methodologies. Advanced report writing and presentation skills. Core Competencies & WV Values Committed Christian with a deep understanding of World Vision's mission, vision, and values. Demonstrates Christ-centred servant leadership. Upholds integrity, accountability, and stewardship. Promotes child protection and safeguarding. Respects diversity while maintaining Christian witness. Be Safe and Resilient — Learn and Develop — Deliver Results — Be Accountable — Improve and Innovate. Working Environment / Conditions Country office environment with regular in-country travel (typically up to 50% of time) to implementation regions, districts, health facilities, and community sites for data collection, supervision, and data quality assurance. May require travel to insecure or hazardous locations. REMUNERATION: Competitive with market standards. Application Requirements Please upload your CV and covering letter with copies of educational certificates, transcripts and national ID. You are requested to provide, on your CV, full details of three referees (two professional and one spiritual) plus one HR Practitioner. The required details are full referees’ names, designation, email address and contact numbers. Closing Date: 6th September, 2026 As a child-focused organization, World Vision Lesotho is committed to the protection and well-being of children. We follow strict child safeguarding policies and conduct thorough background checks, including criminal record checks, to ensure a safe environment for children. World Vision Lesotho is an equal opportunity employer and upholds Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) principles. WORLD VISION DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY FORM OF PAYMENT FOR A JOB OFFER OR OTHER RELATED CONSIDERATIONS Applicant Types Accepted: Local Applicants Only