Meal Specialist- Market System Development- W4R

The Meal Specialist leads, designs, and applies monitoring, learning, and adaptive management approaches aligned with Market System Development (MSD) principles. The role focuses on building practical skills to track adoption, assess partner performance, and generate actionable learning to inform MSD intervention implementation and adaptive management.

Responsibilities

• Conduct MSD MEL Capacity Assessment and Develop Capacity Strengthening Plan for all MEAL and Program staff.
• Review current MEL systems and practices including institutional MEL and tech platforms.
• Provide ongoing technical advisory and operational support to apply systems in real time, troubleshoot implementation challenges and strengthen MEL practice quality.
• Design, adapt, and operationalize MEL systems and tools ensuring integration with DRC institutional MEL systems.
• Design and facilitate applied learning sessions on core MSD MEL concepts aligned with DCED Standard.
• Provide coaching and mentoring tailored to identified gaps.
• Support development and refinement of practical deliverables including results frameworks, results chains and KPIs.
• Lead and manage the Monitoring & Evaluation team including people planning, performance, well-being and development.
• Provide technical support to field-based Monitoring & Evaluation staff to ensure coherence in data collection and analysis.
• Coordinate and oversee all aspects of Monitoring & Evaluation processes.
• Lead all market systems assessment and evaluations.
• Conduct periodic activity monitoring and site visits to monitor data collection and implementation.
• Capacity building through training, feedback, coaching of Monitoring & Evaluation and programme staff.
• Enhance Monitoring & Evaluation capacity among staff to ensure accountability and strengthen service delivery.
• Lead development of an internal MSD MEL Toolkit capturing tested approaches, tools, and lessons.
• Lead development of Monitoring & Evaluation strategies, tools and ensure coordination of Monitoring & Evaluation input to country strategy, proposals and reports.
• Analyze data and write baseline and impact assessment reports.
• Continuously improve and update data collection tools for MSD MEL Toolkit.
• Conduct frequent meetings to revisit and refine theory of change.
• Provide adaptive learning coaching for innovation projects.
• Support partners to implement agile and adaptive learning approaches.
• Guide partners on evaluation and learning experiments and data analysis.
• Oversee implementation of learning experiments such as lean testing and rapid experimentation.
• Collect, clean and analyse data and prepare findings for reports and presentations.
• Deliver findings and recommendations supporting data driven decision making.
• Deliver high quality presentations internally and externally to teams, partners, and funders.
• Write research briefs, presentations, and papers communicating results and recommendations.
• Support outreach activities including drafting blog posts and coordinating social media campaigns.

Requirements

• Minimum BA + 5 years or MA + 3 years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated institutional experience in conducting market systems/value chain/GESI assessments, especially in fragile or rural economies.
• Strong academic record in international development, public administration, public policy, public health, or related discipline.
• Experience coaching, managing or being involved in directly implementing technology projects.
• Strong understanding of how data, evidence and learning can be used to support design decisions in the implementation of technology projects.
• Understanding and experience of working on projects which have adopted agile project management methodologies.
• Clear understanding of scope and objectives and appropriateness of proposed methodology (qualitative/quantitative balance, market systems frameworks, gender and inclusion lens).
• Demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies: striving for excellence, collaborating, taking the lead, communicating, demonstrating integrity.

Skills

• Market Systems Assessment
• Value Chain Analysis
• Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
• Technology Project Implementation
• Data Driven Decision Making
• Agile Project Management
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Research
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Adaptive Management
• Partner Performance Assessment
• Knowledge Management and Learning Systems
• Market Systems Development
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Policy Analysis
• Public Health Program Development

Languages

English