The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
As part of our internal mobility process, current incumbents in the existing regional roles will be given priority consideration for this position. Should the role open more broadly, all qualified internal and external candidates will be considered, therefore all are welcome to apply.
The West and Central Africa Region (WACAR) supports effective, efficient, and high-quality programming by strengthening capacity around client outcomes, program quality, strategic positioning, and business development. It addresses overlapping humanitarian and development challenges—conflict, weak governance, and environmental degradation—through integrated, impactful approaches.
WACAR prioritizes cross-learning, innovation, and harmonized technical strategies, especially in high-need areas. It ensures continuity of care and coordinated service delivery for clients on the move, while advancing strategic donor engagement through cohesive fundraising and regional collaboration.
The region responds swiftly to country program needs, filling critical gaps and navigating access constraints, emergencies, and security shifts. It amplifies client and frontline voices to inform global advocacy and fosters strong team cohesion to enhance program delivery. WACAR focuses on cost-efficient and adaptive approaches to the evolving humanitarian and donor landscape, with a clear focus on resourcing country programs.
WACAR comprises Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon and CAR, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Mali, Niger, Nigeria.
Job Overview
The Monitoring Evaluation Technology Accountability and Learning (METAL) Regional Lead, West and Central Africa Region (WACAR) provides coherence and direction to the provision of technical support and strategic leadership for MEAL, Data Systems, and Program Technology.
The METAL WACAR Regional Lead will lead a highly effective, strategic METAL regional team to ensure the region has high quality, sound technical support needed to monitor and evaluate global program goals and effectively serve our clients. The role will serve as a functional leader, advisor, and a thought partner to both TU leadership and regional leadership, with a particular focus on leading the operationalization of the METAL strategy in the region, mainstreaming of client responsiveness, uptake of technology innovations and institutionalization of effective adaptive management. The METAL WACAR Regional Lead will coordinate across individuals and projects, ensuring clear priorities are set and communicated, and navigating the challenges inherent in being an advisory function. They will be excellent people manager, with great team building/animation skills, able to help technical staff succeed and grow in their careers. The METAL Regional Lead will invest deeply in understanding the context and dynamics of the country and regional teams and the challenges they face. They will ensure coherent ways of working within and across the regional technical team, as well as within the wider METAL Unit, to align high quality METAL support with the operational realities of the country’s offices. By doing so, the Regional Lead will ensure that monitoring and evaluation contributes to high quality programming across sectors in West and Central Africa region/country programs.
Major Responsibilities
Functional Leadership:
• Provide technical leadership at regional and global level through actively contributing to the development of a sound METAL strategy and ensuring alignment of METAL goals and priorities at country, regional and HQ levels
• Closely coordinate with the MEAL Global Practice Lead and HQ functions to facilitate translation of global standards to the region and of country-generated innovation and learning to global practice
• In collaboration with peers in other regions, foster METAL excellence within and across IRC regions, supporting the MEAL Community of Practice (CoP), and supporting staff development to identify and cultivate MEAL leaders at country, regional and global levels.
• Support the success of IRC Country, Regional and Global METAL and Technology for Programs initiatives, channel the countries experience, interests, aspirations and concerns to the METAL Unit.
• Stay abreast of new METAL developments in and outside IRC; Partner with relevant technical units to assure products are fit for purpose and according to best practice standards for methods and use of data.
• Involve country programs in the delivery and iteration of existing technology products and innovation and development of new initiatives to help the IRC develop and maintain effective and relevant data collection and analysis tools.
• Provide technical oversight of MEAL for regional strategic projects in collaboration with the TU MEAL Focal Points as appropriate and/or budgeted, escalating quality assurance challenges as needed
• Foster relationships with a wide range of both internal and external stakeholders to make strategic connections and identify opportunities
Staff management, learning, and development
• Lead and directly manage a high performing team of METAL staff to support MEAL and Technology for Programs across the region
• Accountable for ensuring regional METAL staff maintain core knowledge and expertise and apply global best practices to their work across sectors
• Work closely with Regional and CRRD HQ People & Culture colleagues to devise strategies for attracting, onboarding, developing, and nurturing diverse regional METAL staff at the Advisor and Coordinator levels, and ensuring an inclusive work environment. In collaboration with the DRD, Regional and CRRD HQ P&C, and Global Practice Lead, plan and implement professional development for staff ensuring targeted learning.
Technical Oversight, Coordination and Implementation:
• Oversee activities to ensure continuous improvement in data quality.
• Support IRC’s country leadership teams in their efforts to use data for decision making and achievement of their strategic ambition (Strategy 100).
• Provide support in the review of strategic proposals, with a focus on ensuring sound log frame, targets, MEAL plans and budget. Ensuring use of the consistent standard indicators within and across countries in the region, leading to meaningful aggregations and potential benchmarking opportunities.
• Lead MEAL planning on multi-country proposals and other large/complex proposals, as designated by the Deputy Regional Director.
• Provide support for routine and ad-hoc MEAL activities throughout the program cycle in accordance with the relevant IRC MEAL Handbook and Project Cycle Meeting guidelines.
• Support countries with delivery of complex MEAL products where needed, such as assessments, baseline, midline and endline surveys, evaluations, and learning activities.
• Coordinate the MEAL of multi-country programs in the region, ensuring consistency of approach is used that enables cross-cutting consolidation, analysis, learning and reporting to all stakeholders involved.
• Support the establishment of Client Responsiveness (CR) systems, including client need assessments, baseline, satisfaction surveys and the collection and use of routine feedback data in Countries together with technical advisors.
• Support regional METAL staff to address implementation bottlenecks and critical quality concerns in the region’s programming portfolio, in partnership with the Deputy Regional Director (DRD) and Regional Technical Leads
• Provide stop-gap direct implementation support as/if appropriate and budgeted on CP-grants
Knowledge Management and Learning
• Lift program learning for sharing across the region and to inform global strategic direction of MEAL and Multi-sectoral programming
• Rin regional learning routines and put in place routines and accountability mechanisms to encourage uptake of data-driven recommendations made by sector TAs
External Influence and Representation
• Engage in regional coordination groups and bilateral relationships as appropriate, to represent IRC, and support priority policy and practice shifts
Key Working Relationships
• Position Reports to: Dual reporting line to Deputy Director, METAL and Deputy Regional Director, West and Central Africa
• Direct Reports:
o MEAL Coordinator, West and Central Africa
o Client Responsiveness Coordinator, West and Central Africa
o Regional Technology Coordinator, West and Central Africa
Key Internal Relationships:
• MEAL Global Practice Lead
• Regional MEAL staff in other regions
• Regional Technical Leads
• Regional Leadership Team, Country Directors, DDPs, CRRD colleagues across multiple roles
• West and Central Africa Regional Program and Award Support team
• WACAR Regional Leadership
Desired Experience and Skills
Education: Advanced degree in relevant fields such as economics, statistics, international development, public policy, or other social sciences, or relevant work experience or an equivalent professional experience background is required.
• Highly seasoned professional with at least 8+ years of progressive experience designing, implementing, and supporting MEAL frameworks and results including supporting field-based MEAL design and reporting, as well as working with major international donors on MEAL related aspects.
• Strength in developing baseline research, logic models, data collection and analysis of data sets, mid-term evaluations, outcome evaluations, and in mentoring and teaching-by-doing other MEAL staff.
• Experience with the challenges of effective monitoring in the field, including cultural, gender, and access considerations with the aim of enhancing project learning, quality, and data-driven decision making.
• Experience with direct program implementation in emergency and early recovery contexts, notably in the region.
• Experience rolling out organizational initiatives, particularly related to monitoring and evaluation
• Team player able to work with multi-cultural teams and under tight deadlines
• Good understanding of basic ICT principles and the logic of data collection and management systems.
• Strong computer skills, especially MS Excel, Power BI (or similar) and CommCare (or similar). Knowledge of other software used in qualitative and quantitative MEAL would be solid assets.
• Excellent communication skills, including solid writing skills and the ability to plan for and prepare strategic communications.
• Fluency in English and French required
• Ability to travel regionally and globally, occasionally on short notice.
Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.