Merla Manager — Inclusive Africa Program (LAP) & Unlocking Opportunities (UO) at inABLE

An established company is recruiting for the following position. Lead Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Accountability (MERLA) across inABLE programs including—the Inclusive Africa Program (IAP) and Unlocking Opportunities (UO). The role designs and oversees a robust, accessible MERLA system that generates high-quality evidence on results (outputs→outcomes→impact), drives adaptive management, and ensures accountability to participants, partners, donors, and regulators. The MERLA Manager owns the portfolio logframe/indicator architecture, evaluation agenda, learning cycles, and feedback/safeguarding mechanisms, ensuring that all data and products comply with data protection and accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG/KS 2952). The MERLA Manager is the designated Data Protection Officer for purposes of Data Protection Act. Key Responsibilities MERLA Strategy, Frameworks & Governance

• Own and maintain integrated MERLA plans for inABLE, especially for IAP and UO (theories of change, results frameworks, indicator reference sheets, MEAL SOPs, evaluation calendar).

• Align MERLA with donor logframes and institutional KPIs; assure coherence across multi-partner/county delivery and continental activities.

• Convene MERLA governance routines (monthly/quarterly reviews, learning clinics) and feed decisions into annual replans and budget revisions.

Design & Methods

• Develop mixed-methods designs (quantitative, qualitative, outcome harvesting, contribution analysis) fit for purpose and feasible for county and regional delivery.

• Design sampling strategies, questionnaires, and discussion guides; ensure tools are accessible (screen-reader friendly, captioned, plain language, braille/large print as needed).

• Lead power/precision considerations and bias mitigation; embed Do-No-Harm, ethics, and safeguarding in all studies.

Data Systems, Standards & Quality Assurance

• Administer the digital MERLA stack (e.g., ActivityInfo + secure cloud storage + visualization dashboards).

• Establish data quality assurance (DQA) protocols: completeness, validity, reliability, timeliness, integrity; run periodic DQAs and spot checks.

• Implement data governance: metadata, version control, access permissions/roles, audit trails, and secure backups.

Implementation & Field Oversight

• Plan and manage baselines, midline, and endline assessments; oversee data collection processes across counties and regional events.

• Ensure accessibility and reasonable accommodation is embedded in all data collection (sign language interpretation, captioning, assistive tech, travel/venue accessibility).

• Ensure ethical consent, data protection, and respondent safety; manage IRB or national ethics approvals where applicable.

 Indicators, Measurement & Perf...