MERL Officer- Roster
Location: Ethiopia
Company: Plan International
Job Description
The Organisation
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.
For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.
We won’t stop until we are all equal.
The Opportunity
The MERL Officer will support the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning activities. The role is responsible for developing and maintaining monitoring systems, data collection tools, databases, and reporting mechanisms to track project performance and support evidence-based decision-making.
The post holder will collect, analyse, and interpret project data, monitor progress against targets, conduct data quality assessments, and prepare timely reports for donors and stakeholders. They will coordinate assessments, baseline studies, surveys, evaluations, and research activities, ensuring that findings and lessons learned are integrated into programme planning and implementation.
The MERL Officer will also promote learning and accountability by documenting best practices, supporting feedback and complaints mechanisms, and producing knowledge products that showcase project achievements and impact. In addition, the role will provide technical support and training to project staff on MERL tools, data management, and reporting requirements, while ensuring the integration of gender equality, inclusion, safeguarding, and accountability principles across all project activities.
The Individual
- Education at BA/BSC/ Master’s Degree level or equivalent in Social science, Development studies, Economics, Statistics and Management
- Minimum 3 years relevant experience working on gender transformative monitoring, evaluation, research and learning.
- programs/ projects or demonstrated equivalent combination.
- Practical knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methodologies, including log frames, result chains, theories of change, and assessment/evaluations.
- Experience in staff/team management, coaching, mentoring, capacity building, and performance review and appraisal.
- Demonstrated knowledge of strategic planning processes
- Depth and breadth of knowledge of Plan’s global and national strategies and policies.
- Ability to communicate effectively and authoritatively on area of expertise.
- Ability to develop effective working relationships across a network.
Safeguarding Children and Program Participants (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)
- Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed per the appropriate procedures.
- Ensures that all staff in the unit/function/department are properly inducted on and understand their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies;
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in day-to-day work.
- Ensures that Plan Ethiopia contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted.
Location: As required by Plan International Programme Area.
Closing Date: November 12, 2026
Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.
We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.
We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.
Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.
A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.
