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

Plan International seeks for a Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist to To lead and provide strategic guidance for strengthening Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MERL) capabilities across Country Offices, ensuring evidence is effectively used to drive influence, learning, and institutional positioning with donors, authorities, and key stakeholders. A 50% time of traveling is foreseen.

Key End Results

Dimension 1: Strategic Reporting and Analysis

Objective: Generate, analyze, and interpret consolidated regional data to inform high-level decision-making, strategic planning and strategic communication.

Key Responsibilities:

• Consolidate and analyze MERL data from country offices to produce regional reports and insights for decision makers.
• Develop periodic strategic reports to inform regional leadership and external stakeholders.
• Identify trends, gaps, and opportunities using data from monitoring systems.
• Contribute analytical inputs to regional strategy and priority-setting processes.
• Promote the use of evidence to inform decision-making at all levels.

Dimension 2: Support continuous M&E improvement

Objective: Ensure consistency, quality, and utility of monitoring and evaluation systems across the region.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic guidance for the design and review of country strategies, programmes, results frameworks, and key indicators.
• Strategic and technical support to COs for the regional/global alignment of the PMERL system.
• Coordinate technical follow-up on the implementation and performance of programs and projects.
• Ensure consistency and comparability of data across country contexts and their integration into regional frameworks.

Dimension 3: Provision of High-Quality Technical Expertise

Objective: Deliver technically sound and context-relevant MERL support that aligns with institutional standards and promotes methodological rigor.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical oversight and methodological support for regional and national evaluations.
• Ensure data quality, and methodological coherence in MERL processes.
• Ensure adherence to ethical standards in data collection and evaluation processes and an active member of the Global Ethics Review Team.
• Promote innovation and the integration of new methods and tools for data analysis and visualization.
• Supervise and mentor the Regional MERL Technical Specialist, ensuring alignment with regional priorities and workplans.

Dimension 4: Capacity Strengthening

Objective: Promote a culture of learning and continuous improvement in the use of M&E data for decision-making on the evolution of programmes and projects, as well as the formulation of new strategies, new projects and communication products.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and lead capacity development strategies in MERL for country office teams.
• Facilitate regional learning events, workshops, and knowledge exchange among programmes, BD, comms and leadership staff.
• Support the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned and good practices.
• Promote and coordinate communities of practice across the region.

Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

The Individual

Skills and Qualifications:

• Expert knowledge in the strategic use of monitoring and evaluation across development sectors, including translating programme and influencing results into compelling strategic insights.
• Demonstrated experience in analyzing and interpreting complex datasets to identify programmatic trends, gaps, and impact, with the ability to communicate key messages effectively for decision-making.
• Strong track record in reporting on programme performance and impact to diverse stakeholders, including donors, boards, and external partners.In-depth understanding of rights-based development programming and Plan’s core technical areas.
• Sound knowledge of organizational learning processes and how to link evidence to adaptive programming and strategic planning.Theoretical and practical understanding of gender attitudes and power dynamics, and how these influence strategic MERL approaches and methodologies
• Familiarity with donor-specific M&E expectations, frameworks, and global development accountability standards.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking with the ability to transform data into clear insights and high-level briefs for decision-makers.
• Able to communicate complex MERL concepts in clear, compelling language to diverse audiences.
• Skilled in designing guidance that is practical and aligned with field-level realities.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and influencing skills, with experience working across cultures and geographies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in Spanish; highly skilled in presentations and storytelling with evidence.
• Fluent in Spanish

Behaviours

• Acts as a strategic thought partner, using evidence to influence change and build buy-in.
• Promotes innovation, cross-country learning, and forward-thinking use of MERL.
• Builds trust and inspires collaboration with stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrates accountability and commitment to achieving measurable results.
• Role models Plan’s values, ethics, and safeguarding commitments across strategic platforms.

Desirable

• Fluency in English is highly desirable
• Experience in or supporting M&E in multiple countries
• Experience working with and promoting the use of M&E IT systems (especially systems built on Salesforce)

Location: Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Dominican Republic

Reports to: Regional Head of Gender Transformative Programming & Influencing

Fixed Term Contract: 1 year

Closing Date: 11th August, 2025

Click for full profile: 2025_06 MERL lead + MR.docx

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.