MEL Lead (FCDO GOAL)

About the GOAL Opportunity

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is preparing to bid for FCDO's Girls and Out-of-School Children: Action for Learning Programme (GOAL) Long-Term Technical Assistance (LTTA) contract in Pakistan, following release of FCDO's Terms of Reference (ITT 7863). GOAL builds on more than a decade of UK-funded education reform in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), delivered through the Punjab Education Support Programme (PESP, 2013–2022) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Sector Programme (KESP, 2012–2022), and on two live GOAL components: the Bridging Technical Assistance grant (B-TAG, ending March 2027) and the ILMpact remedial learning grant (ending September 2026), both of which the incoming Supplier will need to review and build on during inception.

The LTTA contract will run for up to 38 months (December 2026 – January 2030), comprising a 4-month inception period, a 32-month implementation period, and a 2-month closure phase, with a budget of up to £13 million and an extension option of up to £6.5 million and 18 months at FCDO's discretion. It will deliver systems-strengthening, politically informed technical assistance to provincial education departments in Punjab and KP, with Sindh included as a limited, capped scope (up to £1 million) focused on scoping, needs analysis and possibly Teacher Licensing support; the remaining budget is split equally between Punjab and KP.

The programme's three outcomes are:

• Foundational Learning (30%): strengthened provincial delivery of early and inclusive Foundational Learning.
• Teacher Professionalisation (40%): improved teacher professionalisation, including standards, licensing, and performance and support systems.
• Education Financing Governance (30%): improved governance and accountability of education financing, including public financial management and innovative financing.

The Terms of Reference place strong emphasis on systems thinking and a Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) approach, including a 'coalitions for change' lens that looks beyond government departments to civil society, philanthropy and the private sector, and on strengthening how provincial governments manage the rapid growth of outsourced and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) schools across Punjab and KP. Equity, inclusion and safeguarding are cross-cutting requirements throughout.

FCDO requires a lean Core Team of a Project Director (the only role not required to be full-time; at least 20% of days in Pakistan), a Team Leader, a Technical Assistance Lead, two Outcome Leads (one covering teaching and learning, one covering PFM and innovative financing), and two Provincial Leads (Punjab and KP) from contract commencement, with a third for Sindh only if FCDO later approves a Sindh implementation phase. The named Table 1 Core Team positions must be full-time and exclusive to the contract; any additional Core Team positions a bidder proposes do not have to be full-time, but are still subject to the same exclusivity requirement while engaged. IRC is proposing to strengthen this structure with a dedicated MEL Lead. FCDO's Terms of Reference confirm that GOAL's programme-wide MEL component is not being separately procured, and para 13.5 explicitly invites bidders to propose additional Core Team expertise beyond FCDO's named positions — this role is IRC's response to that invitation, not a named Table 1 position.

Background of the role:

The MEL Lead is a core team position responsible for the production, budgeting and implementation of the programme's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) strategy. The MEL strategy must set out the approach to data collection, management and analysis; evidence use and generation; use of innovation and technology; Value for Money (VFM); and dissemination — and must align with the Theory of Change, logframe and VFM monitoring for the overall GOAL programme.

The MEL Lead will report to the Team Lead, working closely with the Technical Assistance Lead to ensure MEL evidence informs technical decision-making, and with the GESI Specialist to ensure GESI-disaggregated data collection and analysis.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Lead production of the programme's MEL strategy covering data collection/management/analysis, evidence use and generation, use of innovation and technology, VFM, and dissemination, aligned with the Theory of Change, logframe and VFM monitoring for the wider GOAL programme.
• Propose and apply MEL methodologies and methods capable of capturing progress in systems thinking and Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) — for example Developmental Evaluation or Systems Thinking MEL, using methods such as outcome mapping or process tracing — rather than relying on conventional summative M&E alone.
• Lead development and updating of the programme's logframe and maintain the change log recording all logframe amendments throughout the life of the contract.
• Establish required quantitative and qualitative baseline data before the end of the inception period, in collaboration with SED Punjab, ESED KP and other GOAL component partners, drawing on existing B-TAG, ILMpact, DARE-RC and RSPN knowledge products rather than starting from scratch.
• Design monitoring activities that are real-time wherever possible, use community-driven modes of monitoring and appropriate technology, integrate into government systems rather than creating parallel ones, and remain accessible and easy to understand by all partners.
• Ensure the MEL system can track plausible contribution pathways to FCDO's wider education portfolio milestones — for example, the Foundational Learning milestone of a 5% increase in Grade 5 reading in Urdu and English in KP and Punjab by 2029 against the 2023 ASER baseline — using agreed indicators and available data sources including Annual School Census data, ASER and relevant provincial/national assessments.
• Propose an incremental, additive approach to evaluation that builds up a picture over the life of the contract, rather than relying on a single summative report at the end of the TA.
• Own the evidence base for KPI 5 (acting on lessons learnt), ensuring lessons from partners are systematically captured, analysed and reflected in quarterly reporting and adaptive management decisions; contribute quality-assured MEL and logframe products that support KPI 2 (quality of implementation deliverables).
• Lead preparation of the annual MEL Strategy document and annual Results KPIs reporting, and contribute the MEL sections of the Exit Plan (first drafted in the inception phase, updated annually, finalised January 2029) and of quarterly Progress Reports to FCDO and to SED Punjab/ESED KP/SELD Sindh.
• Ensure MEL data collection is disaggregated by gender, disability, poverty and geography, working closely with the GESI Specialist to identify and target the most marginalised children.
• Track and report on Value for Money, supporting the Team Lead's quarterly financial and progress reporting and the programme's fee-retention/KPI-linked payment model.
• Build the MEL capacity of provincial government counterparts as part of the programme's systems-strengthening approach, consistent with the ToR's expectation that TA strengthens government routines rather than substituting for them.

Qualification, experience and Skills will include:

Essential:

• Advanced degree in monitoring and evaluation, statistics, social science, education, or a related field.
• Substantial senior MEL leadership experience (indicatively 8-10+ years) on FCDO- or similarly funded, complex donor programmes, ideally involving adaptive, politically informed programming.
• Demonstrated expertise in adaptive/developmental MEL methodologies (e.g. Developmental Evaluation, Systems Thinking MEL) and methods (e.g. outcome mapping, process tracing), rather than conventional logframe-only M&E.
• Strong experience developing and managing logframes, Theories of Change, and Value for Money monitoring frameworks nested within a wider programme logframe.
• Experience with KPI-linked, fee-retention payment structures and donor reporting requirements, ideally FCDO's.
• Experience with education data systems and sources (e.g. EMIS, Annual School Census, ASER) in Pakistan or a similar context strongly preferred.
• Experience building MEL capacity within government counterparts.
• Excellent written and spoken English; Urdu and/or other relevant regional languages an advantage.

Collaboration with Other Team Members

• Team Lead: provide regular MEL evidence and VfM reporting to inform programme management and donor reporting.
• Technical Assistance Lead: ensure MEL findings inform technical decision-making and quality assurance across outcome areas.
• Outcome Leads (Teaching & Learning; PFM & Innovative Financing) and Provincial Leads: coordinate data collection, monitoring and process evaluation across outcome areas and provinces.
• GESI Specialist: ensure MEL data and analysis are disaggregated by gender, disability, poverty and geography to identify and target the most marginalised children.
• SED Punjab / ESED KP: support provincial government counterparts to strengthen their own MEL and data systems, in alignment with DARE.

This JD reflects FCDO's Terms of Reference for the GOAL LTTA contract (ITT 7863) and associated bidder clarifications, and remains subject to change until contract award. This position is contingent on the outcome of the bid.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.