The Lake Tanganyika Basin MEL Lead

What We Can Achieve Together:
The Lake Tanganyika Basin (LTB) Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Lead (LTB MEL Lead) serves as the technical lead responsible for designing, coordinating, and continuously improving the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning function for the Lake Tanganyika Basin Irreplaceable Landscape strategy. This role provides technical leadership to design, implement and adapt a basin-wide MEL system that tracks progress across freshwater, terrestrial, livelihood, governance, gender, climate resilience, sustainable finance, and transboundary collaboration outcomes.
Based in Kigoma, United Republic of Tanzania, and reporting to the Lake Tanganyika Basin Director, with technical alignment to TNC Africa MEL standards and guidance, the LTB MEL Lead ensures that the program strategy is supported by a decision-oriented performance management system that generates credible evidence for course correction, accountability, donor reporting, and strategic learning across multiple countries and partners. The role translates complex conservation objectives into measurable outputs and outcomes and provides analysis, insights, and recommendations to help the LTB team align program investments with the strategy’s intended impact at scale.
Drawing from the Lake Tanganyika basin theory of change, the MEL Lead will work closely with the Lake Tanganyika Basin Deputy Director, LTB Workstream Leads and relevant Africa Science and MEL team to co-develop indicators and learning questions, strengthen data systems, and lead strategic reflection processes that improve conservation and adaptation outcomes over time.
We’re Looking for You:
The LTB MEL Lead works closely with the program implementation team and partners across Tanzania, Zambia, DRC, and Burundi, as well as with key stakeholders and beneficiaries, including local communities, government agencies, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, regional bodies, and implementing partners.
RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE
Lead the design, operationalization, and continuous refinement of a basin-wide Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan for the Lake Tanganyika Basin Irreplaceable Landscape strategy, aligned with TNC Africa MEL standards, the Africa Unified and Standardized MEL Frameworks, and the program theory of change, including development of clear results pathways, indicators, assumptions, risks, targets, and strategic learning questions.
Coordinate MEL Plan development and implementation across Lake Tanganyika Basin team, implementing partners, and relevant stakeholders in Tanzania, Zambia, DRC, and Burundi, ensuring shared ownership, harmonized expectations, and consistent tracking of biodiversity, governance, climate resilience, gender and inclusion, sustainable finance, livelihoods, and transboundary collaboration outcomes.
Establish, manage, and continuously improve high-quality MEL data systems, standards, tools, protocols, and data governance practices for systematic data collection, storage, validation, aggregation, analysis, and reporting across freshwater and terrestrial systems, ensuring that information is accurate, comparable, timely, and decision ready.
Lead data quality assurance across program zones of operations and implementing teams by reviewing datasets, identifying data gaps or weaknesses, tracking revisions and methodological issues, and providing timely technical feedback and follow-up support to strengthen reliability and usability of MEL evidence.
Generate consolidated program-wide performance analyses, indicator progress summaries, dashboards, and reports, disaggregated by agreed variables such as gender, youth, geography, and stakeholder group, to inform program leadership, donor reporting, investment decisions, and adaptive management.
Coordinate the Lake Tanganyika Basin Program quarterly reviews, annual pause and reflect review and learning workshops, and other structured reflection processes to assess progress against objectives and the theory of change, test assumptions, identify lessons and trends, and translate evidence into practical recommendations for adaptive management and course correction.
Lead the development of donor-ready reporting products, evidence summaries, results narratives, annual review reports, and strategic learning products that clearly communicate program progress, outcomes, challenges, and contributions to conservation, adaptation, and community resilience goals.
Build the MEL capacity of LTB core teams, implementing partners, community-based institutions, and relevant stakeholders to collect, interpret, analyze, and use data effectively, fostering a culture in which evidence and reflection routinely inform implementation, partnership management, and strategic decision-making.
Oversee baseline, midline, endline, real-time monitoring, learning studies, and other assessment processes, ensuring that findings are integrated into program planning, concept notes, proposals, donor reports, learning agendas, and resource mobilization materials.
Embrace the One Conservancy spirit of collaboration by participating effectively in regional and global MEL communities of practice to promote shared learning and uptake of lessons across TNC teams, implementing partners, and regional institutions.
Partner closely with Regional Science and MEL team to co-develop systems and processes that strengthen our evidence readiness in the region and be a thought-partner in advancing MEL at organizational level.
Partner closely with the Africa Portfolio Director to keep hub records fully updated and support the Country and Landscape review processes for the Africa Business Unit and the annual Pause and Reflect (as above).
Provide technical guidance, coordination, quality assurance, and supervision where assigned for MEL staff, consultants, interns, partner focal points, and science-related contributors, while serving as a key convener for basin-wide MEL collaboration with regional institutions, transboundary partners, and TNC regional and global MEL teams.
Partner with the Development and Africa Public Funding Collaboration teams to support fundraising for the LTB.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
BA/BS degree and 5 years’ experience monitoring and evaluation, conservation science, environmental science, natural resource management, social science, statistics, data science, or a related field and at least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in MEL, program performance management, evaluation, applied learning systems, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Strong skills in MEL data analytics, program performance reporting, and aggregating data from multiple sources with quality assurance processes.
Strong experience supporting complex, multi-partner programs, including coordination of workplans, timelines, budgets, partner inputs, performance evidence, and strategic initiatives.
Demonstrated ability to provide technical guidance, coordinate contributors, manage workloads and timelines, and support staff, consultants, interns, or partner focal points as assigned.
Strong technical knowledge of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, including results frameworks, theories of change, indicator design, performance monitoring plans, learning agendas, data quality assurance, evaluation methods, and adaptive management approaches.
Experience developing and implementing MEL plans with robust indicators, measurement systems, stakeholder feedback mechanisms, and regular reporting of findings.
Experience curating, analyzing, and interpreting statistical, environmental, or programmatic data.
Experience working with partner organizations on MEL systems and processes.
Demonstrated ability to work across cultures and effectively communicate with a wide range of stakeholders.
Strong communication and report writing skills, including a record of producing high-quality technical or scientific outputs; peer-reviewed publications are an added advantage.
Experience translating MEL evidence, results frameworks, indicators, learning questions, and results narratives into concept notes, proposals, donor reports, and resource mobilization materials.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Master’s degree in monitoring and evaluation, conservation science, environmental science, natural resource management, social science, or another relevant field.
Demonstrated experience leading MEL systems for complex, multi-country, multi-partner conservation, climate adaptation or natural resource management programs.
Experience designing and managing mixed-methods MEL approaches, including quantitative and qualitative data collection, baseline, midline and endline assessments, real-time monitoring, participatory monitoring, and learning studies.
Proficiency using data management, analysis, visualization, and reporting tools such as Excel, KoboToolbox, Survey123, ArcGIS/QGIS, statistical software (e.g., MAXQDA, Atlas.ti, JMP), the spatial monitoring and reporting tool (SMART), and other relevant software and platforms.
Experience synthesizing, interpreting, and communicating scientific, ecological, social, and programmatic information for diverse audiences, including senior leadership, donors, government partners, technical teams, and community stakeholders.
Strong analytical, writing, and presentation skills, with a record of producing high-quality, data-rich technical reports,