Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Officer job at Steadman Global Consulting

Project Background

The CREATE Project is a Mastercard Foundation-supported creative-economy programme in Uganda designed to enable young people, particularly young women, to convert creative talent, vocational skills and early-stage ideas into dignified employment, freelancing, viable enterprises and sustainable income opportunities. It responds to the gap between creative skilling and economic participation by combining technical and sector-specific training with financial and digital literacy, employment readiness, business development services, enterprise incubation, coaching, market exposure and linkages to employment, finance and markets.

The programme serves young creatives at different stages of readiness, from participants developing an idea or newly acquired vocational skill to start-ups and existing creative enterprises seeking stronger business systems, market access and growth. Delivery gives deliberate attention to safeguarding, gender equality, disability inclusion and the participation of refugees and other vulnerable groups. Programme results are therefore expected to demonstrate not only training reach, but also credible transitions into employment, freelancing, enterprise creation, improved business performance and market opportunity.

Steadman Global’s Role on the Project

Steadman Global is the programme-wide Business Development Services provider, supporting participants and partners across all creative domains and enterprise pathways. Its mandate is to strengthen the transition from creative skills, talent and ideas to employment, freelancing, business start-up, enterprise growth, market access and investment readiness. The BDS cycle supports grassroots participants to transition from unrefined talent, vocational skills, social need or business idea into an operational start-up. It begins with identifying and refining the idea, assessing the entrepreneur’s readiness and support needs, validating the problem and market opportunity, and developing and testing a minimum viable product or service. Participants are then supported to define their customers, pricing, costs, revenue model and delivery channels; strengthen their financial and digital literacy; establish basic business records, branding and operational systems; and prepare a practical start-up and market-entry plan. The cycle concludes with business launch, access to initial customers and markets, and early-stage coaching to help the new enterprise secure its first sales, address operational challenges and establish a foundation for survival and growth.

Implementation Locations

The position is based in Uganda and requires regular engagement with programme teams, partners and participants in Kampala and the wider implementation areas. Current programme outreach includes Nkokonjeru and other locations in Buikwe District, as well as Mukono, Mbale, Jinja, Arua, Mbarara and Nakapiripirit. The postholder must be available to travel to these and any additional programme locations approved under the project workplan.

The Position

The MEAL Officer will lead and coordinate monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning functions for Steadman Global’s responsibilities under the CREATE Project. The role will ensure that programme data are accurate, complete, timely and useful for management decisions, donor and lead-partner reporting, continuous improvement, accountability to participants, and the documentation of outcomes and impact.

Your key responsibilities are:

MEAL planning and systems

• Develop and maintain a practical MEAL plan, indicator tracking framework, reporting calendar and data-flow arrangements aligned with the approved project results framework and partner requirements.
• Translate project indicators and reporting definitions into clear tools, guidance and procedures for staff, trainers and downstream partners.
• Maintain current participant, activity, output, outcome and partner-performance records, with appropriate disaggregation by sex, age, location, disability and other agreed inclusion categories.

Data collection quality and management

• Design, adapt and administer registration, attendance, pre- and post-assessment, tracer, feedback, referral, enterprise-readiness and outcome-monitoring tools.
• Verify completeness, consistency and accuracy of data received from implementation teams and partners; document discrepancies and coordinate timely correction.
• Conduct routine data quality assessments, spot checks and field verification, and maintain clear audit trails and version-controlled records.
• Manage secure physical and digital filing systems in accordance with data-protection, confidentiality, consent and participant-safeguarding requirements.

Performance monitoring and reporting

• Track progress against approved targets, workplans, deliverables and inclusion commitments, and promptly escalate delays, gaps or emerging risks to the Project Manager.
• Prepare accurate weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and ad hoc MEAL inputs, dashboards and analytical summaries within agreed timelines.
• Support reconciliation of participant records across Steadman, downstream partners and the lead partner’s reporting systems, avoiding duplication and unsupported claims.
• Provide evidence and analysis for management reviews, partner meetings, audits, evaluations and donor verification exercises.

Accountability, safeguarding and inclusion

• Establish accessible and confidential channels through which participants and stakeholders can provide feedback, raise concerns and receive responses.
• Maintain a feedback and complaints register, refer safeguarding matters through approved pathways, and monitor closure without investigating cases outside the role’s mandate.
• Ensure that data-collection processes are safe, voluntary, inclusive and appropriate for young people, women, persons with disabilities, refugees and other vulnerable groups.
• Apply informed-consent and responsible-storytelling standards when collecting photographs, videos, testimonials and success stories.

Learning evaluation and adaptive management

• Coordinate baseline, endline, outcome, tracer and satisfaction studies, including sampling, fieldwork oversight, analysis and reporting.
• Facilitate periodic reflection and learning sessions with the project team and partners, documenting lessons, agreed actions and follow-up responsibilities.
• Identify trends, bottlenecks and effective practices and provide evidence-based recommendations to improve delivery quality, participant transitions and results.
• Develop and validate outcome stories and case studies that demonstrate credible change from creative skills and ideas to employment, freelancing, enterprise growth and market access.

Capacity strengthening and coordination

• Train and coach staff, trainers and partner focal persons on tools, indicator definitions, data quality, ethical data collection and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate closely with the Project Manager and relevant Bayimba and consortium MEAL personnel to harmonise tools, schedules, datasets and reporting expectations.
• Participate in relevant project meetings and undertake other reasonable MEAL-related duties assigned by the Project Manager.

Job Requirements

• A master’s degree in monitoring and evaluation, statistics, economics, development studies, social sciences, demography, project planning and management, information systems, data science or another closely related discipline from a recognised institution.
• A postgraduate qualification in monitoring and evaluation, project planning and management, statistics, development evaluation or a related field is an added advantage.
• Relevant professional training or certification in results-based management, data analysis, research methods, project monitoring, safeguarding, data protection or accountability to participants is an added advantage.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in monitoring, evaluation, accountability, learning, research or programme data management.
• Experience on a complex, donor-funded or multi-partner programme is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience supporting youth employment, enterprise development, creative industries, vocational skills, livelihoods, financial inclusion, digital inclusion or business development programmes.
• Experience working with implementing partners, community-based delivery teams, trainers or service providers and consolidating data from multiple sources and locations.
• Demonstrated experience developing MEAL plans, indicator frameworks, data-collection tools, databases, dashboards and narrative reports.
• Experience conducting data quality checks, field verification, surveys, evaluations and quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Practical understanding of safeguarding, informed consent, data protection, confidentiality, gender equality, disability inclusion and accountability to affected or participating populations.

• Develop and maintain a practical MEAL plan, indicator tracking framework, reporting calendar and data-flow arrangements aligned with the approved project results framework and partner requirements.
• Translate project indicators and reporting definitions into clear tools, guidance and procedures for staff, trainers and downstream partners.
• Maintain current participant, activity, output, outcome and partner-performance records, with appropriate disaggregation by sex, age, location, disability and other agreed inclusion categories.
• Design, adapt and administer registration, attendance, pre- and post-assessment, tracer, feedback, referral, enterprise-readiness and outcome-monitoring tools.
• Verify completeness, consistency and accuracy of data received from implementation teams and partners; document discrepancies and coordinate timely correction.
• Conduct routine data quality assessments, spot checks and field verification, and maintain clear audit trails and version-controlled records.
• Manage secure physical and digital filing systems in accordance with data-protection, confidentiality, consent and participant-safeguarding requirements.
• Track progress against approved targets, workplans, deliverables and inclusion commitments, and promptly escalate delays, gaps or emerging risks to the Project Manager.
• Prepare accurate weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and ad hoc MEAL inputs, dashboards and analytical summaries within agreed timelines.
• Support reconciliation of participant records across Steadman, downstream partners and the lead partner’s reporting systems, avoiding duplication and unsupported claims.
• Provide evidence and analysis for management reviews, partner meetings, audits, evaluations and donor verification exercises.
• Establish accessible and confidential channels through which participants and stakeholders can provide feedback, raise concerns and receive responses.
• Maintain a feedback and complaints register, refer safeguarding matters through approved pathways, and monitor closure without investigating cases outside the role’s mandate.
• Ensure that data-collection processes are safe, voluntary, inclusive and appropriate for young people, women, persons with disabilities, refugees and other vulnerable groups.
• Apply informed-consent and responsible-storytelling standards when collecting photographs, videos, testimonials and success stories.
• Coordinate baseline, endline, outcome, tracer and satisfaction studies, including sampling, fieldwork oversight, analysis and reporting.
• Facilitate periodic reflection and learning sessions with the project team and partners, documenting lessons, agreed actions and follow-up responsibilities.
• Identify trends, bottlenecks and effective practices and provide evidence-based recommendations to improve delivery quality, participant transitions and results.
• Develop and validate outcome stories and case studies that demonstrate credible change from creative skills and ideas to employment, freelancing, enterprise growth and market access.
• Train and coach staff, trainers and partner focal persons on tools, indicator definitions, data quality, ethical data collection and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate closely with the Project Manager and relevant Bayimba and consortium MEAL personnel to harmonise tools, schedules, datasets and reporting expectations.
• Participate in relevant project meetings and undertake other reasonable MEAL-related duties assigned by the Project Manager.

• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Data Analysis
• Research Methods
• Project Monitoring
• Safeguarding
• Data Protection
• Accountability to Participants
• Results-Based Management
• Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
• Gender Equality
• Disability Inclusion

• Master’s degree in monitoring and evaluation, statistics, economics, development studies, social sciences, demography, project planning and management, information systems, data science or another closely related discipline from a recognised institution.
• Postgraduate qualification in monitoring and evaluation, project planning and management, statistics, development evaluation or a related field is an added advantage.
• Relevant professional training or certification in results-based management, data analysis, research methods, project monitoring, safeguarding, data protection or accountability to participants is an added advantage.