The Lake Tanganyika Basin MEL Lead
About the role
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