MEL; Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning) Manager

MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning) Manager, River Cleanup Indonesia

River Cleanup is a Belgian-registered NGO dedicated to preventing plastic pollution in our rivers and oceans. Our organization works on multiple fronts, including river cleanups, behavioral change initiatives, and circular economy solutions. Our mission is to create a plastic-free river environment, making a positive impact on both nature and communities worldwide. In Indonesia, our country team is based in Bandung and works through action zones, each with a local team, community leaders, and volunteers.

We are expanding to new zones, including a new zone in Bandung and Bekasi, and we are looking for a MEL Manager to make sure our results are measured, trusted, and turned into learning and compelling stories.

The MEL Manager is responsible for how River Cleanup Indonesia measures and learns from its work. You lead the MEL function and its team with guidance from the HQ in Belgium. Set up and run data collection across all action zones, check data quality, analyse results against targets, and turn field evidence into reports and impact stories that the country team, partners, and donors can rely on.

This is a hands-on role. You will spend time with the country team in Bandung (Country Lead, Project Manager, Tech and Operations, Social Media & Comm, Education Coordinator, Admin and Assessment Officer, and Admin & Finance) and time in the field with the Action Zone team (Action Zone coordinator, Community Engagement Officer, Captain and Daily Cleanup Crew). Occasionally meet with community leaders and local governments to capture their insights.

You will liaise closely with the program and operations team in Belgium and follow our international standards for data capture and monitoring.

• MEL Framework and Planning
• Maintain and refine the country MEL framework across the new zones: indicators, baselines, targets, data sources, and reporting frequency, aligned with country strategy and action zone targets and guidance from HQ.
• Monitor and report on the indicators for cleanup operations (for example, waste collected and recovered through the Material Recovery Facility), community engagement, education, and behavior change.
• Ensure that each action zone uses the same MEL tools, templates, and procedures so that local and national analysis is possible.
• Include MEL setup in the launch plan of every new action zone, with baselines established from the start and monitor its implementation.
• Data Collection and Quality:
• Set up and manage data collection following the standard guidelines (for example, using Kobo Toolbox, Google Forms, , and spreadsheets),build and test forms, and keep datasets clean and organized.
• Train Admin & Assessment Officer, Action Zone Coordinators, and other staff on data collection, and give feedback for improvement.
• Run regular data quality checks, including spot checks and field verification, and follow up on gaps or inconsistencies.
• Manage the shared data flow between the country team and each action zone so that numbers are consistent and not double-counted.
• Monitoring and Analysis:
• You will be responsible for both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
  
  E.g., qualitative research such as setting up and handling community focus groups, quantitative surveys, and daily monitoring of # of kgs of waste collected.
• Track activities and outcomes against targets in coordination with the project manager, admin & finance, and the admin & assessment officer.
• Maintain dashboards and tracking sheets (including in  where relevant) that give the team an up-to-date view of progress per action zone and can be used to report to Headquarters
• Analyze trends, flag…