MEAL Solution Manager (Consultant)

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS TO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (CONSULTANCY)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Purpose MEAL Solution Manager Consultant Location Remote (Home based), with a preference for applicants based in Asia due to timezones Duration 10 months (until 31st December 2026, extendable) Start date 1st March 2026 Reporting to Mohini Venkatesh, Waliku Director

Team Purpose:

Waliku is a Save the Children technology team that provides bespoke solutions for digital data capture and analytics on learner education and well-being. Since inception in 2016, Waliku has grown from a proof-of-concept study and pilot to supporting Save the Children education projects in multiple sites globally.

At Waliku, we provide digital data solutions, which are based on local needs, and include a suite of digital tools, analytics, and accompanying implementation guidance and support services. Through our solutions, we expect projects and particularly educators, be it in formal or non-formal schooling, to have data insights that help them address gaps in learner education, health and well-being in a timely manner.

End users of our tools could be project office staff, government officials, or counterparts in the community- district education officers, school supervisors, school principals / administrators, teachers, community educators, parents and caregivers. In connecting various stakeholders digitally, we also facilitate communication and coordination between them to meet children's right to education, well-being and achieving their fullest potential.

The Waliku team is seeking a MEAL solution manager to support the scale up of our support across multiple projects and countries, utilizing and improving upon our implementation support tools and practices. Applicants must have direct management experience with the roll-out of digital technology products and client support.

Role Purpose:

The Consultant will be responsible for the design, development, testing, training, and rollout of two integrated digital solutions for specific projects across six countries.

• Digital Data Capture Solution – enabling efficient, accurate, and secure data entry in the field.
• Digital Data Analytics Solution – enabling visualization, analysis, and reporting for timely decision-making.

The Consultant will ensure both solutions are operational in all six target countries within the one-year project timeframe, working closely with country teams, technical leads, Product Manager, Product office and the data analytics team.

This role requires 230 days of work per year (192~ working days for 10 months period), or on average 5 days per week (assuming 6 weeks of non-working time per year).

Role dimensions:

The Consultant will have overall responsibility for delivering two integrated digital solutions — a data capture system and a data analytics platform — within a ten-month timeframe across selected countries such as India, Rwanda, Mozambique, Malawi, Ethiopia.

This includes leading requirements gathering, system design, development, testing, user training, and country-level rollouts, ensuring solutions are functional, user-friendly, and aligned with Save the Children’s digital and data standards.

The role will require close collaboration with country office teams, global technical experts, and relevant stakeholders to ensure solutions meet operational and programmatic needs. The Consultant will manage the project lifecycle from inception to completion, including documentation, quality assurance, and handover for sustainable adoption. While the Consultant will oversee full implementation during the contract period, post-project system hosting, maintenance, and scaling beyond the agreed timeframe are out of scope.

Key areas of accountability:

• Conduct needs assessment and requirements gathering in each country.
• Lead the design and development of the digital data capture solution, ensuring alignment with organizational standards.
• Lead the design and development of the digital analytics platform, ensuring integration with the capture system.
• Coordinate iterative testing and user feedback cycles.
• Develop user manuals, technical documentation, and training resources.
• Deliver user training sessions in each country, both remotely and on-site where required.
• Support pilot rollouts, troubleshoot issues, and refine systems based on feedback.
• Monitor rollout progress and adoption, ensuring quality assurance.
• Handover all technical documentation and train identified local focal points for sustainability.

Deliverables:

• Digital Data Capture Solution - Design, develop, test, train on, and roll out a fully functional data capture system. Includes user guides, training, and documentation in five countries
• Digital Data Analytics Solution - Design, develop, test, train on, and roll out an analytics platform integrated with the data capture system. Includes dashboards, automated reports, and training in six countries.

Qualifications, Experience & Skills:

• Master's degree in education, health, information management, or other relevant advanced degree preferred.
• Significant experience, minimum five years, with the development, roll out and management of digital data solutions, ideally for an NGO/INGO.
• Experience with variety of open source and enterprise tools, and ability to quickly learn and utilize them for project needs.
• Minimum of five years experience with project management and people management in managing digital technologies in the development sector
• Solid project management skills related to international development projects with a proven history of delivering results.
• Domain-level understanding of pre-primary, primary, and junior secondary educational issues, and health and well-being of school-age children desirable
• Experience working with or implementing school management information systems desirable.
• Experience working with an international NGO, with people from different nationalities; efficiency in cross cultural communication will be an asset.
• Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of Spanish, Arabic or other international language is desirable.
• Proactive and able to work independently, with limited supervision expected.
• Excellent communication and management skills and good interpersonal skills.
• Previous experience developing teams and the ability to lead, motivate and develop others desirable
• Ability to analyse information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically.
• Problem-solving ability, willingness to design and test new human-centred solutions desirable
• Good desk research skills and report writing desirable
• Able to travel occasionally to project sites.

Facilities to be provided by SCI:

• Email access
• System access to relevant tools
• 100% coverage of any work-related travel
• Reimbursement for agreed role-related software/subscriptions

Applications and financial proposals

Interested candidates are required to submit their financial proposals along with their application (CV and Cover Letter), indicating their daily rates (for 7 hour work day) in USD. You are kindly expected to indicate your financial proposals on relevant annual salary expectation question of the job application form (under Step 2 - Application Questions).

Payments

Consultancy payments will be made in monthly frequency; upon confirmation and submission of monthly timesheets maintained by the line manager of the consultant. Please note that taxes will need to be processed by the consultant in their country of domicile, Save the Children International do not process taxes on behalf of the consultant.

Selection process

The selection of the consultant will involve a 16-day open call from the 9th of January 2026 to the 25th of January 2026.

Awarding the contract will be based on the best combination of expertise and price, ensuring that the chosen consultant meets the required qualifications and experience while providing the most efficient and cost-effective solution for the report's development.