Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is an adolescent health organisation that leverages the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilise at-risk youth in developing countries to overcome their greatest health challenges, live healthier, more productive lives, and be agents for change in their communities. Since 2002, GRS has reached millions of young people across the countries where it works with life-saving HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health information and services. GRS is looking to significantly scale its impact via partnerships over the next five years.
Position Description
The MERL Coordinator supports Grassroot Soccer Zambia's Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) function, working closely with the Zambia MERL Manager, the Global MEL team, the Research team, and Zambia Programme Team staff. The two Coordinators in this role share responsibility for ensuring that GRS Zambia collects, manages, and uses timely, accurate, and high-quality data, both the routine programme data that tracks reach and results, and the data generated through research studies and partnerships.
Both Coordinators work across the full MERL scope: routine data collection, data quality, and Salesforce management, as well as research protocols, data collection tools, and partnerships with external research collaborators.
The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organised, and comfortable working with both quantitative and qualitative data. They are a clear communicator who can train and support field-based staff and partners, troubleshoot data quality issues, and work collaboratively across teams and time zones.
Primary Responsibilities
Monitoring, Evaluation & Data Quality (35%)
• Track data submission by coaches, programme staff, and implementing partners, ensuring timely and complete reporting against the data flow calendar.
• Support day-to-day use of the SKILLZ App and Salesforce by programme and partner staff, helping to ensure data is entered completely, accurately, and on time.
• Clean and validate routine programme data, working iteratively with site teams until it is complete, consistent, and correct.
• Support or conduct Routine Data Quality Assessments (RDQAs), and follow up with site and partner teams on data quality issues identified.
• Conduct or support supportive supervision and monitoring visits to programme sites to observe service delivery quality and data collection practices firsthand.
• Support alignment of GRS data and reporting with relevant national and donor indicator frameworks, as applicable.
• Ensure the confidentiality, security, and ethical handling of sensitive health data (e.g. HIV status, SRHR information), including informed consent/assent procedures for working with adolescents, in line with GRS data protection policies.
• Build and maintain Salesforce dashboards and standard reports used to track results across Zambia programme sites.
• Support finalisation of routine (e.g. monthly/quarterly) monitoring reports, including summary statistics and simple trend analysis.
• Support enforcement of data submission deadlines and the country-level data flow process/SOPs, and escalate systems issues to the Global MEL team as needed.
Research Coordination (30%)
• Support coordination of research studies and partnerships taking place in Zambia, working with the Global Research team, implementing partners, and external research collaborators/consultants.
• Support scheduling, agenda-setting, and documentation for research meetings and calls, and track research project timelines and deliverables.
• Contribute to the drafting, review, and formatting of research protocols and quantitative/qualitative data collection tools, including supporting any ethics review or approval processes.
• Support fieldwork logistics for research activities (e.g. participant recruitment, scheduling, data collector coordination).
• Conduct or support qualitative data collection activities (e.g. key informant interviews, focus group discussions) as part of research studies.
• Contribute to analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary data as needed, and support the drafting of learning briefs, abstracts, or presentations summarising findings.
Training, Learning & Capacity Building (20%)
• Deliver training and refresher sessions for coaches, programme staff, and partners on M&E and research tools, data collection procedures, and reporting requirements.
• Support the development, adaptation, and version control of data collection tools (e.g. attendance registers, pre/post surveys, screening and referral tools, research instruments) and keep related user guides and SOPs up to date.
• Help coordinate internal learning and information-sharing calls
• Support onboarding of new staff and partners on GRS MERL processes and expectations.
Reporting, Coordination & Programme Support (15%)
• Support the Zambia MERL Manager and Programme Team with routine and donor reporting: compiling data, checking figures against source data, and flagging discrepancies.
• Represent the MERL function in relevant country and programme meetings; maintain regular communication with the Global MEL team and the Research team; ensure relevant staff attend scheduled MERL calls.
• Attend meetings with implementing partners and government stakeholders (e.g. Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education) as required, representing GRS Zambia's MERL function and sharing relevant data and findings.
• Prepare and deliver presentations of MERL and research data and findings for internal teams, partners, and government stakeholders.
• Create data visualizations (e.g. charts, graphs, infographics) that make M&E and research findings clear and accessible to non-technical audiences.
• Provide input into work plans and track implementation of programme activities relevant to MERL (e.g. testing and counselling, linkage and referral, retention in SRHR/HIV services) against targets, national policy, and donor requirements.
• Support data utilisation by tracking follow-up on recommendations from monitoring reports, DQAs, and research findings.
• Provide backup coverage for the other MERL Coordinator's responsibilities during periods of leave, high workload, or staff transition.
• Perform other MERL-related duties as assigned by the Zambia MERL Manager.
Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Social Sciences, or a related field (equivalent coursework/training plus relevant experience will also be considered); a Master's degree will be an added advantage.
• 3–5 years of experience in M&E and/or research coordination for international health or development programmes, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Working knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods.
• Experience with Salesforce or a similar database/CRM system preferred.
• Experience supporting research activities (e.g. protocol development, data collection tools, ethics processes) is an asset, as is experience with routine M&E systems and data quality processes.
• Familiarity with adolescent health, SRHR, HIV/AIDS, and/or mental health programming is an asset.
• Working knowledge of data protection and research ethics standards is an asset.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets required; familiarity with statistical software (e.g. STATA, SPSS, R) is an asset.
• Previous experience with training, onboarding, or capacity building, preferably in an international or cross-cultural setting.
• Based in Zambia or eligible to work in Zambia; fluency in English and in a local Zambian language is required.
• Willingness to travel within Zambia to programme sites as required (up to 20% of time).
Skills
• Strong attention to detail, with the thoroughness and follow-through to inspire and support partners and field staff to report accurately and on time.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and data streams, and to problem-solve independently with limited supervision.
• Building strong working relationships with a wide range of staff and partners, and operating effectively across diverse social and cultural contexts.
• Thinking logically and systematically, able to spot data quality issues and trace them back to their source.
• Communicating clearly, both orally and in writing, with internal teams, programme staff, and external partners.
• Strong presentation skills, with the ability to make data and findings clear and engaging for diverse audiences.
• Comfortable working with data systems and digital/mobile data collection tools, and willing to learn new ones.
• Strong organisational skills and comfort balancing a shared workload with a colleague.
Grassroot Soccer Culture
Successful leaders at Grassroot Soccer are bold, yet humble. They are passionate about the mission of Grassroot Soccer, and understand their role on the Grassroot Soccer team to achieve its mission.
Day to day, they are…
• Proactive: can anticipate both opportunities and obstacles and take action, with a drive towards results.
• Professional: level-headed; ability to de-escalate difficult situations, behave exceptionally, and manage/minimise distractions.
• Problem Solvers: comfortable with ambiguity, can creatively unlock bottlenecks and turn problems into opportunities.
…they demonstrate lots of…
• Common Sense: prioritising the right things at the right time; making good, quick, informed decisions balancing multiple issues and points of view.
• Self-awareness: know where one's blind spots are, recognise differences, and build a team to complement one's skills and weaknesses.
…and a strong bias for…
• Follow-through and Outcomes: deliver results, not just create lots of activity.
• Treating People Well: empathetic, kind, great listener, yet can make tough decisions and hold oneself/others accountable.
To Apply
All interested candidates are invited to apply by submitting the following relevant documents: a cover letter, detailed CV and copies of academic and professional certificates to [email protected].
Applicants should clearly indicate the position they are applying for in the subject line of their email.
Application Deadline: Open until filled. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
