Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL)

Position Title:  Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) 
Department:  Quality, Impact and Learning (QIL) 
Location:   Remote in CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA, Puerto Rico, TN, TX, VA, and WA 
Reports to:   Senior Director, MERL 
Number of Direct Reports:  3 
Travel Required:   Up to 35% domestic and international 
Assignment Type:  Full-time; Exempt 
Hiring Range:  $127,036 to $139,600 USD 

Application Requirements:  Resume; Completed application questions 

Global Health Starts with YOU!
Americares is a global health and disaster relief organization that helps people and communities around the world access health in times of disaster and every day. Each year, Americares reaches 85 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid. Americares is one of the world’s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.  

Americares Values:  
We create global community, treating people as they want to be treated. 
We respond effectively and responsibly, putting plans into practice. 
We embed ethics and equity in our work and workplace. 
We are better together; partnership is at our core. 
We ask and listen, to create sustainable solutions for a healthier tomorrow. 
We commit to quality, growing and improving to ensure individuals and communities thrive. 

About the Position: 
The Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) provides operational leadership and day-to-day oversight for the delivery of MERL across Americares global program portfolio and all three program pillars: Health Services, Humanitarian Programs and Medicine Security. This role ensures consistent, high-quality MERL support and practices are embedded throughout the program lifecycle while leading and developing a high-performing team of MERL professionals. 

The Director translates organizational MERL strategy into practical implementation, strengthens organizational capacity in monitoring, evaluation and learning, and promotes evidence-based decision-making that improves program quality, accountability and impact. 

Duties and Responsibilities:  

People Leadership 
- Lead, coach and develop a diverse Program MERL team across multiple regions and technical portfolios. 
- Foster an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing team culture while supporting staff growth and development. 

 Operational Leadership 
- Lead the operational delivery of Program MERL across Health Services, Humanitarian Programs and Medicine Security portfolios. 
- Establish priorities, allocate resources and strengthen workflows, standards and service delivery mechanisms. 

Technical Leadership 
- Provide technical oversight for monitoring, evaluation, research and learning activities across Americares programs. 
- Ensure the quality of monitoring frameworks, theories of change, indicators, evaluation designs and data collection methodologies. 

Program Quality and Continuous Improvement 
- Promote the integration of MERL throughout the program lifecycle and support adaptive management through the timely use of data and evidence. 
- Lead quality assurance initiatives, including data quality assessments and continuous improvement efforts. 

Organizational Capacity Building 
- Strengthen MERL capability across program teams and country offices through training, coaching, mentoring and the development of practical tools and resources. 
- Lead communities of practice and organizational learning initiatives. 

Partnership and Collaboration 
- Build strong partnerships with Country Offices, Technical Advisors, Development, Communications, Strategy and other key stakeholders. 
- Represent Program MERL internally and externally and support integrated approaches to evidence generation and learning. 

General Responsibilities 
- Actively model and contribute to Americares values, work culture and mission. 
- Engage in and contribute to team spaces with openness, global competencies and a growth mindset. 

Other duties and responsibilities as assigned. 

Key expectations for this role include: 

In the first 90 days: 
Learn and live Americares values. 
Complete all required new-hire onboarding trainings. 
Build trusted relationships with leaders across Health Services, Humanitarian Programs and Medicine Security. 
Develop strong partnerships with Country Offices and cross-functional stakeholders. 
Complete a comprehensive assessment of Program MERL systems, staffing, workflows and priorities. 
Clarify team roles, responsibilities and priorities. 
Establish regular coaching, performance management and operational planning processes. 
Develop an initial operational roadmap aligned with departmental strategy. 

In the first 6 months: 
Implement standardized approaches for monitoring, evaluation, reporting, data quality and indicator development. 
Establish a clear operational model for MERL technical assistance and support. 
Launch a structured MERL capacity-building approach for program teams and country offices. 
Strengthen professional development and leadership capacity among MERL staff. 
Foster a high-performing and accountable team culture. 

In the first year: 
Establish Program MERL as a trusted operational partner across all program pillars. 
Demonstrate measurable improvements in MERL quality, consistency and responsiveness. 
Embed standardized MERL approaches throughout the program lifecycle. 
Increase organizational use of evidence for adaptive management and decision-making. 
Develop a high-performing Program MERL function recognized for technical excellence, collaboration and customer service. 
Contribute to implementation of the broader organizational MERL transformation strategy. 

Degrees and/or Experience Required: 
Master's degree Public Health, Evaluation, Research Methods, Statistics, International Development, Social Sciences or a related field. 

Competencies required for the role include: 

People Leadership 
- Demonstrated ability to build, develop and inspire high-performing teams. 
- Experience coaching managers and staff while fostering accountability and continuous learning.

Operational Leadership 
- Ability to translate strategic priorities into effective operational delivery. 
- Strong systems-thinking skills and experience leading complex, multi-portfolio initiatives. 

Strategic Partnership 
- Proven ability to influence across functions and levels in matrixed organizations. 
- Experience building trusted partnerships and aligning technical priorities with organizational goals. 

Technical Excellence 
- Deep expertise in monitoring, evaluation, research and learning methodologies. 
- Ability to apply international MERL standards and evidence-based practices while balancing technical rigor with practical implementation. 

Continuous Improvement 
- Demonstrated use of data and evidence to improve systems, programs and organizational performance. 
- Commitment to innovation, learning and adaptive management. 

Communication 
- Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills. 
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences. 

US work authorization without restriction and up to 35% travel are required for this role. 
Candidates must be currently living in and will continue to live in one of the following states/territories: CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA, Puerto Rico, TN, TX, VA, or WA. 

These competencies are preferred but not required for the role: 

• Data Visualization & Decision Support 
• Experience using dashboards, business intelligence tools and data visualization platforms such as Tableau to support organizational learning and performance management. 
• Digital Innovation, AI & Automation 
• Experience identifying opportunities to leverage AI, automation and emerging technologies to improve MERL efficiency, analysis and reporting. 
• Knowledge of digital systems integration and process improvement. 
• Fluency in languages that are spoken in at least one of our core locations (India, Philippines, Tanzania, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Colombia, etc.), in addition to English. 

Additionally, our core competencies as an organization are:  
Ownership and results  
Communication  
Problem solving  
Equity and inclusion  
Teamwork and conflict resolution  
Leadership  
Prioritization  
Management  
Strategy and planning  
Decision making  

Recruitment Process for this Role:  
Virtual Interview with People and Talent (1 hour) 
Virtual Interview with Hiring Manager (1 hour) 
Virtual Panel Interview with Presentation to Internal Stakeholders (1 hour) 
Virtual Interview with DSVP, QIL (30 minutes) 
Offer 
Background Checks and Onboarding