EDOTA background

Education Outreach Tanzania (EDOTA) is the local not for profit NGO that works collaboratively with local and international partners, local communities, local government authority, and other organizations to promote inclusive community development and economic justice. The organization was registered on 26th May 2010 with registration number 00003478 to operate in Tanzania mainland.

Since its establishment, EDOTA have successful implemented several funded projects aimed at enhancing livelihood, economic strengthening, promoting good governance, conserving the environment, addressing GBV and health promotions. TNC and EDOTA have established Partnership since 2020 with EDOTA successful implementing prior programs aimed at strengthening Community-Led fisheries conservation, enforcement readiness and local conservation, in Katavi, Kigoma, Tabora, Geita and Rukwa regions.

Project overview

The LATABIOCON project addresses the critical environmental and socio-economic challenges facing the Lake Tanganyika Basin (LTB), a massive ecosystem covering 223,000 km² that holds one-fifth of Earth’s accessible freshwater and supports over 12 million people across Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, and Zambia. This unique basin encompasses several major government-managed protected areas and internationally recognized Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs).

However, the ecosystem is under immense pressure from the overexploitation of nearshore fish communities, habitat loss, and widespread catchment degradation. These human-driven pressures are heavily amplified by climate change, which has caused persistent lake warming, stronger stratification, expanding low-oxygen zones, and erratic rainfall trends that accelerate soil erosion, threatening fisheries, rain-fed agriculture, and lake-dependent livelihoods.

To counter these systemic risks, EDOTA plays a pivotal role within the LaTaBioCoN consortium by leading critical conservation, socioeconomic development, and promoting regenerative economy. Specifically, EDOTA is responsible toward sustainable human development, the organization is tasked with implementing community livelihood interventions that help vulnerable populations adapt to climate and environmental pressures.

Furthermore, EDOTA drives the promotion of Nature-based Enterprises (NbEs) to generate eco-friendly income streams, alongside catchment management strategies designed to mitigate erosion and heavy sediment delivery into critical habitats, while facilitating community led governance among the riparian communities.

Position title

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) officer – LaTaBioCoN Project

Reports To: Project Manager

Location: Nguruka field Office- Kigoma region with travel to project sites: Katavi, Tabora, Rukwa, and Geita region.

Position Type: Intern

DURATION: Internship contract will be for 24 months, with the possibility for extension depending on availability of funds.

Position overview

We are looking for an analytical, adaptive, and field-oriented MERL Officer. This role goes beyond standard monitoring; you will oversee data collection systems, evaluate project impacts, and manage the research and learning loop. You will ensure that field insights, CMI-led expertise, and scientific research are captured and converted into actionable knowledge.

A core focus will be designing inclusive tools that accurately track project impacts on youth and women livelihoods, gender equity and the participation of persons with disabilities. Furthermore, you will lead community participatory monitoring initiatives to empower local rights-holders and synthesize field evidence into high-impact public policy briefings for government duty-bearers.

Key responsibilities

1. Framework and Systems Design: Develop and implement a comprehensive MERL framework, logframe indicators, and data collection tools tailored to multi-stakeholder governance and conservation goals.
2. Inclusive Data Collection: Lead field monitoring activities, ensuring data collection is strictly disaggregated by age, gender, and disability to capture social inclusion metrics accurately.
3. Research and Knowledge Management: Partner with local scientific and research institutions to track how knowledge products are integrated into local governance and duty-bearer decision-making.
4. Facilitate Project Learning: Design and host regular reflection and learning sessions for consortium partners, local NGOs, and civil society to adaptively manage and improve project strategies.
5. Reporting and Documentation: Compile high-quality, data-driven quarterly and annual progress reports for donors, alongside drafting impact stories, case studies, and policy briefs.
6. Community Feedback Loops: Establish and maintain safe, accessible accountability and feedback mechanisms within target communities and CMIs.
7. Monitor and ensure adherence to ethical standard among project workers and stakeholders.

Required qualifications & experience

• Education: A University Degree in Research, Public Policy, Statistics, Development Studies, or a related field. Professional certifications in M&E or data analytics are a strong asset.
• Experience: Not required.
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in quantitative and qualitative data collection methodologies, Ai applications, mobile data collection tools (e.g., KoboToolbox, Survey Monkey), and statistical software (e.g., SPSS, Stata, or Excel Power Query).
• Social Inclusion Focus: Proven experience designing and tracking indicators related to gender equality, youth employment, and disability inclusion.
• Communication: Superior reporting and analytical writing skills, with a proven ability to translate complex data sets into simple, visual, and understandable insights for community rights-holders and government duty-bearers alike.