Global MEL Manager — Ocean Resources & Governance

Avalon-Capital-Group; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision

Health Savings Account

401(k) match up to 6%

Performance Incentive Plan

Employee Charitable Donation Match

Job summary

Waitt Institute in San Diego, CA is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager to lead MEL initiatives across diverse coastal programs. This full‑time role reports to the VP of Ocean Science and collaborates with governments, NGOs, and internal teams to design and implement practical MEL strategies that track ecological, fisheries, and socio-economic outcomes.

The position involves travel up to 30% and requires strong communication skills, program management capabilities, and the

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience with marine resources, fisheries, socioeconomics, or related topics, including MEL program design, refinement, and/or application.
• Demonstrated applied research experience in designing monitoring frameworks/strategies or related indicators, data collection and evaluation, and interpreting ecological, fisheries, socioeconomic, and/or governance data for management decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate highly technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines across a variety of projects.
• Bachelor’s degree required (Graduate degree preferred) in Environmental Studies, Marine Science, Oceanography, Natural Resource Management, or a related field.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• In coordination with country partners and other WI staff, lead the continued development and implementation of country-specific MEL strategies, including establishing goals, objectives, indicators, monitoring approaches, and processes.
• In support of collaborative implementation of MEL strategies, lead MEL-focused coordination with government agencies, local communities, NGOs, technical experts, and international partners. This responsibility could include research design, data collection, analysis, synthesis, and presentation, as requested.
• Manage contractors and consultants, including work-planning, budgeting, and tracking deliverables.
• Organize and maintain program management systems, tracking tools, and internal documentation.
• Travel internationally to support in-country meetings, workshops, and implementation activities as needed.

Skills

MEL design

Monitoring frameworks

Data collection & eval

Technical communication

Project management

International travel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, Marine Science, Oceanography, Natural Resource Management, or related field

Graduate degree preferred

Job description

Waitt Institute in San Diego, CA is seeking a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager to lead MEL initiatives across diverse coastal programs. This full‑time role reports to the VP of Ocean Science and collaborates with governments, NGOs, and internal teams to design and implement practical MEL strategies that track ecological, fisheries, and socio-economic outcomes.

The position involves travel up to 30% and requires strong communication skills, program management capabilities, and the