Job Description

About the Role

As the Senior Manager – MEL, you will lead the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning function and set the strategic direction for how the organisation measures, understands and communicates its impact.

You will build and guide a small team of MEL professionals, champion a culture of evidence and learning across the organisation, and ensure that data and insights are embedded into program design and decision-making at every level.

This role is best suited for someone who has led MEL functions in the development or education sector and combines strategic thinking with strong hands-on capability in evaluation design, data systems and team leadership.

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Define and drive the MEL vision and strategy for the organisation in alignment with its Theory of Change and programmatic goals.
• Develop and continuously refine organisational impact measurement frameworks across diverse programs and geographies.
• Serve as the internal thought leader on evaluation methodology, learning systems and data culture.

Evaluation & Research

• Design and oversee rigorous evaluation studies including baseline, midline and endline assessments, impact evaluations, and formative and summative studies, ideally with prior experience leading such studies end-to-end.
• Select and apply appropriate evaluation methodologies (experimental, quasi-experimental, mixed methods, participatory approaches, etc.) based on program context.
• Collaborate with external research partners and academic institutions to co-create and validate evaluation frameworks and study designs.

Data Systems & Quality

• Lead efforts to streamline and strengthen data collection, management and quality assurance processes across programs.
• Optimise data metrics and indicators, ensuring they are meaningful, measurable and actionable.
• Conduct periodic M&E audits to assess data quality, system robustness and alignment with program outcomes.
• Develop standards and templates for M&E that can be adopted by program and field teams at scale.

Data Culture & Capacity Building

• Champion and embed a data-driven culture across the organisation, enabling teams to interpret and act on evidence in day-to-day program management.
• Build the MEL capacity of program staff, field teams and government partners through training, mentoring and peer learning.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor and develop a small team of MEL professionals, setting clear expectations, driving their growth and maintaining high standards of output.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Present MEL findings and insights to senior leadership, donors, government partners and external audiences in clear, compelling formats.
• Partner with Communications and Fundraising teams to translate impact evidence into compelling narratives for donor reporting and outreach.

Experience and Competencies Required

Must Have

• 7+ years of experience in MEL, with a demonstrated track record of leading MEL functions or evaluation studies in the development or education sector.
• Prior experience in designing and managing end-to-end evaluation studies (baseline, endline, impact evaluations, etc.) using a range of methodologies, including experimental, quasi-experimental, mixed methods and participatory approaches.
• processes, optimising indicators and metrics, and conducting M&E audits.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to present complex data insights clearly to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated experience managing and mentoring teams.
• Master's degree in Public Policy, Education, Development Studies, Social Research, Statistics, Data Science or a related field.

Good to Have

• Hands-on experience with data systems and tools such as Power BI, Looker Studio, Tableau, SurveyCTO, KoboToolbox, ODK, SPSS, Stata, R or similar.
• Familiarity with government education data systems, MIS platforms or EdTech ecosystems (e.g., DIKSHA, UDISE).
• Experience working directly with or alongside government partners at state or district levels in India.
• Knowledge of Hindi or a regional Indian language.