About the role
- At ground level like teacher capacity building – Transform
- At system level like empowering leaders with administrative and academic tools – Enable
- At ecosystem level by inspiring thought leaders and entrepreneurs to build a collective of changemakers – Inspire
About the RoleAs the Senior Manager – MEL, you will lead Mantra4Change's 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 who 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 Mantra4Change's 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.
- Design and oversee rigorous evaluation studies including baseline, midline and endline assessments, impact evaluations, and formative and summative studies – ideally with prior experience in 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Lead, mentor and develop a small team of MEL professionals, setting clear expectations, driving their growth and maintaining high standards of output.
- Present MEL findings and insights to senior leadership, donors, government partners and external audiences in clear, compelling formats.
- Partner with the Communications and Fundraising teams to translate impact evidence into compelling narratives for donor reporting and outreach.
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 – experimental, quasi-experimental, mixed methods and participatory approaches.
- Experience in enriching data culture within an organisation – including streamlining data collection 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 a team.
- Master's degree in public policy, Education, Development Studies, Social Research, Statistics, Data Science or a related field.
- Hands-on experience with data systems and tools such as Power BI, Looker Studio, Tableau, Survey CTO, Kobo Toolbox, 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.
What We Offer
- Opportunity to work closely with different education organisations and government departments in Mantra and Shikshagraha networks.
- Exposure to field locations across different states in India.
- A variety of 'on the job' learning and development opportunities spanning across a diverse set of programs.
- 24 paid leave days and 12 calendar holidays.
- Health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 LPA for the employee and their dependents.
- One menstrual leave each month for women employees.
- Rs. 5000 L&D fund to pursue job-related learning opportunities.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka (may require periodic travel to field sites and partner states).
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