Senior Manager - Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

About Mantra4ChangeA decade ago, Mantra4Change stepped into the education ecosystem with a vision to transform public education in India. We believe that in a unique nation like India, our approach to quality education cannot be exclusive of systemic reforms and collective action. We work with stakeholders in the system especially in positions of leadership to enable school improvement across the states we work with. A key question that drives us is – how might we enable enriching experiences for children at scale, with speed, and sustainably? Committed to enabling education leaders to drive sustainable improvements across schools, we aim to ensure that every child has the skills and knowledge to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

Our Programs are designed to improve and impact critical challenges:- 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.

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 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.

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 the Communications and Fundraising teams to translate impact evidence into compelling narratives for donor reporting and outreach.

• 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.