Position Summary

The Senior Program Associate will support project teams in developing monitoring, learning, and evaluation plans for their respective projects in alignment with the project logframes. As the projects will be involved with departments engaged in frontline service delivery (health, education, etc.), the work will include field research and engagement with government officials. The Senior Program Associate should have demonstrable experience in conducting monitoring and evaluation studies on ground, and have an in-depth understanding of the logistics and methodologies of impact and process assessments of projects. The Senior Program Associate will report to the respective Outcome Measurement vertical lead and work in close collaboration with Project Leads across states.

Role and Responsibilities

Support in designing and finalising the logframes for projects in collaboration with the respective project teams
Design cost-effective and feasible Monitoring, Learning, & Evaluation (ML&E) plans for the identified projects, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods and leveraging administrative data systems
Identifying local partners for engaging in ML&E studies and assessments in relevant states
Assist in developing measurement and analysis protocols for the project(s)
Support with data analysis and creating high quality outputs for dissemination
Create protocols and toolkits for M&LE for use by project teams
Manage all the primary, secondary, and administrative data by strictly following data management and security protocols
Own interface with client-side stakeholders
Develop a sound understanding of the client (Government)’s issues and understand the relevance of the interventions (project) to these issues

Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities

Master’s degree (or equivalent preferred) in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences or related fields from a reputed institution
Minimum 3 years work experience in India with organisations working in monitoring and evaluation related fields of work i.e. research agencies, policy think-tanks, government or private sector organisations working on government advisory or consulting
Experience with data cleaning and analysis of large and complex datasets and econometric analysis
Demonstrable experience in conducting ML&E of long-term projects (preferably for projects involving government collaboration)
Strong data analysis skills using statistical software such as STATA, R, or any other data analysis software
Demonstrated fieldwork experience in India (rural and/or urban)

Desired skills

Prior experience and/or knowledge of experimental and non-experimental research methods
Prior experience with and/or knowledge of qualitative research methods
Technical expertise in costing and budgeting ML&E

Personal Characteristics and Desired Qualities

Fluency in English, both written and spoken
Excellent problem-solving skills, with an aptitude for research to formulate solutions
Excellent writing and communication skills (ability to communicate complex ideas in a meaningful way and across different audiences)
Ability to be able to set priorities, plan timelines, and meet deadlines
Ability to think creatively, willing to take risks to experiment with new ideas, and ability to turn ideas into action
Ability to collaborate and actively listen to others, understand and value others’ views
Operating style suited to working independently and in a small-organisation setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued

Location and Compensation

Location: New Delhi, Chennai or Hyderabad

Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social sector pay scales and will depend on the candidate’s experience levels.

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