Program Lead - MNE

About Mantra4Change

Nearly a decade ago, Mantra stepped into the education ecosystem with a vision to transform Public Education in India. In a nation like India with complexities of scale and diversity, enabling quality education cannot be exclusive of systemic reforms. Our mission is to enable enriching learning experiences for children by enabling education leaders to drive school improvements. Towards this, we partner with bodies like the Ministry of Education, State education departments, as well as other Civil Society Actors. We enable school improvement through a tri-fold approach - working directly with schools through our innovation projects, working with state governments towards enabling greater system capacity, and by working with ecosystem actors to nurture a collective of changemakers. As part of our work with state governments, one of our key programs is the Punjab Education Collective - a collective of 4 organizations jointly working towards systemic school reform in the state of Punjab, for which we were recently awarded “The Collective Social Innovation Award” by the Schwab Foundation at the World Economic Forum in January 2023. Through the span of the last 10 years, we have been able to reach 272,090 schools, 276,204 education leaders and 36,457,659 children. 

About the Role

The Program Lead - Monitoring and Evaluation owns the measurement system for the Block Transformation Program across three blocks in Gaya and close to 200 government middle schools. The role builds and runs the evidence that tells the block whether classroom practice is actually changing classroom observation data against the Grade 6-8 Classroom Observation Tool, PBL Gold Standard tracking, student assessment from baseline to endline, school visit coverage, and the dashboards that BEOs, the DPO, and DIET Gaya use in their monthly reviews.

This is a field-facing measurement role, not a desk role. It suits someone who can hold the line between coverage and practice, who is comfortable in a Grade 7 science classroom with an observation tool as well as in a spreadsheet, and who wants their data to change what the block does next month rather than sit in a report. The role works alongside the Program Leads, government mentors, Complex Coordinators, and Block Technical Teams.

Roles and Responsibilities (but not limited to)

Measurement Framework and Indicators

• Build and maintain the BTP results framework covering outputs, outcomes, indicators, baselines, targets, data sources, and frequency for each program pillar.
• Keep coverage measures (visits done, teachers trained, kits delivered) clearly separate from practice measures (teachers facilitating a complete PBL cycle with Gold Standard elements) and hold the program team to that distinction.
• Trace the indicator set upward to PARAKH readiness and to Bihar SQAAF Domains 2 and 3, so that block progress reads in the same language the state uses.

Data Collection Systems and Data Quality

• Design and maintain digital data collection tools on SurveyCTO or equivalent for classroom observation, school visits, learning circles, PTMs, and training feedback.
• Run observer calibration with Program Leads, government mentors, and CRCCs so that two observers score the same classroom the same way and re-calibrate each cycle.
• Run back-checks, spot checks, and routine data quality audits, and fix the collection process rather than only cleaning the data afterwards.

Student Assessment

• Plan and run baseline, midline, and endline student assessments in math and science for Grades 6 to 8, including sampling, tool design, field logistics, and enumerator training.
• Analyse results by grade, by learning outcome, and by block, and identify the weakest NCERT learning outcomes so that teacher support is targeted rather than general.
• Translate findings into specific instructional actions for teachers, Head Teachers, and CRCCs, and check in the next cycle whether those actions moved anything.

Dashboards and Review Packs

• Build and maintain the BTP dashboard covering school visits, classroom observations, Gold Standard element coverage, learning circle completion, Micro-Improvement Project submissions on DIKSHA, PTMs, and student assessment.
• Produce a monthly review pack for BEOs, the DPO, and DIET Gaya, with one clear message per page and school-wise and complex-wise variation made visible.
• Keep program data aligned with government systems, including the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK), wherever an official reporting line exists.

Supporting Government Review Structures

• Support the DPO, DIET, and Block Education Officers to define and track clear academic and administrative KPIs, so that PBL is reviewed as a government mandate rather than an external ask.
• Prepare the data and the questions for BEO-HM review meetings so that those meetings stay academic, data-informed, and action-oriented.

Learning, Course Correction and Documentation

• Run a quarterly reflection with the block team on what the data says and what the program should change as a result, and record the decision taken.
• Document what worked, what did not, and under what conditions, so that the Gaya model can be replicated in other blocks and districts.

Building Data Capability in the Block

• Build the data capability of the block team, CRCCs, and Block Technical Teams so that they read and use their own numbers, rather than collecting data only for reporting upwards.

Experience & Competencies Required

• Must be comfortable speaking and writing in English and Hindi.
• A master’s degree in education, Social Sciences, Statistics, Economics, Public Policy, or a related field is preferred.
• Must have 2–5 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, research, or data-related roles, preferably in the education or development sector.
• Must have hands-on experience in collecting data from the field.
• Experience in teaching or working with classrooms will be an added advantage.
• Must have good knowledge of Google Sheets or Excel.
• Must have working knowledge of SurveyCTO, Kobo, or similar data collection tools.
• Must be comfortable with data visualisation using Looker Studio, Power BI, or similar tools.
• Must have a basic understanding of data analysis and statistics.
• Must have basic knowledge of Google Workspace, Canva, and AI tools.
• Knowledge of Python, R, or Stata will be an added advantage but is not mandatory.
• Must be willing to live in Gaya, travel regularly for school visits and assessments, and stay there for the duration of the programme.

For more information, please check the link: Program Lead - MNE

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