Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Manager

Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Anywhere in India (Remote with ~30% travel across NavGurukul campuses)
Reports To: CEO's Office

About NavGurukul

At NavGurukul, we believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn't.

Since 2016, we've been enabling underserved youth to build sustainable, aspirational careers in the digital economy through residential programs, online learning, AI-powered initiatives, and livelihood-focused programs.

Today, NavGurukul supports learners across residential campuses, remote learning initiatives, AI programs, digital access projects, and a growing alumni network. As we scale, we're equally committed to understanding our impact, improving our programs, and making better decisions through evidence and continuous learning.

We're looking for someone to build a world-class Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) function that helps every team from programs to leadership understand what's working, what isn't, and what to improve next.

About the Role

This is not a traditional Monitoring & Evaluation role focused primarily on donor reporting.

As the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Manager, you will own and build NavGurukul's MEL function, creating the systems, processes, and insights that enable the organization to continuously learn and improve.

Working across Programs, Product, Technology, Admissions, Placements, Alumni, Fundraising, Finance, and Leadership, you will design measurement frameworks, improve data quality, automate reporting, evaluate program effectiveness, and translate data into actionable insights.

Success in this role isn't measured by the number of reports produced, it's measured by how effectively data influences decisions, improves learner outcomes, and strengthens organizational impact.

What You'll Do

Build the MEL Framework

• Design and strengthen NavGurukul's organization-wide Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning framework.

• Define meaningful KPIs across the learner journey, from admissions and learning to placements, alumni engagement, and long-term outcomes.

• Establish consistent processes for data collection, validation, governance, and reporting.

• Build feedback loops that enable continuous organizational learning.

Generate Insights for Better Decisions

• Analyze program performance to identify trends, bottlenecks, opportunities, and emerging risks.

• Build dashboards and executive reports that support strategic decision-making.

• Conduct deep-dive analyses on learner outcomes, campus performance, placements, retention, and other organizational priorities.

• Translate complex data into practical recommendations for program and leadership teams.

Strengthen Data & Reporting Systems

• Improve the quality, reliability, and accessibility of organizational data.

• Partner with Product and Technology teams to automate reporting and reduce manual effort.

• Build scalable reporting systems that grow with the organization.

• Leverage AI and automation to improve analytical workflows and operational efficiency.

Drive Evaluation & Organizational Learning

• Design and support impact evaluations, program reviews, and learning initiatives.

• Help teams define success metrics and assess whether interventions are achieving intended outcomes.

• Capture organizational learnings and embed them into future program design.

• Ensure donor reporting is outcome-focused, reliable, and evidence-based.

Partner Across the Organization

• Work closely with Program, Product, Technology, Admissions, Placements, Alumni, Finance, Fundraising, and Leadership teams.

• Act as NavGurukul's thought partner on impact measurement, evidence generation, and organizational learning.

• Foster a culture where experimentation, evidence, and continuous improvement guide decision-making.

Who This Role Is For

We're looking for someone who enjoys solving complex problems and building systems that make organizations smarter.

You're naturally curious, analytical, and comfortable working with both data and people. You ask thoughtful questions before jumping to solutions and enjoy collaborating across teams to simplify complexity.

You are equally excited about designing measurement frameworks, building dashboards, improving operational systems, evaluating impact, and helping leaders make better decisions.

Most importantly, you believe that good data isn't about producing reports, it's about improving lives.

 

Preferred Experience

• 4–8 years of experience in Monitoring & Evaluation, Data Analytics, Impact Measurement, Program Strategy, or a related field.

• Experience in education, skilling, livelihoods, workforce development, or the nonprofit sector.

• Experience designing MEL frameworks, program evaluations, or impact measurement systems.

• Strong analytical skills with experience building dashboards and automating reporting workflows

Nice to Have

• Experience with SQL and Business Intelligence tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Looker Studio, or Metabase.

• Experience using AI tools to automate reporting, uncover insights, and improve analytical workflows.

• Familiarity with Theory of Change, Results Frameworks, or LogFrames.

• Experience with Google Workspace, Airtable, Notion, or similar operational tools.

• Comfortable working in fast-paced, cross-functional, high-growth environments.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first year, you will have:

• Established a robust organization-wide MEL framework.

• Improved the quality and reliability of data across programs.

• Automated key leadership dashboards and reporting processes.

• Embedded evidence-based decision-making across teams.

Leadership should be able to confidently answer questions such as:

• Which campuses are performing best, and why?

• Where are learners dropping off across the journey?

• Which interventions improve placement outcomes?

• Which learner segments need additional support?

• How are alumni progressing over time?

• Which donor-funded initiatives are delivering the greatest impact?

• What are the leading indicators that predict learner success?

Success in this role means creating a culture where teams consistently use evidence to improve programs, allocate resources effectively, and make faster, better-informed decisions.

Why Join NavGurukul?

This is an opportunity to build one of the most important organizational capabilities at NavGurukul from the ground up.

You'll work closely with the CEO's Office and senior leadership, influence strategic decisions across the organization, and help shape how we measure and maximize our impact.

If you're excited about combining data, technology, AI, and social impact to create better opportunities for thousands of underserved youth across India, we'd love to hear from you.