Program Lead - Design and Monitoring & Evaluation (STEP Bihar- State)

About Mantra4Change

Mantra4Change is a non-profit organization working with governments to transform public education systems in India, so that millions of children can learn better, grow stronger, and thrive. We partner closely with state education departments to design and implement reforms at scale, strengthening leadership, governance, and classroom practice across public schools. Our work is grounded in the belief that lasting change happens when governments lead their own transformation.

Through long-term collaboration with institutions such as SCERTs and DIETs, Mantra4Change focuses on developing school leaders and system leaders, building collaborative school cultures, and engaging communities as partners in learning. By combining strong on-ground implementation with continuous learning, we help systems identify what works, scale it responsibly, and sustain improvement over time.

Our mission is to enable leaders at every level of the system to drive continuous improvement, creating a virtuous cycle in which strong leadership, collective ownership, and systemic reform deliver better learning and more equitable outcomes for every child. Read more - www.mantra4change.org

About STEP Bihar

We have been working closely with the education department of Bihar since 2021 to strengthen education leadership at various levels through collective action, leveraging technology to drive school improvement. Our current work in the state includes:

• •Support SCERT, the Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC), and the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) to design and implement the Project-Based Learning (PBL) program for Grades 6 to 8 across all 38 districts in math, science, and social subjects.
• •Support DPE, SCERT, and DIETs to operationalize the Margdarshak academic-mentor cadre for Grades 1 to 8, a government cadre of about 4,200 mentors working through a three-tier SCERT and State Resource Group to District Resource Group to complex and panchayat structure, aligned to the National Mission for Mentoring.
• •Enable DIETs to design need-based teacher professional development, leveraging the Micro-Improvement Project on DIKSHA, and support data-driven review through the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK).
• •Deeper intervention in 2 districts, Lakhisarai and Gaya, strengthening PBL and FLN implementation by providing governance and academic support to key stakeholders at the district, block, and complex levels.

About the Role

The Program Lead - Design and Monitoring & Evaluation holds two connected responsibilities for STEP Bihar: the logic of the program and the evidence that tests it. On the design side, the role builds the theory of change, outcome chains, logic frameworks, and annual workplans across our state workstreams. On the measurement side, it builds the indicator sets, data systems, dashboards, and evaluation studies that show whether those chains are actually holding, from system functioning through functionary support and teacher practice to student learning.

The role works in partnership with SCERT, DPE, BEPC, DIETs, and the Vidya Samiksha Kendra, and supports the Bihar program team and district teams to use data rather than only report it. It suits someone who is rigorous about the difference between an output and an outcome, who will not let a training completion figure stand in for a change in classroom practice, and who can hold a design argument with senior colleagues and government officials on the strength of evidence.

Roles and Responsibilities (but not limited to)

1. Program Design

• •Build and maintain the theory of change, outcome chains, and logic frameworks for the state workstreams, separating immediate, intermediate, and long-term outcomes rather than collapsing them into one bucket.
• •Make the assumptions behind the design explicit, state what is in scope and out of scope, and ground every design in a data-backed problem statement rather than in intent.
• •Translate the design into annual workplans and goal statements that workstream owners can actually run against.

2. Measurement Framework and Indicators

• •Build the state indicator set with baselines, targets, data sources, and reporting frequency, and keep output indicators clearly distinguished from outcome indicators.
• •Apply Kirkpatrick levels to training and capacity building work and keep knowledge gain and practice change measured separately rather than treated as the same thing.
• •Frame progress against Bihar SQAAF Domains 2 and 3 and against PARAKH benchmarks, so that every outcome chain traces upward to PARAKH readiness.

3. Data Systems, VSK and Dashboards

• •Design data collection tools and protocols for classroom observation, mentoring visits, training, and review, and set the data quality standards the state and district teams work to.
• •Build and maintain state and district dashboards, and work with the Vidya Samiksha Kendra to route program indicators into government reporting wherever an official line exists.

4. Evaluation, Assessment and Research

• •Support SCERT and DIETs to design and run annual endline student assessment surveys, including sampling, tool design, analysis, and interpretation of effect sizes and grade-wise gaps.
• •Design or commission studies where the program needs an answer it does not have, brief external evaluators, and review their outputs critically.
• •Synthesize field and observation evidence into implications for program design, not only into findings.

5. Review Structures and Use of Data

• •Establish and run monthly review structures at state and district level and prepare review material that leads to a decision rather than to a status update.
• •Conduct regular field visits with state and district officials to check the quality of implementation against what the data claims.

6. Proposals, Reporting and Documentation

• •Draft concept notes, proposals, results frameworks, and quarterly and annual reports for funders and government, and ensure every claim made is backed by evidence the program actually holds.
• •Maintain clear records of program decisions, design revisions, and learnings.

7. Building Design and Measurement Capability

Build the design and measurement capability of the Bihar program team, district teams, and government counterparts through structured review of their outputs and hands-on support.

Experience & Competencies Required

• •Must have a master's degree in education, Social Sciences, Economics, Statistics, Public Policy, or a related discipline, along with 4 to 8 years of experience in program design, monitoring and evaluation, research, or evaluation, preferably in education.
• •Must have demonstrated fluency with theory of change, logical frameworks, logic models, and indicator design. Candidates should be able to show work they have built, not only frameworks they have read.
• •Must have strong quantitative analysis skills, working knowledge of SurveyCTO, Kobo, or similar, and experience in dashboard building on Looker Studio, Power BI, or equivalent. Knowledge of Python, R, or Stata is an advantage.
• •Must have an understanding of Bihar's education system and of policies such as NEP 2020, NCF-SE 2023, PARAKH, SQAAF, and Mission NIPUN Bihar. Prior exposure to the education or consulting sector is preferred.
• •Must have functional knowledge of G-Suite tools, Canva, DIKSHA, data dashboards, and basic AI-based tools.
• •Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Hindi and English, and the ability to work effectively with government stakeholders.
• •Must be able to travel within and outside the assigned districts when required.

Why Mantra

• •A trust-based work environment that encourages independent thinking, questioning, and building solutions
• •An open and collaborative culture where teams are accessible and diverse perspectives are valued
• •24 paid leave and 12 calendar holidays
• •Health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 LPA for the employee and their dependents
• •One menstrual le