Programme Manager

Background

GDN
seeks an experienced Programme Manager to manage the implementation of the
Gates Foundation-funded initiative Investing in India's MEL Ecosystem.
The 12-month project aims to identify, assess, and classify India's domestic
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) ecosystem, producing a practical
framework that enables philanthropic organisations, governments, and
development partners to identify and engage fit-for-purpose domestic evaluation
providers. GDN will partner with an organisation of national repute to
undertake the initiative. The position will work in close coordination with
this implementation partner.

Position Summary

Key Responsibilities

The
Programme Manager will have the primary responsibility for the following:

• Develop and maintain the detailed work plan, implementation schedule,
  milestones and deliverables for the 12-month project.
  
• Coordinate project activities across the start-up, assessment tool
  development and piloting, state-level mapping and assessment, and final
  synthesis phases.
  
• Track progress against agreed outputs, deadlines and performance
  indicators, identifying delays and proposing corrective actions.
  
• Organise regular internal review meetings and maintain action trackers,
  decision logs and project documentation.
  
• Ensure effective coordination between GDN, the implementation partner
  and other project contributors.
  

B.
Support the implementation partner

• Support the identification and mapping of MEL organisations in the
  selected states, drawing on existing databases, research, professional networks
  and stakeholder referrals.
  
• Coordinate the review, pilot testing and refinement of the institutional
  MEL capacity assessment tool, ensuring its consistent application across organisations
  and locations.
  
• Support institutional assessments, document reviews, stakeholder
  interviews and other agreed data collection activities.
  
• Support the classification of organisations according to readiness,
  technical capacity and suitability for different evaluation assignments, using
  agreed criteria.
  
• Facilitate the preparation and validation of the organisational longlist
  and shortlist in consultation with the GDN team and the implementation partner.
  
• Organise stakeholder consultations, review meetings and validation
  workshops.
  
• Maintain an organised repository of project data, institutional
  profiles, assessment records, meeting notes and other outputs.
  
• Support preparation of progress updates, technical briefs, presentation
  materials and the final project report.
  
• Support the final synthesis, dissemination and handover of project
  outputs.
  

Reporting

The
Programme Manager will report to Lead - Public Health and work closely with the
national implementation partner, local research teams and GDN’s finance and
administrative functions. The role will coordinate implementation and monitor
delivery, while overall technical direction, strategic decisions and approval
of major changes to scope, budget or methodology will remain with the project
leadership.

Desired Profile

Experience
and Education

• A Master’s degree in public health, public policy, management,
  evaluation, social sciences, health systems, or a related field (mandatory).
  
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in project
  management, research coordination, monitoring and evaluation, institutional
  assessments or development-sector programmes.
  
• Demonstrated experience coordinating research studies, evaluations,
  organisational assessments or multi-stakeholder projects.
  
• Experience working with
  geographically dispersed teams and coordinating field activities across Indian
  states.
  
• In-depth understanding of public health systems at the state level in
  India would be an asset.
  

• Strong organisation, planning and coordination skills, including the
  ability to manage multiple activities and deadlines.
  
• Project management skills and ability to translate project objectives
  into clear work plans, deliverables and milestones.
  
• Ability to understand research and evaluation processes, review evidence
  and support systematic institutional assessment.
  
• Ability to work in small, agile teams with high degree of autonomy.
  
• Ability to build constructive working relationships and facilitate
  collaboration among diverse organisations and stakeholders.
  
• Commitment to accurate documentation, data quality and consistency
  across deliverables even in challenging circumstances.
  
• Clear, concise and professional communication with technical and
  non-technical audiences.
  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
  Professional-level knowledge of other Indian languages is an asset.
  
• Proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint, and
  familiarity with tools for project tracking and data management.
  

How to Apply

Only
individuals with authorisation to work in India are eligible. To apply, please
upload the following documents through GDN’s application portal:

1. An updated CV
   
2. A cover letter describing your motivation for applying for this
   position
   
3. A short essay of about 500 words answering the question: “How
   can MEL organisations best respond to the evidence needs of government and
   philanthropies while maintaining methodological rigour and independence?”
   

The
last date for submission of applications is 18 November 2026. We
encourage you to apply early as applications will be reviewed on a rolling
basis.

Global Development Network is an equal
opportunity employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We
thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an
interview will be contacted.