Manager - Research & Impact

Sanjhi Sikhiya works with government primary schools and village communities across four districts in Punjab. We generate a lot of data from our programmes. This role exists to make that data count — by asking the right research questions, designing rigorous tools and studies, building the team's ability to use evidence, and communicating findings in ways that strengthen programme design and influence decision-makers at the district and state level.

1. Research Design and Studies

• Identify research questions and evidence gaps using programme data across programmes ie. School, Village, Youth Leadership, STEM programmes

• Design study methodologies — action research, ethnographic studies, pre-post, quasi- experimental, longitudinal, and mixed methods

• Handle sampling, basic descriptive analysis, and where relevant, inferential statistical tests

• Design qualitative and quantitative tools — with strong understanding of question design principles (leading vs non-leading, social desirability bias, etc.)

• Write up findings as research briefs, working papers, and reports that are clear and usable by programme teams and external audiences

2. M&E Systems and Tools

• Design and maintain M&E frameworks and LFAs across programmes

• Understand Theory of Change and support programme teams in designing and articulating TOC

• Design and regularly update monitoring tools — assessment forms, observation forms, facilitation rubrics, maturity matrices

• Ensure data collected through Kobo and other systems is clean, complete, and usable

• Work with large datasets using Excel, R, Python, or STATA

3. Data Capacity Building and Usage

• Train programme teams on how to interpret, analyse, and use data for planning and reflection

• Facilitate data review sessions in monthly and quarterly meetings

• Observe field processes and learning sessions and share structured feedback to district and state teams

• Support teams to move from data collection to data-informed decision making

4. Support in Evidence Communication and Advocacy

• Prepare and present findings to district officials, DIET, and state-level stakeholders and enable Sanjhi Sikhiya’s district/state teams to take this further

• Use data for liaisoning and advocacy — making the case for programme approaches with evidence

• Support in producing knowledge products — case studies, impact briefs, infographics, articles — for external dissemination

• Manage research partnerships and coordinate with external organisations and evaluators

• 5–6 years of experience in M&E, research, or impact roles in the social sector

• Strong foundation in research methodology — both quantitative and qualitative

• Hands-on experience with statistical tools — at minimum Excel; ideally R, STATA, or Python

• Experience designing monitoring tools, assessments, and qualitative study instruments

• Ability to design and implement M&E frameworks and LFAs

• Understanding of TOC and programme design concepts

• Clear, structured writing — can synthesise findings and write reports, briefs, and articles

• Comfortable presenting data to non-technical audiences including officials and community members

• Experience working with DIET, district officials, or state education departments is preferred

• Familiarity with data collection platforms like Kobo, ODK, or similar tools

• You ask why before asking how — you want to understand what a piece of evidence is for before designing it

• You can hold rigour and practicality together — you know when good enough is good enough and when it is not

• You communicate findings in plain language — you do not hide behind jargon

• You are comfortable working in ambiguity and with evolving programme designs

• You care about ground reality — you want to see how data is actually used, not just collected

• R&I Lead — weekly check-ins, research planning, and quality review of outputs

• Programme and Design Teams (LP, GP, Scale, PYLP, STEM) — tool design, data review sessions, feedback on design decisions

• District and State Teams — sharing findings, capacity building on data interpretation

• External Partners — DIET officials, research organisations, implementation partners

Sanjhi Sikhiya Foundation works with government primary schools and village communities in Punjab, India — across four districts: Patiala, Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Ropar. We work on improving learning outcomes through a combination of classroom support, community governance, and leadership development of young people. We are a small, values-driven team and we take our culture seriously. Our core values are Compassion, Collaboration, Curiosity & Continuous Learning, Awareness, and Grit & Resilience. We look for these not just in the work but in how people show up every day.

Location : Mohali

Slalary band : 5-6 LPA