Head of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Head Of Monitoring And Evaluation (M&E)

Location: Remote (within India preferred)

Report to: CEO

Team: M&E Team (to be built and led)

Start Date: As soon as possible

Remuneration: We don't list a salary because we don't want it to be the primary motivator for applying to this position, nor do we want it to be a deterrent.

Application deadline: Application closes on 24th May 2026 11:30 PM IST

About Suvita

Suvita is an impact-driven, evidence-based nonprofit focused on increasing the uptake of routine childhood vaccinations in India. Over 4 million children born every year still miss their basic vaccinations in India, leading to far too many vaccine-preventable deaths. We run two rigorously tested, complementary programmes:

SMS reminders: We send personalised SMS messages to caregivers to prompt timely attendance for vaccinations at government clinics.Immunisation ambassadors: We identify and train local influencers to volunteer as advocates for vaccination with families in their communities.Since our founding in 2019:

We reach one in ten children born in India through our SMS vaccination reminders. In partnership with the governments of Bihar and Maharashtra, we've reached more than 6 million families with routine immunisation SMS reminders and more than 4 million pregnant women with antenatal care-related SMS reminders.We've enrolled almost 15,000 community influencers as local ambassadors in districts in Bihar and Maharashtra.GiveWell estimates that our SMS reminders increase vaccination rates by approximately 2 percentage points at a current cost of $0.40 per child reached in Maharashtra and $1.71 per child reached in Bihar. The immunization ambassadors program increases vaccination rates by around 7 percentage points and costs $1 to $2 per child reached.We have been incubated and funded by sector leaders like The/Nudge Foundation, Ambitious Impact (formerly Charity Entrepreneurship), Mulago Foundation, GiveWell, D-Prize, Founders Pledge, and Schmidt Futures.We have appeared in Vox, Giving What We Can, and the 80,000 Hours Podcast.Role Overview

As we scale across states and refine our programme models, we are seeking a Head of Monitoring & Evaluation to lead the next phase of our performance measurement and evaluation architecture. Suvita's programming decisions and impact depend on strong evidence and disciplined monitoring. The Head of M&E will play a pivotal role in ensuring that our scaling and strategic decision-making are informed by rigour and reliable data. This is an especially exciting time to join Suvita as our Head of M&E because...

You will be our first ever Head of M&E and have scope to build and form your own domainWe are entering the next phase of scale, looking to improve and expand the impact of digital reminders in India and test our ambassador modelYou will have the opportunity to work closely with other Heads and directly influence Suvita's long-term strategyThis is a senior leadership role reporting to the CEO and responsible for:

Designing and institutionalising Suvita's monitoring systemsLeading the design and execution of rigorous programme evaluationsDeveloping and managing an M&E teamWith support from the tech team, upholding the credibility of Suvita's data internally and with partners and academic collaboratorsExamples of questions in our mind you will be leading on answering:

Given observed delays and data issues, can we still use reproductive child health (RCH) data at the state level to reliably flag children who are late and prioritise SMS messages to improve timeliness?Can we combine Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) data, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and other datasets (e.g. census, NFHS) to build a simple targeting tool that flags high-priority clusters and facility catchments (e.g. high migrant load, many facilities, or low coverage at 1–2–5–20 km from health centres) where Suvita should focus field interventions?Can we estimate the causal effect of Suvita's SMS reminders on timely and complete vaccination using the time of digital entry into RCH as an instrumental variable for exposure to SMS?Core Responsibilities

Monitoring Architecture & Performance GovernanceDesign and unify Suvita's monitoring frameworksDefine clear operational definitions and measurement protocols including survey design, and analysesEstablish benchmarks and escalation systems for programme performanceInstitutionalise data quality assurance processesOversee automated data flows and reporting cadence in partnership with the Tech teamLead structured programme performance reviews with the Programme Delivery teamEnsure monitoring systems produce timely, decision-relevant informationEvaluation Design & OversightLead the design of evaluations to assess programme effectivenessAssess the feasibility and trade-offs of different outcome indicatorsDevelop sampling strategies and measurement plansOversee in-house evaluations and collaborate with external evaluation partnersEnsure clean, reproducible, and well-documented data processesContribute to cost-effectiveness analyses and strategic evidence synthesisTeam Leadership & Cross-Functional CollaborationRecruit, manage and mentor a small M&E teamSet clear goals and expectations for team membersWork closely with Programme Delivery, Tech, and Innovation & Insights teamsProvide constructive challenge where measurement or evaluation standards are at riskWhat This Role Does Not Primarily Own

The Head of M&E collaborates closely on these, but does not own them.

Innovation idea generation or product experimentationHuman-centred design or behavioural insightsOrganising internal learning sessions or knowledge eventsBroad strategic research scoping unrelated to programme evaluationWho We're Looking For

Essential Experience

At least 5 years of professional experience in monitoring, evaluation, impact assessment, or performance analytics in development or public healthSignificant experience leading end-to-end evaluation projects, preferably in global health and developmentAbility to generate and manage collaborations with academics and research institutions to design evaluationsDemonstrated experience managing teams and cross-functional projectsExperience building or substantially upgrading monitoring systemsSkills and experience in setting up quantitative and qualitative data collection systems, including thoughtful field visits, and how to turn them into actionable inputs.Strong quantitative skills, including sampling, measurement design, and statistical analysisAbility to translate data into clear operational decisionsStrongly Preferred

Master's or PhD in Economics, Development Economics, Public Policy, Statistics, Biostatistics, or a related quantitative disciplineFormal training in causal inference and impact evaluationExperience working with or within high-rigour evaluation organisations (e.g. J-PAL, Innovations for Poverty Action, IDinsight, 3ie, university research centres) or with evidence-based orgs like SuvitaExperience working with large administrative datasetsFamiliarity with cost-effectiveness modellingFamiliarity and curiosity in public health and social determinants of healthPersonal Qualities

High standards for rigour without perfectionism paralysisStructured and decisive thinkerComfortable operating in ambiguityClear communicator who sets expectations earlyAble to balance analytical depth with delivery pragmatismMission-aligned and impact-focusedHigh humility and a Bayesian mode of thinkingWhat Success Looks Like (First 12–18 Months)

A unified, well-documented KPI