Senior Program Associate-Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

About us

WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. Know more: https://wri-india.org/

Program overview

WRI India’s Food, Land and Water program aims to inform India’s transition towards sustainable and resilient food and land use systems focusing on developing interdisciplinary nature-based solutions like sustainable agriculture and landscape restoration to mitigate climate impacts, enhance jobs and livelihoods and improve nutritional security. To catalyse systems change with a focus on circular food systems in India, we also focus on developing equitable strategies to reduce food loss and food waste and mitigate climate impacts.

With broader systems change and food systems perspective, we work with diverse stakeholders like governments, businesses, civil society partners and farmer producer organizations to inform and develop land use strategies based on robust evidence and analysis to build the resilience of local communities to mitigate climate impacts, bridge capacity gaps, monitor progress, and inform a pathway to building a restoration economy for people, nature, and climate. The program is also strengthening its Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) systems to support evidence-based decision-making, adaptive management, and stronger measurement of results across projects and pillars. For more details, refer to the webpage - Reduce | WRI INDIA (wri-india.org) .

Job Highlight

The Food, Land and Water Program at WRI India is seeking a Senior Program Associate to support for the food loss and waste portfolio under the Reduce Pillar. The role will support the design, operationalization and strengthening of PMEL systems for the program, ensuring high-quality data, timely reporting, and generating actionable insights to inform program implementation while aligning project-level PMEL approaches with broader pillar-level theory of change and measurement frameworks. This role will also contribute to learning, reflection, and evidence generation processes to support adaptive program management and donor reporting.

What you will do;

I. PMEL Systems Design and Operationalization

• Support development and operationalization of project-level PMEL frameworks, including theory of change, indicators, and results tracking systems aligned with broader pillar-level theory of change, measurement approaches, and donor requirements.
• Translate PMEL plans into actionable tools, templates, and processes for implementation.
• Align PMEL systems with project objectives and donor requirements.
• Support program teams in developing and strengthening PMEL processes, tools, and systems, across various stages of the project life cycle.

II. Data Collection, Management & Quality Assurance.

• Coordinate data collection processes across project locations and partners.
• Maintain and strengthen databases, dashboards and results tracking systems to support timely reporting and evidence-based decision-making.
• Ensure data quality through regular verification, validation and troubleshooting and adherence to PMEL standards and protocols.
• Support development and use of digital data collection tools.

III. Reporting and Analysis

• Support the preparation of periodic internal and external reports, including monthly, quarterly, and donor reports.
• Analyze program data to identify trends, gaps, insights, and emerging learnings to inform program implementation and adaptive management.
• Ensure consistency and accuracy in reporting across all results levels.
• Support synthesis and presentation of program evidence for donor reporting, knowledge products, and strategic communication materials.

IV. Learning and Documentation

• Support documentation of learnings, case studies, and best practices.
• Facilitate internal review processes to capture implementation insights, strengthen adaptive learning, and support evidence-based decision-making.
• Contribute data, evidence, and insights to knowledge products, learning outputs and communication materials as required.

V. Stakeholder, Partner Coordination and Capacity Enhancement

• Work closely with program teams and partners to ensure alignment on PMEL processes, reporting expectations, and learning priorities.
• Provide ongoing support to program teams, and partners on data collection and reporting requirements.
• Support training and handholding of field teams and partners on MEL tools and processes; strengthen partner capacity on data quality, indicators, and reporting requirements and PMEL good practices.

What you will need

• Master’s degree in Development Studies, Environmental Sciences, Public Policy, Non-Profit Management, Economics, Statistics, Rural Development, Social Sciences, or any related field.
• Strong grounding in quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Minimum 4–7 years of relevant experience in planning, monitoring, evaluation, data analysis, or allied roles.
• Experience working on development programs, research or policy contexts preferred.
• Familiarity with PMEL frameworks, including theory of change, indicators and results tracking systems.
• Experience working with both qualitative and quantitative datasets, including data cleaning, validation, and analysis.
• Exposure to donor-funded projects and reporting requirements is desirable.
• Experience in food loss and waste, agriculture, or related value chain programs is an advantage.
• Fluency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and familiarity with digital data collection and visualization tools such as Kobo, ODK, Power BI, or related platforms.

Location: Delhi, India

• Duration: 1 years term-hire (extendable based on performance and project requirements)
• Salary and Benefits: INR 14,00,000 to INR 17,50,000 Per Annum
• Salary shall be commensurate with experience, skills, and internal parity. WRI India offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package.
• Start date: As soon as possible

List of Documents to be attached

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purpose.

How to Apply

Qualified applicants should apply online at www.wri.org/careers. All applications must be submitted online through this career portal in order to be formally considered. Only select applicants will be contacted for interview. There will be a writing test conducted with final candidates. Please do not contact program staff directly for this position.

Kindly note that WRI India’s recruitment process does not involve any payment at any stage. Applicants will never be asked to share bank account or financial information as part of the application. All official communication and offer letters are issued only through authorised WRI India email IDs.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) @WRI India

WRI India values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across all areas of our work and workforce. Integrating these values into our actions fosters a progressive and collaborative culture and can also enhance our impact. It is our responsibility to create a welcoming working environment for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experience to learn together. We are responsible for fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where questions, concerns and information about diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our ongoing dialogue and development.

Learn more about WRI India’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Click Here

People-centric to the core

We keep our people at the center of everything we do - from a welcoming work environment to benefits and a culture that encourages staff to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing.

Some of the non-monetary benefits that our staff get

Health benefits: We cover health insurance for you and your loved ones for up to INR 8 lakhs

Term Insurance: Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staff member

Employee Assistance program: Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance

Health & Nutrition: Personalized diet recommendation from a certified dietitian based on the physical health condition and lifestyle

Flexible work schedule: Alternative work arrangements for all who are eligible by nature of their job

Learning culture : Workshops and trainings to empower staff, encourage new learning opportunities

Rest and Recharge weeks: We encourage staff to take time off to rest, rejuvenate, upskill, and pursue their interests.

Our leave policy: Avail personal time off at 36 per year, along with public holidays, maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves.

Click here to know more about our benefits Careers | WRI INDIA (wri-india.org)

Equal employment @WRI India

We believe in equal employment, it is our policy to recruit and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to caste, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, parental status, or disability.