MEL Coordinator

Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a movement to empower women working in the informal economy. SEWA Bharat is part of the national SEWA movement. Established in 1984, it is a national federation of SEWA organizations of women working in the informal economy. SEWA Bharat emerged out of the need to address the SEWA movement’s challenges with geographical expansion and coordination. SEWA Bharat comprises a family of SEWA organizations to further informal women workers’ rights, livelihoods, financial independence, education, health and social security.

The project “Empowering Women in Rural Agrarian Economy with Nutritional Interventions and Community Childcare”, implemented by SEWA Bharat with funding  support from Tata Trusts. The Project will be implemented in Bihar district of  Gaya and Katihar and addresses the challenges of malnutrition and childcare in rural communities. Women often suffer anemia and lack of nutrients while  balancing livelihood, household work, and caregiving, often at the cost of their own well-being and livelihoods. With limited childcare support, young children especially those under three are left with siblings or elderly relatives, where proper nutrition and care are lacking. Existing government programmes like ICDS provide important services but remain limited focus on children under three. As a result, women are forced to reduce or leave paid work, perpetuating the cycle of poverty and undernutrition.

To bridge this gap, the project will introduce community-driven childcare and nutritional interventions through creches for children from 7 months to 3 years that create safe and nurturing environments for young children while easing the care burden on mothers. Crèche workers will be trained to provide age-appropriate nutrition, supported by small nutri-gardens in the creche vicinity to support the nutritional requirement for the creche. Regular growth monitoring in creche, hygiene education, and recipe demonstrations at the community level will further strengthen family practices, leading to visible improvements in children’s health. Beyond being safe spaces, these crèches will be community centers where mothers, children, and caregivers support one another. In doing so, the project not only improves nutrition and early development but also empowers rural women to engage more fully in the economy.

SEWA Bharat runs a microentrepreneurship programme that works towards building resilient women microentrepreneurs, to address the needs of women-owned collective social enterprises and women micro-entrepreneurs as part of COVID-19 preparedness and response. The COVID-19 pandemic has majorly impacted all businesses, especially women owned enterprises, who are either incurring income losses due to the recurring lockdowns, and/or are faced with the additional burden of domestic chores. With supply chains being affected, and demand dwindling, these enterprises continue to pay fixed costs like salaries and rents forcing grave losses. This programme aims to provide technical assistance to entrepreneurs to help them gain better access to markets, finance and assets. In particular, SEWA Bharat recognizes that the women will need extra resources to overcome the backsliding they faced during the lockdown. Training will assist women to use new tools and approaches for entrepreneurship through training in digital literacy and by linking women with e-commerce opportunities and digital market information.
The specific objectives of the programme are as follows:

• To help women nano and microentrepreneurs identify opportunities to diversify or expand businesses in the current COVID-19 context, understand their rights and entitlements and access avenues to improve their lives.
• To strengthen social enterprises promoted by SEWA Bharat to help members prepare for and respond to COVID-19 through market-based approaches
• To support the creation of an enabling environment that allows microentrepreneurs and enterprises to thrive.

SEWA Bharat runs this programme in 10 states, such as Delhi, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Nagaland. SSKs are present in various forms and models across the states with the commission objective of outreach.

The Project MEL Coordinator will play a critical role in systematically tracking and evaluating project outcomes to generate actionable insights that strengthen programme delivery and impact. They will oversee the design and use of a robust Management Information System (MIS) for efficient data collection, monitoring of key indicators, and real-time analysis, while supporting digital capacity building to ensure programme teams are equipped to manage and interpret data effectively. By capturing the multidimensional impacts of the project including improvements in child growth, nutrition, maternal well-being, and women’s economic participation the MEL Coordinator will inform adaptive strategies, support evidence-based decision-making, and enhance accountability. They will work closely with programme teams to build analytical skills, translate data into user-friendly insights, and facilitate a culture of learning that drives programme improvement, advocacy, and scaling.

1. Monitoring and Evaluation

a. Design and finalize the MEL Plan, in coordination with the project core teams and the state teams
b. (i) Capacity building and training of field teams in monitoring and reporting project activities and targets as per the MEL Plan, which includes training on data collection, reporting and data maintenance.
(ii) Support the state teams in organizing and conducting semi-structured interviews with women in project sites across the states depending on the activity to be monitored.

c. (i) Monitor the ongoing delivery and management of monitoring systems to track progress on indicators annually, and ensure timely implementation and reporting of the monitoring and evaluation plan, and coordinate with all SEWA teams to ensure timely collection and reporting of data.
(ii) Coordinate with the project and state team members to ensure timely analysis, reporting and re-strategizing, if needed.

Design (with learning partner, as applicable) and commission specific surveys/ studies and managing their delivery.
d. (i) Ensure the availability of up-to-date information on all critical issues in the project area and update information on the MIS system
(ii) Conduct regular documentation and reporting of program interventions, conduct analysis of program data regularly and collaborate with the project team on
submitting reports to the funder as required.
(iii) Ongoing management of monitoring systems to track progress on indicators annually.

e. Coordinate with the MIS software agency (as applicable) to ensure up-to-date information is readily available.
f. (i) Onboard, manage external evaluation partner/ learning partner and support external consultant, as applicable;
(ii) Support in design and execution of internal and external evaluations including developing instruments, analytical frameworks, and schedule for data collection and reports as per project requirement.

2. Reporting and Knowledge Management

a. Identify and report any implementation challenges in the projects and design strategies to mitigate the same
b. Monitor trends and knowledge generated in the sector relevant to the projects, and adapt key learnings into the project monitoring systems
c. Collaborate with technical and field staff to ensure MEL systems are responsive to community realities and inclusive of voices from the ground, particularly from vulnerable populations.
d. Identify trends and gaps in programme data to inform adaptive programming, while also supporting efforts to strengthen data quality and consistency
e. Liaising with the Project Coordinators to generate monthly, quarterly, and annual results.

3. Communication and Advocacy

(i) Support knowledge building and knowledge sharing of the program at relevant forums, and with relevant stakeholders
(ii) Organizing dissemination events based on the lessons learnt/ results of the project.
b. Lead training and ongoing support on digital tools and platforms for data management, visualization, and reporting.
c. Support the development of user-friendly dashboards, visualizations, and learning products that translate complex analyses into actionable insights, enabling field teams and leadership to make informed, timely decisions.
d. Contribute to a culture of evidence and reflection by embedding data use in programme cycles, helping the teams link evidence to planning, implementation, and impact tracking.

● Strong understanding of and commitment to women’s economic empowerment and a passion for bringing about real, sustainable, large-scale change for women in India’s most marginalised communities;
● Post Graduate preferably in Public Policy, Development Studies, Economics and other relevant disciplines
● Strong qualitative skills and quantitative social research techniques
● Experience of developing research protocols, sampling, developing MEL indicators and measures
● Preferably 6-7 years of work experience in a similar role, handling MEL components
● Strong writing skills with attention to detail and the ability to document accurately and comprehensively
● Previous experience in conducting research and analysing qualitative and quantitative datasets;
● Strong interpersonal communication skills in both English and Hindi;
● Willingness to travel and spend extensive time in the field in Bihar.

Women of all ages, caste groups, religious backgrounds and ethnic affiliations are central to our work. We strongly encourage applications from marginalised communities and identities to apply for the position.

1 year, with the possibility of an extension

The location of the role can be discussed, with flexibility for Delhi or Katihar, along with frequent travel and stays in Bihar based on project needs.

Commensurate with the candidate’s prior experience

Please send your CV and a cover letter by 1st November at  jobs@sewabharat.org

Subject line: Application Project MEL Coordinator – “Empowering Women in Rural Agrarian Economy with Nutritional Interventions and Community Childcare”