How to apply for Head of Evidence and Evaluation

About Kheyti

Kheyti is an Indian nonprofit pioneering affordable greenhouse technology to help smallholder farmers boost income and climate resilience. Its evidence-driven approach, government partnerships, and focus on scaling climate-smart agriculture make it a unique place to shape policy and practice. Working here means directly contributing to solutions for smallholder farmers across India.

About the role

As Head of Evidence and Evaluation, you will build the evidence and evaluation function from scratch to guide Kheyti's learning and scaling. You will design data infrastructure, commission external evaluations, and translate findings into actionable insights for government adoption and funding. This role is pivotal in ensuring Kheyti's model is evidence-based and ready for large-scale impact.

A typical day

A typical day might involve meeting with program teams to align on data collection needs, reviewing evaluation proposals from external partners, and analyzing data to extract insights for a policy brief. You might also mentor your team, engage with government officials to discuss adoption, and strategize with leadership on scaling the evidence function. Expect a mix of strategic planning, hands-on analysis, and stakeholder engagement.

Who Kheyti is looking for

• 10+ years in monitoring, evaluation, or applied research, with a proven track record of establishing evidence systems in organizations from the ground up.
• Deep expertise in India's development sector, including experience engaging government and policymakers to drive adoption of evidence-based programs.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills, with experience in cost-effectiveness analysis, experimental designs, and commissioning external evaluations.
• Demonstrated leadership in growing and mentoring teams, and building partnerships across India's research and funder ecosystem.

Tips for this application

• Highlight specific examples of evidence systems you've built from scratch, emphasizing how they informed program or policy decisions.
• Showcase your experience working with Indian government agencies and policymakers, detailing outcomes such as policy adoption or funding secured.
• Demonstrate familiarity with climate-smart agriculture or smallholder farming challenges in India, even if your experience is in adjacent sectors.
• Quantify the impact of your evaluations—e.g., cost savings, improved program effectiveness, or scale achieved—to prove your ability to translate evidence into action.
• Emphasize your ability to lead teams and build partnerships, as Kheyti seeks someone who can grow the function and collaborate across the ecosystem.

What to cover in your cover letter

In your cover letter, focus on: (1) your hands-on experience building evidence systems from scratch and how you ensured they were used for decision-making; (2) your track record of engaging Indian government and policymakers to adopt evidence-based solutions; (3) your leadership in growing teams and fostering partnerships in the research and funder ecosystem; and (4) your passion for climate-smart agriculture and smallholder farmer resilience, connecting it to Kheyti's mission.

Research before applying

• Study Kheyti's greenhouse technology model, including its target farmers, pricing, and impact claims, to understand the evidence needs.
• Research India's agricultural policy landscape, especially climate-smart agriculture initiatives and government schemes that Kheyti could leverage.
• Explore Kheyti's existing partnerships, funders, and any published evaluations or reports to gauge their current evidence base.
• Look into key Indian research institutions and funders in agriculture and development to identify potential partners for evaluations.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you approach building an evidence and evaluation system from scratch at Kheyti, considering its stage and resources?
• Describe a time you commissioned an external evaluation and how you ensured its findings were actionable for program or policy decisions.
• What strategies have you used to engage government stakeholders in adopting evidence-based agricultural or development programs?
• How would you balance rigor with practicality when designing studies (e.g., RCTs vs. quasi-experimental designs) to inform Kheyti's scaling decisions?
• What is your experience in cost-effectiveness analysis, and how would you apply it to assess Kheyti's greenhouse technology?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Avoid generic cover letters that don't mention Kheyti's specific model or the Indian smallholder context.
• Don't focus solely on academic research experience without demonstrating how you've applied evidence to real-world program or policy decisions.
• Avoid neglecting to mention experience with Indian government engagement, as this is a core requirement for the role.