Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager

Founded in 1989, the Asian American Federation (AAF) is one of the strongest leadership voices advocating for better policies, services, and funding that lead to more justice and opportunity for Asian immigrants, one of the most historically under-resourced communities in New York City. As an umbrella leadership organization, we represent 70 community-based organizations serving 1.5 million Asian New Yorkers, the fastest-growing population in the city.

Overview:

The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Manager leads the co-design and implementation of AAF’s organization-wide impact measurement framework. By turning program outcomes into clear, measurable data, this role provides the critical evidence needed to strengthen AAF’s policy advocacy, demonstrate accountability to funders and community partners, and build evaluation capacity across member organizations.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience designing and managing program evaluations in a nonprofit or community-based setting. They understand the challenges organizations face in collecting and using data, and can adapt their evaluation methods to different programs and organizational capacities. They work independently, exercise sound methodological judgment, and communicate findings clearly to different audiences.

This position is grant-funded, and continued employment is contingent on the availability of funding. This is a hybrid role based in AAF’s Wall Street office, with in-office attendance required two days a week.

Key Responsibilities:

Impact Framework Implementation

• Framework Design & Performance Tracking: Co-design AAF’s impact framework across program areas, defining specific indicators, data sources, and assumptions while tracking ongoing results, verifying data quality, and reporting progress to leadership.
• Staff Guidance & Tooling: Develop clear guidance and practical tools to ensure program teams and partner staff apply the framework consistently across initiatives.
• Continuous Refinement: Identify data gaps and measurement challenges, collaborating with the Director of Research to refine indicators and evaluation methods.

Program Evaluation

• Evaluation Design & Execution: Design and execute rigorous end-to-end program evaluations—selecting quantitative and qualitative methods, developing instruments, managing data collection, and analyzing results tailored to specific program goals.
• Reporting & Program Improvement: Translate evaluation findings into clear briefs and reports, collaborating with program teams to discuss lessons learned, address evidence limitations, and refine program design or delivery.
• Funder & Partner Reporting: Partner with program and business development teams to deliver outcome data and evaluation insights for grant proposals, reports, and donor communications.

Community & Member Capacity Building

• Technical Assistance & Guidance: Partner with member organizations to identify outcomes, select indicators, and adopt practical evaluation tools that support daily operations without adding administrative burden.
• Capacity-Building & Training: Facilitate workshops, working sessions, and 1-on-1 support for organizations with varying levels of data infrastructure and evaluation experience.
• Inclusive Data Collection Logistics: Design and coordinate community data collection plans tailored to local capacity and language needs, arranging interpreters, translators, and community-based data collectors as needed.

Data & Systems Management

• Data Infrastructure & Procedures: Maintain surveys, databases, and tracking tools while establishing standardized procedures for data collection, cleaning, analysis, and review.
• Ethics, Privacy & Compliance: Ensure all evaluation and data activities strictly adhere to AAF standards for participant consent, privacy, data security, and retention.
• Project & Timeline Management: Manage evaluation schedules, coordinate workflows with internal staff and external partners, and ensure all deliverables and reports are completed on time.

Cross-Department Collaboration

• Work with program, business development, communications, grants and contracts, and advocacy teams to ensure that evaluation findings inform program decisions, grant reporting, and public communications.
• Contribute to AAF’s research on the needs and experiences of Asian New Yorkers.
• Mentor interns, fellows, and temporary project staff as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, public health, social work, sociology, statistics, or a related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in program monitoring and evaluation, preferably in a nonprofit or community-based setting.
• Experience helping community-based organizations develop their capacity to collect, analyze, and use data.
• Experience working with immigrant communities and community-based organizations across cultural and linguistic differences. Fluency in an Asian language is a plus but not required.
• Ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative data independently, check results for accuracy, and use statistical software such as R, Stata, or Python, or comparable tools.
• Strong writing skills, including the ability to explain technical findings and their limitations in clear, accessible language.
• Ability to manage multiple evaluations, deadlines, and stakeholders with careful attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and recognize when methodological or programmatic questions require consultation.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $91,000 – $97,000 per year, commensurate with experience. The comprehensive benefits package includes generous paid time off; health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; and a 403(b) plan.

To uphold organizational parity and pay equity, AAF uses a non-negotiable salary structure that takes into consideration the entire breadth of a candidate’s experience, employment, and education to arrive at their base salary.

To Apply

Please email a cover letter and resume to hr@aafederation.org, with “[Last Name] MEL Manager” as the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. No phone calls, please.

AAF is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and others whose identities are underrepresented in the nonprofit sector.