Job Opportunity for Associate – Children With Special Needs at Leadership for Equity in Vijaywada

About the SALT Project

Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT), project is a multi-organizational project focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. The project aims to enhance human capital and achieve a sustained reduction in learning poverty across all districts of the state. 

The SALT operation will support the GoAP in three key results areas:

• Strengthened Foundational Learning
• Improved Quality of Student-Teacher Interactions and
• Strengthened Institutional Capacity for Service Delivery

The project will be implemented in close collaboration with the Department of School Education (DoSE), GoAP, and state-level administrative units, including the SCERT, SIEMAT, and the local network of DIETs. The focus will be to achieve the outcomes with an inherent focus on strengthening the people and processes within the public education system.

The scope of work for the entire project will be as follows:

• Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of teacher mentors to provide evidence- and needs-based training and support to teachers and conduct structured classroom observations
• Build the capacity at SCERT and DIETs to improve planning, implementation, and monitoring of the reform by introducing a teacher needs assessment system to formally encourage professional learning and growth.
• Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of SCERT and DIETs to provide evidence- and needs-based support to teachers through developing training courses for teachers on the state Learning Management System (LMS).
• Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of SCERT and DIETs through the development of online learning materials for teachers and students on the state Learning Management System (LMS).
• Coordinate with various stakeholders to ensure timeline development of the technology tools as noted above, including the TEACH tool.

Job Description and Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of the Associate (CWSN) are as follows:

• Design Training content based on an understanding of child psychology, and pedagogy for children with learning disabilities and other special needs.
• Conducting need analysis and CWSN Diagnostic Report of the State.
• Travel across districts to facilitate and deliver teacher/school complex leader training as per designed content and plans using engaging, experiential, and creative strategies.
• Research evidence-based creative facilitation practices to align with training content, integrating belief and culture of equity, inclusion, and well-being among all participants.
• Maintain excellent relationships with target stakeholders to understand their needs and context, taking into account specific challenges around CWSN in rural areas across AP.
• Collaborate with content associates to prepare a facilitation plan and scripts aligned to training content.
• Lead training dry runs and participate in training site observations.
• Enable timely collection and reporting of training data.
• Contribute to the making of project reports as required and support the managers and implementation coordinators as needed to be accountable for the outcomes of the projects across the different streams of deliverables as prescribed in the Project scope.
• Conduct regular update meetings with organizational leadership and provide progress towards goals of the relevant training in a consumable digital and print format to all stakeholders (LFE leadership + Govt).
• Create timely (monthly, quarterly, and annual) project status and impact reports to the leadership team.
• Conduct any observations or user interviews as necessary to gain feedback on training and tweak plans as necessary.  
• Participate in all the organizational team spaces and structures.

Requirements

 Education & Experience

• Degree in special education/teacher development or related social science/inclusion/equity/management discipline. A Master’s degree will be preferred.
• 3-5 Years of experience delivering large-scale CWSN-related training programs, preferably with the government or with government school teachers,
• Proven experience in teacher training and facilitating large groups on topics of CWSN.
• Experience working in Andhra Pradesh / Telangana would be preferable.

Important: Given the nature of the project, please apply only if you qualify based on the above requirements.

Knowledge, Skills & Capabilities ( you can add further details )

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Functional knowledge of Telugu would be preferred.
• Content development skills to develop video scripts, storyboards, and training sessions for Inclusive Education. 
• Being able to take the initiative and work in an autonomous, semi-structured environment.
• Belief in the potential of the public sector and that government systems can and will change toward overcoming systemic inequities and ensuring improved outcomes for all citizens
• A basic understanding of social equity, development discourse, and education policy in India.
• Adaptability to changing responsibilities and resourcefulness to respond to them.
• High openness to learning and collaboration.
• Strong ability to create outstanding presentations work with Microsoft Excel & Google Suite.
• Patience and resilience to stick it out in the face of setbacks and uncertainties.

Location and Compensation

Location: Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.   

Compensation: In addition to being part of a young and dynamic learning team, the individual will receive a healthy compensation at par with the non-profit sector benchmark for this position, commensurate with the individual’s prior experience and qualifications. The current compensation band offered, based on fit and experience, is 4- 6 lakh INR per annum CTC.