About the organisation

Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) was set up in 2019 by Ashish Dhawan (Founder and Chairperson, Ashoka University and Central Square Foundation), Vijay Chadda (previously CEO of Bharti Foundation) and Mohit Beotra (previously Chief Brand Officer of Airtel). Ashish is a member of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining regions.

A-PAG is focused on strategic implementation of solutions to combat air pollution and has created a niche for itself within the broader ecosystem in the last 2.5 years. In this time, A-PAG has made significant progress in its quest with a focus on supporting Government at the national & state level. Some of the major project’s A-PAG is driving are as follow:

A-PAG has worked on several programs in Delhi. Currently, we are engaged with the MCD and the New Delhi Municipal Council on a massive program aimed at dispersed sources. This covers all 272 wards across the city as well as the area under NDMC.
In Punjab, A-PAG is supporting the government to combat stubble burning. Our efforts are focused on convincing farmers to adopt alternative in-situ solutions.
In Uttar Pradesh (UP) we are retained by the UP-Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to help reduce air pollution in the state. We are soon launching our 1st initiative in Lucknow.
A-PAG has just launched an initiative covering Patna, Muzaffarpur and Gaya. This is part of our program with Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BPSCB) to address air pollution across the state.
All our support to Government is offered on a pro-bono basis.

About the role

Our strategy is based on 2 pillars:

We work alongside Government, at the national, state & city levels. This is implemented through the setting up of Project Management Units (PMU) that work closely with the relevant authority to roll out initiatives.
Our focus is on implementing pilot programs, with the intention of codifying learning which can then be scaled across cities. These programs can target any of the key sources of pollution. As Head, M&E your role will be to design & implement the appropriate M&E framework to measure effectiveness of each of our programs. This would enable us to determine which pilots to scale, and which to drop.

Your key responsibilities would be as follows:

Developing the right framework: We run programs of a varied nature, each of which is aimed at a different source of pollution. From an M&E standpoint, this means that we require monitoring & evaluation frameworks that are designed specifically for each program. You would need to develop these based on an in-depth understanding of the planned outcomes of each program, with a focus on outputs & outcomes tracking.
Data gathering process: You will be responsible for ensuring that the appropriate data is gathered correctly and in a timely manner. This would be based on the framework you design. To gather the data, you would need to work closely with the PMU team. In addition, we expect that you may also need to engage the services of 3rd party organizations.
Codification of learning: Our strategy is to run pilot programs, and then scale them once we have evidence of their effectiveness. This requires codifying the learning from the pilot in a manner that allows easy & efficient roll out. A critical piece of the codification would be the impact analysis i.e., the evidence thrown up by the M&E framework being overseen by you. This would be needed for pilots that are successes, as well as those we decide not to continue with.
Driving Government engagement: From Government officials in the Central Ministry to State level officials, you will be required to deal with Government officials at very senior levels. Your focus would be on leveraging the M&E data in a manner that impresses upon them the impact our programs are delivering. You would also need to ensure that your M&E framework reflects an understanding of the expectations of these officials.
Managing partnerships: Our strategy involves banking on partners for their technical expertise. You would be expected to play a key role in enabling the partnerships required to deliver against the M&E goals. Such policy & program dialogues may also be used to support building stronger M&E systems in the relevant agencies. This also includes supporting the leadership team to help manage donor expectations.
You will report to the Associate Director – Strategy & Policy. To begin with we do not expect you to have any direct reports; we will build your team as the work expands.

Eligibility

Masters’ degree in relevant fields, including business or development sector management, environmental studies or public policy with a strong track record of outstanding academic performance
6-8 years of work experience working on roles within the M&E space; preferably with exposure in a strongly outcomes/measurements focused organization. Experience with outsourcing&quality assured survey firms will be an advantage.
Experience working in the space of environment/ air pollution would be preferred but is not essential – however, passion to solve the air pollution crisis in India is critical.

Skill sets required

Core M&E skills – you need to lead our thinking on M&E frameworks; including the ability to put in place processes for data gathering.
Entrepreneurship – success in this role depends heavily on your making things happen.
Team working – you will need to work closely with the PMU responsible for each program.
Ability to work alongside senior Government officials, while being able to convince them to accept our recommendations.
Ability to learn quickly – air pollution is a relatively nascent space and new knowledge is constantly emerging which we need to understand & utilize to our benefit.

Location

New Delhi

Compensation

Compensation will be commensurate with the best among social sector norms

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