Job Opportunity for Officer – Project Catalyst (Government Partnership) at Lend a Hand India in Mumbai

About us

Lend-a-Hand India (LAHI) is a 16 year old NGO with the mission to integrate vocational education with mainstream education for students from 9th to 12th grade level and equip them with an entrepreneurial mindset to thrive in the real world ahead. We facilitate “school to work” transition for these 14-18 year old in-school students by imparting vocational education and internship opportunities as a part of the secondary school curriculum.

We aim to universalize vocational education and restore “dignity of labor” as lack of dignity of labor is one of the major impediments in India which restricts the youth from achieving their full potential. Currently, more than 1 million+ young students from 10,000+ high schools in 24 states/UTs across India are part of the program.

Majority of our work is in partnership with the state governments by helping the state governments to scale up vocational education in the state under ‘Samagra Shiksha’ scheme of Ministry of Education. 

Recently, Lend A Hand India was awarded The organization was recently awarded a system change grant by Co-Impact, a donor collaborative consisting of Rockefeller, Gates, Chandler, Nilekanis and others.

​Job Description

Position Summary and Responsibilities:

It would help if you believed that the change can be brought only by being part of the system and from “within the system”. You need to be able to keep your egos and logos out of the door and live by 3Ps in life – Patience, Persistence & Perseverance. You also need to believe that, we are all great at making policies but not so great at implementation and you need to be ready to change that!
Under the aegis of the MOU signed between the state’s “Samagra Shiksha” under the Department of Education and Lend A Hand India, the Officer (Catalyst) will be responsible for leading program management and monitoring support to ‘Department of Education – Samagra Shiksha’ for the implementation of the scheme of vocational education in that state.

The candidate will be embedded within the Dept. of Education co-located in its office. Our agreement with the government says, they will give us a table and chair, the fan is optional…everything rest we will bring!

Principal Responsibilities:

• Represent Lend A Hand India within the state department of education, and help formulate and execute the policy to scale up vocational education within the state in partnership with the state government
• Responsible to coordinate the vocational education project as part of Samagra Shiksha. The consultant will assist to develop a strategic roadmap to execute the project, coordinate with the field staff monitoring and tracking, manage data collection, coordinate with external parties (NSDC, Sector Skill Councils, Vocational Training Providers, PSSCIVE etc.) for successful delivery of vocational education project in the state.

Responsibilities:

·         Liaison and support Samagra Shiksha officials in planning, execution and monitoring of vocational education activities through the school academic year

·         Document and draft official letters and proposals, file noting, presentations, etc.

·         Develop monitoring strategies and ensure timely implementation of program requisites

·         Support on Data Collection and Reporting to provide data-based decision making

·         Budgeting and planning of vocational education components

·         Organize and facilitate/lead meetings and events with multiple stakeholders

·         Liaison with Govt. officials to ensure seamless implementation of Vocational Education scheme

·         Coordination with various state departments and external parties (such as NSDC, Sector Skill Councils, Vocational Training Providers, PSSCIVE etc.) involved in execution of vocational/skill education

·         Develop industry linkages and facilitate their active participation in the skill development efforts

·         Networking and advocacy with state and district administration

·         Keep the self-updated with the latest schemes and govt. programs relevant to the skill ecosystem

·         Collaborate with internal and other state team to use and share learnings and practices

·         Develop a strategic roadmap for Lend-a-Hand India’s presence in the state

·         Assist in the expansion of Lend-a-Hand India’s operations in the neighboring states

·         Lead teams of Project coordinators with Instructors and manage multiple projects

·         Responsible to lead meetings and deliver presentations

·         Flexibility to travel within and across states

How you will grow in career:

There is no limit to how much or how fast you can grow in this role. Here, you will truly experience what it is like to convert a concept into a reality. You will grow with us. With time, you will be able to build a strong understanding of our program, the problems we are looking to solve, student needs and pain points, and more. You will truly experience what it is like to work with the government and get your voice in the policy making and execution. With time, you will be able to build a strong understanding of our program, the problems we are looking to solve, student needs and pain points, and more.

Based on the interest and expertise that you develop with time, candidates can expect to go on to either lead their own teams, launch us in new markets or create new products.

Requirements

Desired Education background & Experience:

•          Masters in Social Work, Public Policy, Management etc.

•          Proven interest and track record in the area of skill development

•          Fluency in English and the official language of the respective state

•          4 to 8 years of work experience (private sector/social enterprise/implementation of Government schemes)

•          Past experience of working with government agencies, especially at the state level

•          Past Project management experience

•          Past experience of working with senior management 

Process Competency:

•    Language proficiency for Marathi. (Speak, read, write)

•    Excellent computer skills (PowerPoint, Word, Excel)

•    Preparation and utilization of MIS systems.

Behavior Competency:

·       Relationship building,

·       Ability to work in ambiguity and uncertainty, Empathy  

 ·       Transparency in processes