Website Peepul
Reports to: Project Manager, Academic Content and Learning
Location: Delhi
Start date: Immediate
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Role Context
Peepul (formerly as Ark India) has been working in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) school system since 2015, starting with Delhi’s first PPP school, that has consistently shown excellent results; expanding later into wider teacher development through a multiyear training programme, that has now evolved into the effort towards setting up Teacher Development Centres in the state. Peepul has now embarked on a multi-year system-wide transformation program in partnership with the SDMC, to holistically improve the education system towards providing high-quality education for all students, by creating high-performing teachers and an improved administrative system within SDMC. This transformation program would serve as an exemplar of education system transformation in the municipalities across the country.
The Project Associate must be someone with a strong understanding of curriculum and assessment along with a knack for forging and maintaining a strong relationship with government stakeholders.
Role Description
The role of the Project Associate, Curriculum and Assessment is critical to the success of the continued partnership with the SDMC towards achieving quality education for all, and to Peepul’s strategic objective of supporting quality improvement in the public-school system in India. This is therefore an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to play a key role in a flagship reform initiative with enormous potential impact.
The Project Associate will be an excellent team player, who will drive design and delivery of interventions towards stronger support and accountability of teachers and academic officials of the SDMC. The ideal candidate should be able to bring together education expertise, creative problem-solving and stakeholder management, towards the creation, implementation, and impact tracking of high-quality initiatives towards improvement of the quality of education in the SDMC.
Key responsibilities
To support the design and delivery of projects and build a coalition of support around them.
• Work with senior government stakeholders and Peepul’s leadership, to support the design, development, and implementation of key projects / interventions, as part of the larger programme
• Define success metrics and growth aspiration for their projects/interventions, and communicate these effectively with all stakeholders
• Work with in-house M&E team and external experts to develop appropriate project evaluation tools, including rigorous academic assessment
• Designing, piloting and facilitating the development of assessment tools (formative and summative), rubrics and remedial interventions in collaboration with government counterparts
• Applying content knowledge and classroom experience in developing the interventions that will lead to shifts in teacher mindset, knowledge and practice
To manage best-in-class project implementation
• Own and drive the implementation of their projects at-scale, in close coordination with Peepul’s education and training team, and in consultation with Project Manager(s) and Program Manager(s)
• Leverage Peepul’s work across programmes to transfer codified learnings to their work
• Create effective work-planning and management systems to ensure work remains on track and effectively prioritised
• Develop systems to ensure the effective use of data across the programme, developing appropriate tracking metrics to ensure high-quality implementation and identify areas for course correction and learning
To be a strong team collaborator, manage cross-functional relationships and engage effectively with key government stakeholders
• Effectively work collaboratively with education specialists, subject matter experts and field staff
• Develop and maintain strong operational relationships with government partners, putting in place mechanisms to support collaboration and cross-organisational working
• Design and build effective, fully aligned partnerships with other education non-profits and agencies, to leverage external expertise and resources where appropriate
• Build capacity within government teams to ensure ongoing, sustainable organisational self-improvement after the formal end of the project
Person Specification
Experience:
• 3-5 years of classroom teaching experience or working in curriculum development/assessment space preferably at the primary level. An education degree in Education is preferred.
• Experience in educational assessment, planning and implementing data driven instructional interventions and remediation would be preferred
• Strong track record of success in managing projects with multi-functional teams in complex, fluid situations. Demonstration through previous experience of this in either the corporate sector or development sector.
• Experience of working in government systems and awareness of education structures in India would be preferred.
• Extensive experience of collaborating and partnering with senior internal and external stakeholders, including senior political figures, and communicating to a variety of audiences.
Skills and Knowledge:
• An appreciation for education overall, and specific areas of expertise in education (e.g. primary school curriculum, assessment and remedial interventions, etc.) would be preferable
• Extremely strong analytical skills and good judgement, able to lead and manage project design and implementation.
• Ability to create technical documentation and liaise with both tech and non-tech stakeholders effectively
• Competent in data visualization and presentation
• Strong research instinct, ability to gather information, examine perspectives and create synthesized solutions/recommendations
• The intellectual creativity and innovation to develop pragmatic solutions to operational challenges as they arise, while maintaining focus on strategic goals.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with the ability to build strong relationships with a wide range of individuals in public, private and non-profit sectors.
• Effective leadership and interpersonal skills, to be able to foster a strong Peepul delivery team and to work with public sector colleagues and associates with a consultative and collegiate decision making style.
• Bias to action, with an ability to step back and see the larger picture
• An ability to work successfully under pressure with the capacity to manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communications skills, to ensure the goals and operations of the project are well understood across all stakeholder groups
Personal attributes:
• A passion for education and a genuine commitment to Peepul’s mission and values.
• The tenacity, flexibility, and resilience to adapt rapidly to changing priorities in a fastmoving, complex environment.
• High levels of personal impact with the ability to command the respect of wide range of senior stakeholders.
• Significant personal drive, energy, ambition, and enthusiasm.
• Enthusiasm for taking on a start-up role, in what will be a fast-paced, growing, changing network
• Performance orientation – sets and achieves high standards for self and others
Language skills: Fluency in English and Hindi
Recruitment Process
To apply, please send a copy of your resume along with a covering letter explaining why you are interested in applying for the role, to recruitment@peepulindia.org with a cc to nivedita.gupta@peepulindia.org, ensuring you specify the role you are applying for in the subject line of the e-mail. Please include the details of at least two referees within your application.
Selection
The selection process will involve written tests/assignments, interviews and live demonstrations of expertise (e.g. taking a classroom session), with the senior management team of the organization.
Reference checking & Probation
As you will be working with children this role will be subject to enhanced background checks. Additionally, all new staff will be subject to a probation period of three months
To apply for this job email your details to recruitment@peepulindia.org
