Job Opportunity for Project Manager at Peepul in New Delhi

Role Description

The role of the Project Manager 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.

To enable programme’s success, we require to rapidly roll-out and scale our support to reach all teachers and officials in the SDMC.

The Project Manager will be an excellent team player, who will independently lead and drive design and delivery of interventions towards 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 lead project design, piloting, and implementation of interventions towards academic reforms

• Taking the lead on one or more interventions/workstreams within the CM Rise programme, towards teacher support and accountability and student learning improvement.

• Designing, piloting and developing the interventions (e.g. Professional Learning Communities, supporting a cadre of mentor teachers, Recognition mechanisms, remedial learning and tech-based learning solutions etc.) in collaboration with government counterparts

• Applying content knowledge and classroom experience in developing these interventions that will lead to shifts in teacher mindset, knowledge and practice

• Leading the pilot of interventions, documenting learnings and evolving the design to have greater impact at scale

• Working closely with government stakeholders to build knowledge as well as build capacity towards improved implementation

• Defining success metrics and growth aspiration for the project and communicating effectively with all stakeholders to translate this into a successful multi-year engagement

To manage best-in-class project implementation to ensure impact

• Plan and sequence the implementation of programme interventions (such as Professional Learning Communities), in close coordination with the Project Coordination team and organizational subject experts

• Create effective work planning systems to ensure work remains on track and effectively prioritized, including regular work reviews to keep the project on track

• Potentially manage 1-2 associates and provide guidance/review on their deliverables

• Work with in-house M&E team and external experts to develop appropriate project evaluation tools

• Facilitate sessions (e.g. training, focus group discussions, learning circles) with teachers, school leaders, cluster and block officials as required on high-impact teaching practices

• Work closely with Teacher Education Institutes, district, block and cluster officers to ensure high-quality academic mentoring

To be a strong team collaborator, manage cross-functional relationships and engage effectively with key government stakeholders

• Foster a positive and collaborative culture of trust and high expectations in the team

• 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:

• Direct classroom and teaching experience of 3-6 years, preferably within the government school system. An education degree in Education is 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:

• 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

• Proficiency in data visualization and presentation

• An appreciation for education overall, and specific areas of expertise in education (e.g. primary school curriculum, digital content delivery, school leadership, etc.) would be preferable

• The intellectual creativity and innovation to develop pragmatic solutions to operational challenges as they arise, while maintaining focus on strategic goals.

• Strong research instinct, ability to gather information, examine perspectives and create synthesized solutions/recommendations

• 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 skills 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.