About the Urban Fellows Programme (UFP)

India’s urban transition is unprecedented in scale and complexity. Within it lie both the opportunities of increased economic growth and employment as well as the challenges of persistent inequality, extreme deprivation and environmental degradation. IIHS has been running the Urban Fellows Programme to foster a new generation of urban practitioners and change makers, to become part of shaping this transition.

The Urban Fellows Programme (UFP) is a scholarship-based, nine-month, full-time, residential, inter-disciplinary fellowship for recent graduates and young professionals from varied educational backgrounds or practice domains.

Job Description

The project manager for Academic Administration will support the UFP faculty, learners and IIHS staff on a range of general administrative, operational and logistical tasks related to facilities, field visits and exposure trips, and financial processes.

The incumbent will work in close coordination with IIHS Staff, particulalry with the IIHS Admin, Finance and HR teams, to ensure the smooth functioning of the programme. The role requires following the UFP timeline and processes throughout all stages, and interacting effectively and professionally with all stakeholders. An ability to maintain confidentiality of information and records is also important for this role.

This could be either a regular position or an 11- month contractual engagement, renewable on mutual consent, with the potential to turn into a regular position over time.

Activities and Tasks

Responsibilities would include, but not be limited to, the following:

Providing support to IIHS Admin to manage the accommodation and teaching-learning facilities for the UFP: this requires the onboarding, operations and troubleshooting with response protocols for dynamic needs or emergencies; providing regular updates and efficient communication with the UFP Committee and Academic Office; maintaining an oversight on the state of amenities and services including quality of meals, IT requirements and challenges, travel and transportation arrangements, and any requirements for accommodation upgrades/fittings, etc.
Oversight and management of the logistics and operational requirements of field visits and exposure trips in coordination with UFP Faculty, Committee, Academic Office staff and relevant IIHS teams; coordinating logistical support for UFP events like Practica and Projects mid-term and final presentations, Masterclasses, interviews, etc., especially for coordinating with the Admin, Finance and HR teams at IIHS;
Oversight on routine administrative and operational matters including vendor management; basic bookkeeping functions, which may involve billing, creating purchase requests, responding to invoices and cash receipt and payment processes on the ERP; and responding to dynamic changes to learners’ daily F&B and local transportation logistics, in coordination with the Admin, Finance and HR teams at IIHS;
Active management and coordination with all relevant IIHS teams for orientation day, graduation day, alumni reunion and alumni chapter activities, in coordination with the Admin, Finance and HR teams at IIHS;
Assisting with efficient and timely communication on routine administrative and budget/financial tasks including scholarship, stipend, learners’ expense reimbursement and honorarium processes; travel management of external faculty and resource persons/reviewers; and managing dynamic changes to learners’ daily F&B and local transportation logistics with relevant IIHS teams;
Keeping track of multiple calendars for academic classes, UFP activities and IIHS events; actively communicating and assisting in changes and updates;
Maintaining the filing system, compiling and organising data as required; maintaining and updating UFP operational records and documents with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail;
Responding to phone calls related to the UFP and assisting in active communication via email and phone calls at all stages of the Programme;
Participating and supporting in other activities of the Urban Fellows Programme at IIHS as necessary; and performing miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned;
Providing support to other IIHS activities including academics, research, training, practice, operations and others;
Participating in all activities of Institution-Building at IIHS; carrying out tasks as assigned by IIHS; and traveling on IIHS work within or outside the country as and when needed.

Structure and Reporting

The project manager for Academic Administration will report to the Associate Dean – Academics at IIHS and will be required to collaborate effectively with the Academic Committee, along with a diverse group of internal teams and external individuals/organisations, and students.

Person Specification

The ideal candidate should have:

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in business administration, marketing, communication or related field with 8 – 10 years of relevant experience;
Experience in academic administration with the ability to maintain records and calendars, and schedule appointments;
Proficiency in English (verbal and written); and the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; ability to create, compose, and edit written materials;
Ability to independently establish a working protocol and schedule, maintain effective coordination with the UFP Academic Office, especially the Senior Manager- Academics, as well as the IIHS Admin, Finance and HR teams, to hold to programme schedules and procedures;
Ability to maintain the confidentiality of records and information;
Strong attention to detail, and rigor of approach in any task taken up;
Organising and coordinating skills;
Technology: Data entry skills; working knowledge of basic software (MS Office and Adobe), Google Forms and Spreadsheets; organising and maintaining records of online meetings on Zoom, Skype, GMeet, MS Teams, etc.

This could be either a regular position or an 11- month contractual engagement, renewable on mutual consent, with the potential to turn into a regular position over time. This offer is on an exclusive basis, which implies that other professional assignments (whether compensated or not) that bear a potential conflict of interest with IIHS cannot be undertaken.

The search will remain open until the position is filled.

Location

This position is based in Bengaluru and may entail travel to other locations in India.

Review and Assessment

The role and performance of the incumbent shall be subject to normal review and assessment systems at IIHS.

Diversity Policy

IIHS is an equal opportunity employer that encourages women, people with disabilities and those from economically and socially excluded communities with the requisite skills and qualifications to apply for positions.

To apply for this job please visit iihs.co.in.