Website Swaniti Initiative

Position: Project Manager

Location: North-Eastern states of India

Nature of Position: Project Management and Implementation

Remuneration: Commensurate with market standards and relevant experience

About Swaniti Initiative:

Swaniti Initiative is a non-partisan, social enterprise that delivers development solutions to policymakers and representatives. Swaniti works with State Governments and Parliamentarians across 17 states. Swaniti supports issues of climate change, health, education, gender, water, sanitation, and livelihood. We work through a three-pronged approach: provide research and strategy support on key government policies, programs, and initiatives, on-ground implementation insights for the delivery of public service, and technological intervention to improve service delivery.

Overview of the project:

The project is focused towards supporting the government bodies in delivery of entitlements to the people in the northeastern states of India. Through a bottom-up planning approach, we aim to support the local bodies in locating bottlenecks in the delivery of public services under various schemes. The project requires extensive surveying and interviewing of beneficiaries and local government officials to reengineer scheme implementation strategies. Following the assessment study, the team will attempt to translate feedback into action by introducing a tech-based solution in the implementation of government schemes. Eventually, the project will establish a sturdy governance model across the northeastern states by reforming the systems and processes, thereby leading to enhanced inclusion, access, and resilience of public service delivery.

Job Summary:

Swaniti Initiative is looking for an enthusiastic, curious, empathetic, and action-oriented professional, who is eager to contribute to the government system by providing inputs on the basis of extensive primary and secondary research, inter-governmental department liasoning, and help implement locally suited interventions. The work will be centered around a primary survey, need assessment, situation analysis, data analysis, brainstorming with relevant stakeholders, collaborating with the local bodies, and allied departments of the state government. The team member will be a resource person to several departments of the government and will report directly to the Program Manager of Swaniti Initiative. The position provides a tremendous opportunity to get exposure to multiple domains while working with the allied departments of the government.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Project Management:

The Project Manager is expected to summarize evidence from the field research and plan the corresponding strategy for the execution of the action plan.
To manage the day-to-day operations of the team and represent the team at the relevant policy review meetings at different levels of the government in coordination with relevant stakeholders

Stakeholder Management and Relationship Building:

Build and maintain effective relationships with strategic authorities at the state headquarters like the secretaries of the departments, commissioners of the allied departments, directors, and project officers at the divisional and district level
Establish a consistent communication network among each of these stakeholders for immediate course correction measures
Cross-vertical collaboration: Initiate and participate in cross-vertical collaboration opportunities across the various departments in the State machinery such as providing systematic support to an on-going research project etc.

Institutionalize Systemic changes:

The Project Manager is expected to provide recommendations and support to the government in institutionalizing structural policy interventions.
Work with policymakers if needed to get the reforms institutionalized
The Project Manager has to provide required assistance and guidance to the government stakeholders to ensure that the recommendations are adopted and disseminated at each level of the administrative machinery.

Team management:

The Project Manager will be expected to manage the performance of Associate and Analysts
The PM will also be responsible for the professional well-being of the team members maintaining the quality of delivery

Eligibility Criteria:

Masters in subjects like Rural Management, Development Studies, Economics, Regulatory Governance, Public Policy, Rural Development/Statistics, etc.
Minimum two years of work experience is required. Preference will be given to professionals having work experience with the government
Excellent communication skills and writing abilities (in English) to draft policy memos, proposals, and project reports, etc.
Prior experience of working with tea garden workers can be previously involved in primary research or secondary research. Primary research preferred)
Prior experience with any field surveys in rural areas
Ability to communicate in Hindi, Bengali and Assamese will be preferred

Skill and aptitude required: