Job Opportunity for Senior Manager, Operations at Leadership for Equity in Vijaywada

About Mantra4Change

Founded in the year 2013, Mantra4Change is a Bangalore based non-profit that works in the field of school improvement and education leadership development. Mantra4Change currently works in the field of education system strengthening by driving capacity building initiatives for education leaders such as school head teachers and other system actors, by creating tools for observation and monitoring, by reimagining systems & processes such as enrollment drive and parent-teacher meeting, by enabling partnerships and by promoting spaces for appreciation.

Mantra4Change currently is working with the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh on various aspects of systemic transformation. We believe in the idea of co-creation and co-planning and hence while the underlying approach remains the same, programs are developed keeping contextual realities and needs in mind.

About SALT Project

LFE & Mantra4Change are coming together to support the Andhra Pradesh Government, which has been on an ambitious plan to revamp the government school system into a high performing schools system for serving children from underserved communities. Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) project is a multi-organisational project focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. The project aims to enhance human capital and achieve sustained reduction in learning poverty across all districts of the state.

The SALT operation will support the GoAP in three key results areas:

(i) Strengthened Foundational Learning;

(ii) Improved Quality of Student-Teacher Interactions and;

(iii) Strengthened Institutional Capacity for Service Delivery

The project will be implemented in close collaboration with the Department of School Education (DoSE), GoAP and state-level administrative units including the SCERT, SIEMAT and the local network of DIETs. The focus will be to achieve the outcomes with an inherent focus on strengthening the people and processes within the public education system.

The scope of work for the entire project will be as follows:

• Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of school complex leaders to provide
  evidence- and needs-based training to teachers, utilizing teacher training facilities as sites for
  on-site support.
• Build the capacity at SCERT and DIETs to improve planning, implementation, and monitoring of
  the reform by introducing a teacher needs assessment system to formally encourage
  professional learning and growth.
• Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of SCERT and DIETs to provide evidence- and
  needs-based support to teachers through developing training courses for teachers on the state
  Learning Management System (LMS)
• Strengthen the technical and operational capacity of SCERT and DIETs through the development
  of online learning materials for teachers and students on the state Learning Management System
  (LMS)
• Coordinate with various stakeholders to ensure timeline development of the technology tools
  as noted above including the REACH tool
• The duration of the project will be 60 months from 2021 to 2026.

Job Description and Responsibilities

The Senior Manager, Operations will be leading the whole program at the state level. They will work in collaboration with the Training Lead for academic inputs and other vertical heads to ensure project goals are achieved. Additionally, they will collaborate with government stakeholders and members across teams as and when required as well as lead the 5 member project leadership team.

Program Planning (30%)

• Create detailed operational plans for the state breaking down yearly targets into monthly milestones for each vertical or program
• Break down state plan into district goals and create a format for district level targets, milestones and plans
• Review district plans and targets
• Create process monitoring checks, rubrics and frameworks to ensure smooth implementation
• Create a stakeholder engagement and communication plan
• Coordinate with other teams and operations counterparts to ensure smooth implementation

Program Operations and Delivery (25%)

• Conduct school and training venue visits to ensure smooth program implementation based on operational plans
• Facilitate sessions in trainings as required
• Modify program plans and delivery as per insights from the field
• Troubleshoot field and implementation related issues as they arise during implementation either with team members
• Ensure and oversee Implementation of all aspects of monitoring, data collection and reporting as planned by the project leadership

Team Management (25%).

• Manage a team of 13 Implementation Co-ordinators focusing on their deliverables and professional support and development
• Conduct timely individual and team meetings to sustain a culture of collaboration, belief in public systems and strong accountability and timely project delivery
• Support team members to improve their work through co-working, observations and regular constructive feedback
• Manage and support HR, finance and admin associates assigned for the project, with their day-to-day operations to ensure project functions smoothly
• Coordinate with central HR with state level implementation of organizational structures and documentation

Stakeholder Management (20%)

• Work with concerned SSA, SCERT and DIET leadership, subject experts and other government stakeholders to build long-lasting, trust-based relationships that aid project operations and increase impact as per stakeholder engagement plan
• Assist the officers to draft proceedings to enable smooth program implementation and reporting
• Follow-up with state level government officials and other partners on all aspects of the project
• Work with a mindset of co-creation to enable capacity and ownership of government stakeholders
• Conduct regular update meetings with stakeholders and provide progress towards goals of the relevant programs in a consumable format to all stakeholders

Requirements :

Education & Experience

• Degree in education / teacher development or related discipline. Masters’ degree mandatory
• 6-10 Years of experience leading large scale training programs, preferably with the government or with government school teachers
• Should have led at least 1-2 projects in the government education sector, at the State/district level
• Proven experience in project management and operations
• Experience working in Andhra Pradesh / Telangana would be preferable

Important: Given the nature of the project please apply only if you qualify based on above requirements

Knowledge, Skills & Capabilities

• Excellent written and oral communication skills – and a functional knowledge (oral and written) of Telugu would be highly preferred
• Being able to take initiative and work in an autonomous, semi-structured environment
• Belief in the potential of the public sector and that government systems can and will change towards overcoming systemic inequities and ensuring improved outcomes for all citizens
• Working experience or knowledge of public policy implementation would be highly preferred
• A basic understanding of social equity, development discourse and education policy in India
• Adaptability to changing responsibilities and resourcefulness to respond to them High openness to learning and collaboration
• Ability to influence people, taking initiatives, build and sustain relationships with multiple stakeholders & partners across public and private spaces
• Strong ability to create outstanding presentations, work with Microsoft Excel & Google Suite
• Patience and resilience to stick it out in the face of setbacks and uncertainties

Location and Compensation

Location: Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Frequent travel to rural areas across the state.