Program Associate, Early Years Government

Pratham Education FoundationJob Opportunities, Program Management

**About Pratham**
Pratham was founded in 1995, to provide pre-school education to children in Mumbai slums. Over the last 20 years Pratham has grown to be India’s largest NGO working to provide quality education to underprivileged youth and children in over 20 states across the country, with a range of interventions.

**About the SALT Program**
‘Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation’ (SALT) is a state-wide program by the Samagra Shiksha State Implementation Society, Government of Andhra Pradesh that aims to improve the quality and management of foundational learning and elementary and secondary education across all districts of the state. The program focuses on reforming curriculum, improving classroom practices, developing the capacity of teachers and aiding the state in introducing English as the medium of instruction across state-run educational institutions. The SALT Program is being supported by the World Bank and will be implemented by the Department of School Education (DoSE), Department of Women, Children, Disabled, and Senior Citizens (DoWCDSC), and other state
- and district
- level administrative units including the SCERT, SIEMAT and the local network of DIETs.

Pratham has been selected as a consultant to provide technical support to the Samagra Shiksha State Implementation Society, Govt of Andhra Pradesh for early childhood education to improve foundational learning of children aged 3 to 8 as part of the SALT Program. Pratham will aim to implement the SALT program through localized, state-context-aligned activities and innovations for improving the quality of education in government schools. This will be done, in part, through (i) development of a transformational roadmap for the early childhood education and foundational learning continuum, (ii) building the capacities of Anganwadi workers, preparatory class teachers and early grade teachers, and (iii) developing model Anganwadi centres and primary school across all districts of the state.

**Overview of the Position**
Pratham is looking to hire a Program Associate for the implementation of the SALT Program. The Associate will work with 5 other Associates to manage the program across all 13 districts (26 new districts) in the state. They will work closely with and support the Program Manager, who will provide overall direction and management to the program across Andhra Pradesh. The Associate will be a crucial link between the planning and the implementation teams working on the SALT Program and through this project, will have the opportunity to build a holistic understanding of the educational ecosystem from people with rich experience and knowledge in the field, both internally and externally. The role is cross-functional and often dynamic and hence will provide the Associate with exposure to a wide spectrum of teams, government departments and other organisations in the sector. The Associate will contribute to the effective implementation of the first of its kind state-wide program to improve foundational literacy and numeracy for children in Anganwadis and Grades 1 and 2 in Andhra Pradesh.

**Roles & Responsibilities**
- Reporting, documentation and communication:

- Internal - Knowledge, strategy & training documents
- External - The Associate will be a key organizational touchpoint for the government and donor and will be responsible for creating regular reports on progress of the project and engage in periodic conversations with the government on program updates and future planning
- Work with Training Associates and District Coordinators (who are providing training to the government cadre and coordinating projects on ground) for planning, training & implementation support
- Work with Central Team members in the Program Management and Early Years team to coordinate planning, training and implementation
- Work closely with Government stakeholders at different levels to understand requirements, and plan & implement the program
- Ensure implementation of the deliverables of the program as per the required timeline
- Work with different teams within Pratham and with external stakeholders (Government) to provide information, regular updates, documentation and data on the program
- Monitor the implementation and results of the program by visiting the program locations

**Desired Qualifications and Skills**
- Postgraduate degree or higher in social science, management studies, or related field
- 1-2 years of work experience in any field, preferably in the social sector
- Excellent English communication and writing skills, with demonstrated experience in documentation
- Good Telugu communication and writing skills
- Openness to working in a dynamic work environment with a wide variety of tasks & responsibilities
- Ability to manage workload independently without daily supervision
- Ability to work with different teams
- Openness to travel often and at short notice