Project Associate

Full-Time Nashik 2-3 years of experience in planning and executing projects

**Background**:
**Leadership For Skilled Education Foundation** (branded as Leadership For Equity, LFE), is a non-profit (NGO) based out of Pune, Maharashtra.

**We envision Public Education Systems That Refuse To Let Children Down**

**APPROACH**: In our two-fold approach to change, we build the capacity of government system leaders and we influence system processes. In partnership with the local and state education bodies, we co-create programs that shift teaching-learning practices and improve student learning and well-being. This work coupled with our research and advisory support to influence policies, we hope to create an effective government education system.

Over the last 5 years, LFE has built the capacity of 2100+ system leaders, and 40,200+ teachers to impact 8 million students across Maharashtra. Additionally, LFE has recently expanded its operations and started working in another 5 states of India including Haryana, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland. In Maharashtra, LFE works with 7 districts (Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Chandrpur, Sindhudurg & Akola), 2 municipal bodies (Pimpri Chinchwad MC & Nagpur MC) & 5 state-level education bodies (School Education Dept, SCERT, Samagra Shiksha, Tribal Development Dept, & TRTI). In Andhra Pradesh, LFE works closely with the Samagra Shiksha Office, SCERT & The World Bank on a multi-year strategic project to improve the quality of learning across 26 districts of the State. And lastly, in Haryana & Tripura, LFE works with SCERTs of both states in setting up targeted program management units (PMUs) to strengthen the delivery of large-scale academic programs.

**BELIEF**: We believe Public Education Systems are the gatekeepers of social **EQUITY**, especially when India's 120 million children continue to go to government-run schools. A multi-layered, complex, and systemic problem of educational inequity, will require a solution rooted in the **SYSTEMS CHANGE** approach. We believe that a **COLLECTIVE** effort by forging partnerships with governments, like-minded philanthropists, corporates, donors, nonprofits, and grassroots organizations will help bring scalable and sustainable social change.

**About the Project**

LFE runs a ‘District Transformation Project’ in the District of Nashik in northern Maharashtra, with the goal of improving learning outcomes for over 2.5 lakh students in 3,500 Zilla Parishad Schools in Nashik. LFE has a 4 member team based out of Nashik that has been working for the last 5 years towards this goal. We are looking for an experienced team member with deep experience in working with governments and working in the team as a strong team player. Applicant must be proficient in communicating with external stakeholders for smoother project operations in Nashik.

**This project is in partnership with** Centre For Learning Resources**.**

**Job Description and Responsibilities**:
We see the Project Associate role at LFE to be a highly aspirational role where the scope to learn about and create impact at a systemic level is immense. The Project Associate will work with the Project Manager to play a critical leadership role in ensuring planning for and execution of the responsibilities listed below. They include but are not limited to:
**Planning and Execution (60%)**:

- Work on planning/designing the overall project strategy in conjunction with the Project Manager
- Work with government stakeholders to design interventions that align with government needs as well as LFE’s project design.
- Work with government teachers/teacher mentors for their development as per the plan
- Execute the project strategy in coordination with government stakeholders at Blocks, Zilla Parishad and DIET, Nashik.

**Stakeholder Management (20%)**:

- Work with government stakeholders like Kendra Pramukhs, Extension Officers, Block Education Officers, District education officer of Nashik Zilla Parishad, Lecturers and Principal of Nashik DIET to on-ground officers’ team of CRGs and Block Resource Persons to build long-lasting relationships that aid project operations and expansion plans
- Work with team of teachers, teacher mentors to execute the project and also bring about their professional development
- Plan and execute quarterly update meetings with stakeholders and provide progress towards goals of the project to all stakeholders

**Documentation (10%)**:

- Analyse data from field
- Creation of reports for stakeholders, funders and internal documentation
- Creating process documents, best practices documents and documentation required for communicating with Govt. Stakeholders.

**Monitoring & Evaluation (10%)**:

- Circulate tools to measure the effectiveness of ongoing projects
- Support team to analyze the data to provide ongoing insights to internal and external teams
- Support in data analysis and compiling project impact reports from impact data
- Support manager/M