Program Manager Odisha

Job Description: Program Manager (Supporting Municipal Corporations in Odisha-Bhubaneshwar)

About the Organization

Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) was set up in 2019 by Ashish Dhawan (Founder and Chairperson, Ashoka University and Central Square Foundation), Vijay Chadda (previously CEO of Bharti Foundation) and Mohit Beotra (previously Chief Brand Officer of Airtel). Ashish is a member of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining regions.

A-PAG is focused on the strategic implementation of solutions to combat air pollution and has created a niche for itself within the broader ecosystem in the last 6 years. During this time, A-PAG has made significant progress in its quest with a focus on supporting the Governments at the national & state level. Our major projects include the Dispersed Sources Program and the Construction and Demolition Waste Program, among others. A-PAG has worked on several other initiatives in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab. Currently, we are engaged with the municipal corporations of 13+ cities across 4+ states.

All our support to the Government is offered on a pro-bono basis.

About the role

A-PAG's project in Odisha aims at improving air quality by tackling issues which contribute to air pollution. The project will be rolled across Odisha with close and sustained association with the municipal corporations of respective cities. As a part of the A-PA PMU in Odisha, you will be responsible to ensure the successful implementation of our dispersed source program. To do this, you will work closely with the leadership and ground-level officers at the ULBs in the district. Implementation of A-PAGs dispersed sources program would be a priority; in addition to this, you would have the opportunity to devise and pilot new interventions which are scalable and target other sources of air pollution in the region.

Key responsibilities

The selected candidate shall be responsible for end-to-end management and execution of programs. Key Responsibilities will include the following:

1. Program Strategy and Implementation: Lead the execution of ongoing programs and ensure timely delivery of program milestones

2. Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with key government stakeholders (Operational and leadership levels) to ensure smooth coordination and alignment.

3. Identify Gaps and Pilot New Programs: Proactively identify gaps in existing policies, institutional processes, or program implementation and assess strategic entry points. Design and pilot new interventions that can be scaled based on learnings.

4. Monitoring, Analysis and Review: Track progress through structural monitoring systems; analyze data and prepare reports, dashboards, and presentations to support decision making and ensure accountability.

5. Documentation & Knowledge Management: Prepare high-quality documentation, SOPs, and reports to capture learnings, good practices, and program outcomes.

Eligibility

1. Bachelors or a Masters degree (from tier - 1 institutes) in Environmental Science, Public Policy, Urban Planning, Development Studies or relevant fields.

2. 3-5 years of work experience in program management, consulting, development sector roles with exposure to urban governance, waste management, or air quality programs.

3. Work experience in the space of environment/solid waste management, program implementation or implementation of IT dashboards would be preferred but is not essential however, passion to solve the air pollution crisis in India is critical

Skill Sets Required

1. Fluency in Odia, with excellent verbal and written communication skills

2. Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, especially with government agencies and officials.

3. Strong program management and problem-solving capabilities; ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects independently.

4. Proficiency in MS Excel, PowerPoint, and documentation skillsability to analyze data and prepare executive-level reports and presentations.

5. Experience with data visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI is preferred. Exposure to GIS tools and spatial data analysis will be an added advantage.

6. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate data insights into actionable recommendations.

7. Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate in an unstructured, fast-paced environment, and drive outcomes independently.

Location: Bhubaneshwar, Odisha (travel to other cities across Odisha and occasional travel to Delhi will be involved)

Compensation: Will be commensurate with the best among social sector norms