Associate, Project Management

About Madhi Madhi Foundation was established in 2016 as a non -profit organizationcommitted to the cause of bridging the equity gap in education for childrenacross India. The Foundation draws its inspiration from the Tamil proverb,"Destiny can be conquered with intellect (Madhi)". Madhi Foundationspecifically works to solve the foundational learning crisis in India. Ourvision, "Foundational Learning First, so every child is set up forsuccess", guides our every action and gives our work the purpose anddirection it needs. Whatwe doMadhi works closely with the Tamil Nadu School Education Department toconceptualize and implement large scale quality improvement programmes in TamilNadu's government schools. Over the course of the next 5 years Madhi willstrengthen its existing programmes in the state (as well as undertake newprogrammes) with the singular aim of ensuring transformative improvement in thequality of school education in Tamil Nadu and beyond.Ennum Ezhuthum: We are currently also working as the 'Chief Management Partner' for Tamil Nadu's official Foundational Learnmodeling Mission, The 'EnnumEzhuthum Mission' - a Rs. 500 Cr Mission of national and regional importanceaimed at universalising foundational learning for all children in Tamil Nadu's37,000 government schools.Enjoy English: Enjoy English is a tech -based product -service offering aimed atimproving foundational English among children from low -exposure to Englishcontexts. It is one of a kind idea that adopts an oracy first approach tolanguage learning which is different from most programmes that adopt a subjectteaching approach to English learning.Communities Enabling Foundational Learning (CEFL): CEFL aims to equip the parents with theknowledge, skills and tools to understand the quality of foundational educationtheir children receive in public schools and in turn, start advocating forimproving the quality of education with stakeholders such as teachers,administrators and local political leaders. We support parents to establishpeer groups and networks of parents and community members to support each othertowards educating their child and collectively demand for the same.What is the workculture at Madhi like?The work culture at Madhi is built both organicallyand inorganically. We articulate our core values and reinforce them through actionsconsistently. Team members imbibe Madhi's values and help grow the culture. Our core values (Mission obsession, Empathy, Resilience,Integrity, Inquiry) form the basis of our actions, policy and interactions. Madhi nurtures a collaborative workculture where individual growth and team success go hand in hand. Given the nature of our work (our close partnership with the government)we often realise that we work with partners who espouse a work culturethat is vastly different from ours which can sometimes create a sense of cultural dissonance. This is not something we are able tochange and we expect team members to join us knowing full well that whenworking with critical partners and stakeholders there would certainly arise a need to adapt and accept thedifferences and the challenges that come from working in such an environment. We have been fortunate to findteam members over the years who have joined us and helped build a strong and purposeful culture anddespite our rapid growth we have been able to sustain our culture over time.Yourteam (State Reform)The State Reform sub -vertical comprises four teams: Ennum Ezhuthum(State team), Ennum Ezhuthum (District team), Public LibrariesManagement and Assessment Cell. These teams are a multifaceted group; comprising curriculum leads, instructionaldesign specialists, project managers and product managers all of whom prize dynamism and versatility intheir approach to work. The sub -vertical works closely with the two other sub -verticals namely "Programme Design & Delivery" and"Data & Technology" counterparts to ensure that we are able to deliver high quality projects to all ourstakeholders and learn from our implementation to iteratively improve the effectiveness of theprogrammes.The State Reform team's core focus is toadvocate and build momentum for tried and tested models of intervention, support the state to develophigh quality materials and training modules to ensure effective implementation to attain Foundational Learning at scale. The teamcomprises generalists who go above and beyond to ensure that the publicservice delivery of the projects is effective and efficient. All Madhi's teams work together seamlessly to makemagic happen day after day, doing whatever it takes to take us closer to the vision of reimagining school systems to eliminate thefoundational learning crisis in India.Model Schools: To ensure holistic growth of children from underserved communities andto empower them with the skills to work toward their dreams, the Adi Dravidarand Tribal Welfare Department has embarked on an ambitious project of settingup 'Model Schools' that will serve children from the most marginalizedbackgrounds and equip them with skills and knowledge such that theirdisadvantages get mitigated and no longer impede their success in academics,work and life. Madhi has joined the Department to assist in the setting up ofthese Model Schools, each exemplifying the principles of equity and inclusionin letter and spirit, enabling every student, irrespective of their background,to receive equal opportunities to aspire and achieve their goals.Requirements TheJob DescriptionBelow is an indicative set of responsibilities you will be required tolead as part of your role. We believe that a job description is best createdcollaboratively where the individual joining the team and the senior leadershipteam together define the role in greater detail so it reflects your aspirationsand ambitions as much as it does the organization's needs. A detaileddescription will be jointly created once the selection process has beencompleted and you have accepted our offer of employment. In this role, some of your responsibilities will include Project Management ● Ensuring diligent compliance to established project cadence structures ● Assist and communicate with the Senior Manager in decision -making, program management, and initiative implementation. ● Examining and evaluating the effectiveness and efficacy of the program. ● Coordinate implementation of foundational learning and life skills programs as per the department's strategic plan. ● Support scheduling and rollout of training cycles for teachers and instructors. ● Track timelines, milestones, and deliverables across educational programs. Project Reporting & Communication ● Supporting the project team with the assessment and formulation of impact metrics. ● Ensuring documentation of the various projects is updated and available at all times for the mission to progress smoothly. ● Strategizing content for reports and presentations on Madhi's overall approach. ● Ensuring updated documentation of project data for releasing case studies and success stories to the state and districts. Stakeholder Management ● Facilitating cross -functional conversations with state -level stakeholders and ensuring that the mission strategy is aligned within decision making processes. ● Ensuring periodic connection with key stakeholders (internal & external) and diagnosing and providing effective solutions for seamless collaboration. ● Draft reports and presentations of Madhi's overall approach to the project. ● Support with the documentation of Madhi's internal project management data. Impact Measurement ● Conducting baseline, end -line and any other dipstick student assessments in schools ● Tracking student outcomes on a periodic basis and identifying trends and gaps You will thrive in this role if you: ● Have an insatiable thirst for knowledge on curriculum design for higher grades ● Obsess over time management & planning for all tasks regardless of the enormity or urgency ● Have outstanding contextual understanding of the overall education landscape in Tamil Nadu Prerequisites include: ● Bachelor's/master's degree in education, Social Work, Development Studies, Public Policy, or a related field. ● 4–6 years of experience working on education or community -based programs, preferably in a government or development sector setting. ● Strong project coordination and documentation skills. ● Ability to work with diverse stakeholders across departments and communities. ● Strong familiarity with Tamil Nadu's school ecosystem is preferred. ● Experience with government -led education programs, training systems, or infrastructure rollouts is an advantage. ● Excellent communication and documentation skills in Tamil and English Travel Requirement: Willingness to travel regularly to GTR schools, hostels, and district offices across Tamil Nadu. This role will report to: Senior Manager, Project Management, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu Please note: You will be expected to bring your own laptop with updated software (MS Office 2016) Remuneration: 5 LPA to 7 LPA