Program Manager

Description

PROGRAM MANAGER - EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT EXPERT Who we are and what we do? WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. WRI India’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization. Currently over 150 researchers are working with WRI India in our offices at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. 

Program Overview for Sustainable Cities and Transport At WRI India Ross Center we focus on to urban challenges. Through applied research, tools, hands-on advice, and by tapping our network of global experts, we accelerate transformative urban initiatives that have the power to change Indian cities into thriving, equitable and low-carbon places that are good for people and the planet.Working at WRI India Ross Center offers you the unique opportunity to learn and grow as you collaborate with a diverse set of change agents across Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. As India’s biggest urban focused think and do tank, we seek thoughtful, enterprise-minded and sensitive individuals who can help us support this transformation and make a positive difference to citizens’ everyday lives.
About your role:  You will be asked to work with WRI India as Early Childhood Development expert to work on phase 2 program of Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge and Urban95 lighthouse cities which aims to allow Indian cities to grow their vision towards access to public spaces, mobility and early childhood services to ensure wellbeing of young children and caregivers. Reporting to the Program Head and working with Program Coordinator and Program Managers, you will support cities to implement early childhood development and caregiver wellbeing-related activities. You are required to develop specific programs tailored to the city's needs and create a set of activities, materials and conduct trainings for government and non-government partner to mainstream the approach in cities. This would be achieved through regular engagement with city agencies and communities, support for implementation and policy and institutional changes towards achieving the goal.You will research the intersection of early childhood development and wellbeing in public and implement overall program strategy around the same. You need to be energetic and agile, willing to learn and respond quickly, outcome oriented, team player and available to travel at short notice. How your day will unfold: You will handle a range of program responsibilities. Some of the important responsibilities will include:Program development and research· Develop program strategy on early childhood development-related activities in the cities, with attention to vulnerable groups, gender and poverty. Identify relevant partners and create support in government agencies for implementation.· Undertake own research at an intersection of Early Childhood Development and urban development towards formulating strategies for Municipal corporations to improve public spaces and neighbourhoods.· Developing training materials, conducting sessions around responsive caregiving and caregiver wellbeing for government officials, community and mainstreaming the training program with potential partners.· Support development of knowledge products for the program such as training modules, toolkits, guidebooks, capacity building modules.· Monitor progress of the relevant activities across multiple cities, conduct surveys, develop indicators and support finding inference and help in reporting.· Work with internal Research team to validate methodologies and produce strategies on program goals towards early childhood development.· Support WRI India in any other research or projects as needed by the team.Co-ordination of project work· Lead conversations alongside team members with the Government agencies and other stakeholders to achieve project objectives.· Coordinate technical documents for the projects including data collection, coordinate surveys, compilation and analysis, reports and presentations.· Lead conducting focused group discussions with Government agencies, local community groups, frontline staff working around early childhood services, NGOs, private agencies record their inputs towards the goals.Communications and partnership· Schedule meetings regarding projects, make presentations, help conduct stakeholder consultations, focused group discussions and workshops.· Communicate with WRI India internal team members towards meeting objectives of the project and constant progress reporting.· Help prepare internal and external communications and media such as brochures and web content. Skills and Qualifications we seek: · Minimum 7+ years’ full-time experience with demonstrate involvement in Early childhood development/ Gender equity/ Policy and governance/ Community resilience/ Government training programs. Experience working on State or National government programmes will be considered beneficial.· PhD or Master’s degree in subjects around Early childhood care and education, Public health, Political Science, Gender studies, Sociology, Public Policy or related field.· Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint is a requirement. Knowledge of Adobe software or any analytical tools will be helpful.· Willingness to travel to cities across India for partner meeting and workshops.· Strong management skills to work with wide set of partners ranging from government officials to local representatives to industry experts. Good coordination and communications skills with wider project team is required. Ability to work individually and with the team and enthusiastically work under pressure situations.· Willing to travel extensively.· Fluency in English and Hindi required, additionally knowledge of any among Marathi, Kannada, Malyalam or Oriya may be beneficial. (written and spoken). Location : Bangalore, Pune, Indore, Kochi, India 

Salary and Benefits:  INR 15,00,000 to INR 18,00,000 CTCSalary shall be commensurate with experience and skills. WRI offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package. Duration : 1 year (Extendable based on performance and project requirements)  To Apply: Only Qualified applicants should apply online at  . All applications must be submitted online through this career portal in order to be formally considered.  List of Documents to be attached: Cover letter explaining how your academic background and skills meet the requirements of this position. Curriculum vitae  Writing samples Reports Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purpose.  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) @WRI India WRI India values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across all areas of our work and workforce. Integrating these values into our actions fosters a progressive and collaborative culture and can also enhance our impact. It is our responsibility to create a welcoming working environment for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experience to learn together. We are responsible for fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where questions, concerns and information about diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our ongoing dialogue and development. Learn more about WRI India’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). 

People-centric to the core:

We keep our people at the centre of everything we do - from a welcoming work environment to benefits and a culture that encourages staff to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing. Some of the non-monetary benefits that our staff get:
Health benefits:  We cover health insurance for you and your loved ones for up to INR 8 lakhs Term Insurance:  Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staffmember Employee Assistance program:  Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance Health & Nutrition: Personalized diet recommendation from a certified dietitian based on the physical health condition and lifestyle Flexible work schedule:   Alternative work arrangements for all who are eligible by nature of their job Learning culture : Workshops and trainings to empower staff, encourage new learning opportunities Rest and Recharge weeks:  We encourage staff to take time off to rest, rejuvenate, upskill, and pursue their interests. Our leave policy:  Avail personal time off at 36 per year, along with public holidays, maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves. Click here to know more about our benefits Equal employment @WRI India We believe in equal employment, it is our policy to recruit, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to caste, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual preference, parental status, or disability.

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