Position: Project Manager

Organization: Peepul

Location: Madhya Pradesh

Role Description

The role of the Project Associate is critical to the success of the continued partnership with the Government of Madhya Pradesh towards achieving quality education for all, and to Peepul’s strategic objective of supporting quality improvement in the public-school system in India.

This is therefore an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to play a key role in a flagship reform initiative with enormous potential impact. To enable programme’s success, we require to rapidly roll-out and scale our support to reach all teachers and officials in the state.

The Project Associate will be an excellent team player, who will independently lead and drive design and delivery of interventions towards support and accountability of teachers and academic officials of the state. The ideal candidate should be able to bring together education expertise, creative problem-solving and stakeholder management, towards the creation, implementation, and impact tracking of high-quality initiatives towards improvement of the quality of education in the state

Key responsibilities

To support the design and delivery of projects, and build a coalition of support around them

• Work with senior government stakeholders and Peepul’s leadership, to support the design, development, and implementation of key projects / interventions, as part of the larger programme

• Build consensus within all levels of government and other stakeholders, towards the vision and objectives of the programme

• Define success metrics and growth aspiration for their projects/interventions, and communicate these effectively with all stakeholders

• Work with in-house M&E team and external experts to develop appropriate project evaluation tools, including rigorous academic assessment where appropriate To manage best-in-class project implementation

• Own and drive the implementation of their projects at-scale, in close coordination with Peepul’s education and training team, and in consultation with Project Manager(s) and Program Manager(s)

• Leverage Peepul’s work across programmes to transfer codified learnings to their work

• Create effective work-planning and management systems to ensure work remains on track and effectively prioritised

• Develop systems to ensure the effective use of data across the programme, developing appropriate tracking metrics to ensure high-quality implementation and identify areas for course correction and learning To be a strong team collaborator, manage cross-functional relationships and engage effectively with key government stakeholders

• Effectively work in a matrixed environment with education specialists, subject matter experts and field staff

• Develop and maintain strong operational relationships with government partners, providing leadership and putting in place mechanisms to support collaboration and cross-organisational working.

• Design and build effective, fully aligned partnerships to leverage external expertise where appropriate given Peepul’s in-house skill-set

• Build capacity within government teams to ensure ongoing, sustainable organisational self-improvement after the formal end of the projects / the broader programme Person Specification

Experience:

• 2-5 years’ experience working in the development sector or otherwise

• Demonstrated knowledge and skills in project management

• Knowledge of public education systems and/or working with the government is desirable

• Strong track record of success as part of projects with multi-functional teams in complex, fluid situations. Demonstration through previous experience of this in either the corporate sector or development sector.

• Experience of working in government systems and awareness of education structures in India would be preferred.

• Direct classroom and teaching experience of 3-6 years, preferably within the government school system, and/or an education degree in Education is preferred

• Extensive experience of collaborating and partnering with senior internal and external stakeholders, including senior political figures, and communicating to a variety of audiences.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Extremely strong analytical skills and good judgement, able to lead and manage project design and implementation.

• Ability to create technical documentation and liaise with both tech and non-tech stakeholders effectively

• An appreciation for education overall, and specific areas of expertise in education (e.g. primary school curriculum, digital content delivery, school leadership, etc.) would be preferable

• Strong research instinct: ability to gather information, examine perspectives and create synthesized solutions/recommendations

• Proficiency in data visualization and presentation, and strong communication

• The intellectual creativity and innovation to develop pragmatic solutions to operational challenges as they arise, while maintaining focus on strategic goals.

• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with the ability to build strong relationships with a wide range of individuals in public, private and non-profit sectors.

• Effective leadership skills and interpersonal skills, to be able to foster a strong Peepul delivery team and to work with public sector colleagues and associates with a consultative and collegiate decision making style.

• Bias to action, with an ability to step back and see the larger picture

• An ability to work successfully under pressure with the capacity to manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines.

• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communications skills, to ensure the goals and operations of the project are well understood across all stakeholder groups

Personal attributes:

• A passion for education and a genuine commitment to Peepul’s mission and values.

• The tenacity, flexibility, and resilience to adapt rapidly to changing priorities in a fastmoving, complex environment.

• High levels of personal impact with the ability to command the respect of wide range of senior stakeholders.

• Significant personal drive, energy, ambition, and enthusiasm.

• Enthusiasm for taking on a start-up role, in what will be a fast-paced, growing, changing network

• Performance orientation - sets and achieves high standards for self and others

Language skills: Fluency in English and Hindi

Recruitment Process

To apply, please send a copy of your resume along with a covering letter explaining why you are interested in applying for the role.

Ensuring you specify the role you are applying for in the subject line of the e-mail. Please include the details of at least two referees within your application. Selection The selection process will involve written tests/assignments, interviews and live demonstrations of expertise (e.g. taking a classroom session), with the senior management team of the organization. Reference checking & Probation As you will be working with children this role will be subject to enhanced background checks. Additionally, all new staff will be subject to a probation period of three months.