Position: Programme Manager – Project Management Unit (PMU)

Organization: Peepul

Location: Bhopal

Role Description

The role of the Programme Manager – Project Management Unit (PMU) 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. As part of our support to the CM Rise Schools and other state priorities, the Programme Manager- PMU will be primarily responsible for owning the project design, plan and outcomes.

This person will work closely with the key stakeholders in the state as well as within the organisation to design project plans with clearly defined objectives and intended outcomes leading to delivery of high-quality projects within the CM Rise Schools programme. This is therefore an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to play a key role in an exemplar school project with enormous potential impact.

The Programme Manager – PMU must be an exceptional manager with the skills and mindsets to conceptualize and execute education interventions at scale. The Programme Manager-PMU will be someone who exemplifies flexibility, tenacity and enthusiasm to be able to design and deliver on rigorous and holistic project design and delivery in close collaboration with a diverse team.

Key responsibilities To identify project needs and develop holistic plans to achieve the intended outcomes

• Design and evolve the scope and sequence of the project plan using frameworks that best suit the needs of the program

• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to foresee project path and guide your team in pivoting effectively

• Effectively communicate with senior bureaucrats, education officials to provide programmatic updates and make modifications to project plans.

• Identify and establish partnerships with multiple knowledge partners across the state towards a productive collaboration To advise and support the state on the roadmap for CM Rise Schools

• Support the state government in charting out long term goals for the CM Rise Schools

• Present data backed research insights to the state government officials to support strengthening of key domains of CM Rise Schools

• Conduct regular needs assessments to identify needs and challenges of the stakeholders (internal as well as external) associated with the project

• Liaison with state government institutions (e.g., SCERT, College of Teacher Education) to ensure a seamless communication flow between the Peepul team and all the key stakeholders To lead impact assessment

• Set systems and processes to track project milestones, outputs and outcomes of the program.

• Create structures to track, identify and share data regularly with key internal and external stakeholders.

• Provide insights and inputs to the M&E team for developing tools and techniques required for project’s impact measurement

• Work closely with the senior leadership team to meet funder requirements, including but not limited to creating periodic progress / impact reports

• Arrange field visits for supporters / funders / senior leadership team at appropriate junctions of the program to showcase progress and impact of the program To lead the execution and implementation of the programme at scale

• Support Program Director/Program Lead in implementing the programme effectively at scale

• Collectively work with team members in the state towards high quality execution of the program on ground sharing key insights

• Codifying best practices from the program and disseminating them internally and externally towards building knowledge of the organization and allowing replication across the ecosystem

• Manage a team of project managers and project coordinators towards successful and smooth work execution

Person Specification Experience:

• At least 7 years of total work experience

• Experience of managing large scale projects with diverse stakeholders preferably in government settings

• Demonstrated ability of achieving project outcomes within timelines

• Understanding of education ecosystems in India

• Strong working knowledge of Hindi and English (oral and written)

Behaviours and attributes:

• A strong desire to influence government education system, working with the existing government structures

• A deep understanding of the context and challenges of the government stakeholders

• Ability to present complex information into simple, actionable points making it accessible to individuals with varying skill levels.

• Attention to detail, including proof reading and editing skills for materials shared internally and externally • Ability to build strong and sustainable relationships across various government education functionaries

• Ability to iterate on work quickly, based on feedback, following a process of continuous improvement

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

• Intellectually curious, open to learning

• Flexible and adaptable style, responding positively to changing demands

• Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills

• 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