State Senior Program Manager (Foundational Literacy & Numeracy) at The Education Alliance

Location : Bhopal

The Education Alliance (TEA) is a non-profit organisation registered in India to catalyse quality transformations in the public-school system through strategic partnership support. TEA aims to build an ecosystem in which governments can strategically partner with mission oriented non-profit educational organisations to deliver high quality education. Our goal is to empower government schools to create the next generation of leaders by transforming the quality of education offered in these schools. A high-quality education for every child in India would call for a system that is accountable, collaborative and equitable.

TEA sets up a Project Management Unit (PMU) to support the state education departments to partner more strategically with non-state actors and to design and deliver programmes with the objective of building governments’ own capacity to sustain these initiatives post the exit of external partners. TEA currently has two ongoing programs in Delhi and Tamil Nadu. 

In Delhi, TEA’s partnership with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation commenced in 2015 and has been formally recognized by the government as ‘School Quality Enhancement Program (SQEP)’ where non-profits engage with government schools in a whole school turnaround model. The program currently impacts 5,300+ students in 18 schools supported by 8 NGO partners. In Tamil Nadu, TEA has been partnering with the Samagra Shiksha since 2018 for supporting the State in management and governance of its partnership with non-profit organisations. In this engagement, TEA has been working with the State to put together processes through the lifecycle of State-NGO interactions resulting in a more efficient and effective engagement. 

In order to deliver on our goal, TEA engages in five broad areas of work: dialogue with governments to design the frameworks for intervention, identify high-quality and mission-aligned non-profit partners for program content and delivery, set-up a project management unit to implement the program, conduct research to test the efficacy of the model and build system’s capacity to sustain the intervention. 

TEA’s Proposed Program in State of Madhya Pradesh on Foundational Literacy & Numeracy

TEA is currently in preparation to start working with the State of Madhya Pradesh on strengthening its Foundational Literacy & Numeracy in grades 1 to 3. The program has been currently conceptualised as a 3-year engagement with the State, with likelihood of further extension. TEA will set up a PMU within the Education department to support the State in designing and implementation a program for early grades – this will include selection of partners for content development, teacher training, etc., setting performance benchmarks and instituting a system for assessments to ensure embedding of this program within the education delivery system.  

The FLN project in Madhya Pradesh has been conceptualised and is being funded by Central Square Foundation. The FLN program will be delivered along with a consortium of partners including Room to Read for literacy, and partners for mathematics pedagogy and assessments yet to be selected. 

State Senior Program Manager: Madhya Pradesh (FLN) Roles & Responsibilities

The State Senior Program Manager will work closely with the State Head (FLN) in engaging with the State of Madhya Pradesh. He / She will support the State Head in design of the program, execution, coordination with various stakeholders (government and non-profit partner) and delivering on a roadmap for building government capacity to sustain the impact and interventions from the program. 

The key roles and responsibilities of the State Senior Program Manager will be:

• Support program strategy and approach

• Support State Head and external partners’ team on designing program strategy and creating an action plan for state transformation

• Conduct research and analysis (both quantitative and qualitative) to develop the team’s understanding of system problems, evidence-based solutions and innovations in the sector

• Support State Head in adapting program strategy based on on-ground learnings

• On-ground implementation and monitoring 

• Interact with key stakeholders on a day-to-day basis to ensure delivery on program objectives

• Develop strong working relationships with government officials at state and district levels, program partners (external partner), non-profit partners, school principals and teachers

• Review work done by implementation partners, including government officials, to ensure compliance with outcome, budget and timeline targets

• Identify operational bottlenecks and weaknesses, wherever applicable

• Track program progress on key indicators according to the M&E framework

• Report performance on key indicators periodically and on a timely basis 

• Communication & Documentation 

• Documentation and communication of program achievements / outcomes, through concept notes, presentations, reports, etc. 

• Preparing and managing documentation related to program implementation e.g. approvals, letters, etc. 

• Documentation on on-ground learnings and knowledge received from external partner to support TEA’s internal capacity / knowledge building 

Skills and Qualifications

Preferred work experience of 4-5 years including 1-2 years of post-graduation work experience (MBA or MPP/MPA or Bachelor’s degree with exceptional work experience)  

Experience with on-ground program implementation is crucial for the role

Experiences working with government and in education sector is desirable, though not necessary 

Fluency in both English and Hindi required 

Desired skills include problem-solving and analytical skills, written and oral communication skills, interpersonal skills and networking skills, and ability to work on tight deadlines

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Expected date of Joining: January / February 2020 

Please send your resumes along with letter of intent to info@theeducationalliance.org; please mention “State Senior Program Manager FLN – MP” in the subject of your email.