Job Description

Full-Time (Pune ) 3-4 years of experience executing research projects Experience

About LFE

Leadership For Equity (LFE) a non-profit (NGO), is a systems change and research organisation currently impacting 450+ field officers, 14,000+ teachers and about 800,000 students across Pune & Nashik. Since 2017, LFE has been the academic advisor (knowledge partner) to the School Education Department, Govt. of Maharashtra and supports 6 government bodies including SCERT, Balbharati, Nashik Zilla Parishad and State Institute of English, Aurangabad; including direct project interventions in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) & Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). LFE aims to strengthen the existing government structures and mechanisms in education through onsite and technology based support to teachers and field officers. LFE also undertakes research publications to advocate for the larger discourse and need to strengthen government school systems in India.
LFE is a small yet enterprising team of individuals coming from diverse backgrounds, with varied expertise and life experiences, all of whom add their unique character to shape our collective identity. At LFE, the fundamental belief is that effective and sensitive public education systems will ensure that quality education is provided to every child. We believe that public systems need to be strengthened to tackle adaptive, deep-rooted social problems. However, LFE takes on a unique approach to education\xe2\x80\x99s wicked problems by focusing on institutional and policy level reform, empowering middle management and developing models for teacher support through technology and mentor communities.

About the Role

LFE\'s work revolves around its belief in the ability of the public education system to provide quality education to all children. One way we do that is through our capacity building initiative and field action projects. To be more holistic, we aim to influence the public discourse on the value of the education system and its relation to an equitable society, by creating knowledge products in the form of reports, news articles or blogs and podcasts.
Objective: To develop and disseminate high impact, research based insights focused on systems thinking approach and innovations in the domain of \'educational governance\', \'middle management capacity\', \'teacher capacity\' in service of empowering public education systems.
Through our work in research we aim to shape the discourse on the role of government bodies in provisioning of education, provide a transparent lens to look at some of its challenges and successes, and consolidate our learnings from practice in systems change to enhance the current understanding of public education systems.

and Responsibilities

The Research Manager will lead the research vertical to fulfill project goals, by primarily completing end to end research projects as allocated. Additionally, we hope for the Associate to push the organisation\xe2\x80\x99s thinking and approach towards research and build the team\xe2\x80\x99s internal capacity as well.

Research Program & Project Management

• Design and implement processes for the research team to function successfully by selecting right research themes and dissemination pathways
• Design and implement annual and monthly plans to carry out various phases of research projects
• Visit urban and rural areas to engage with diverse stakeholders and conduct data collection activities in the form of in-depth interviews, FGDs, surveys, etc.
• Plan and conduct meetings with external stakeholders including sector experts, organizational partners, participants, government officers, key respondents etc.
• Design of research studies including writing grant proposals, data collection methods and analysis, and final report
• Create content for dissemination via social media and other online platforms and support any documentation related needs for program evaluation or validation within the organization
• Coordinate with other teams and operations counterparts to ensure smooth implementation
• Create dissemination plan as per each research project such that the reports are widely consumable

Team Management

• Manage a team of 2-3 Associates, on their deliverables and professional support and development
• Coordinate with partner organizations and field enumerators to enable data collection
• Design and lead team structures to sustain a culture of collaboration, belief in public systems and strong accountability and timely project delivery
• Assist the organization in recruitment and selection of right team members

Stakeholder Management

• Work with the senior leadership team of the organization to identify and secure necessary funding sources for Research vertical
• Consistently engage the existing funders with the organization\xe2\x80\x99s work that will enable a continued partnership.
• Submit timely donor reports to keep the funders informed and updated at regular intervals.

Research Design & Report Writing

• Design and write research and grant proposals
• Conduct in-depth literature reviews considering primary and secondary research
• Design and implement long term and monthly plans to carry out various phases of research projects
• Transcribe/ clean and analyze data collected through various methods
• Write up the final research report as per work allocation plans

Requirements

Education & Experience

• Degree with a specialization in social science / policy research. MPhil/PhD preferred, Masters\xe2\x80\x99 degree mandatory.
• Background in Education / Social Sciences /Education/ Public Policy preferred
• Minimum 3-4 years of experience executing research projects
• Prior experience in managing small teams would be highly preferred
• Interest or prior experience in research projects on public schools, capacity building, policy implementation would be an added advantage

Knowledge, Skills & Capabilities

• Strong skills in executing quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Strong skills in using quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools - R, SPSS, Atlas Ti, etc.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Knowledge of Marathi would be preferred.
• Belief in the potential of the public sector and that government systems can and will change towards overcoming systemic inequities and ensuring improved outcomes for all citizens
• A basic understanding of social equity, development discourse and education policy in India
• Being able to take initiative and work in an autonomous, semi-structured environment
• Adaptability to changing responsibilities and resourcefulness to respond to them
• High openness to learning
• Ability to build and sustain relationships with multiple stakeholders & partners across public and private spaces
• Ability to build and sustain relationships with multiple stakeholders & partners across public and private spaces
• Strong ability to create outstanding presentations, work with Microsoft Excel, Google Suite, and varied data sets
• Patience and resilience to stick it out in the face of setbacks and uncertainties

Location and Compensation

Location: Pune. The job will involve frequent travel to rural, tribal & urban pockets across Maharashtra.
Compensation: Range of salary - Expected to be around 7,20,000 - 9,00,000 LPA based on prior experience and strength
Contact: Leadership For Equity is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind. We do not discriminate on the basis of caste, race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other non-merit factor.