Job Description

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Background

Panagora Group is responsible for completing an ex-post performance evaluation of the 'Nurturing Early Literacy Project'. We are seeking a local monitoring and evaluation professional to lead Key Informant Interviews, Focus Groups, and surveys with various types of project respondents as outlined below. Panagora will consider applicants from across the nation. However, applicants from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are particularly encouraged to apply.

The 'Nurturing Early Literacy Project' is a co-funded project by USAID/India and Tata Trusts and is meant to:

• Equip teachers with knowledge and skills to improve literacy instruction in classrooms by moving away from rote learning to meaningful engagement with print.

• Ensure access to age-appropriate, quality children's literature through classroom/community libraries.

• Demonstrate a viable model to improve foundational literacy skills in elementary school children and emergent literacy skills in 5+ pre-school children.

Core Components of the activity:

The core components of the program include the following:

1. Building capacities of:

• Government school-teachers - AW facilitators, primary, upper primary school teachers.

• Community workers and other staff members supporting intervention school sites.

• Administrators and officials at state/district/block level.

2. Improve student learning in five intervention blocks by developing a strong foundation for literacy (including basic numeracy skills) and reading development over 4 years. Inputs in terms of strategies to be adopted under this component will include:

• Explicit literacy instruction to build foundational literacy skills in school languages.

• Remedial teaching for at-risk pupil studying in primary and upper primary grades.

• Establishing structured print-rich environment; and

• Implementing first of its kind pilot on tablet-based access to children's literature in multiple formats for reading promotion

3. Development of contextual and relevant teaching-learning materials for students and teachers:

• Set up well-functioning libraries in schools and villages

• Strengthening of school governance structures through community mobilization

• Document and disseminate learning from the project

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct field-level data collection using the evaluation tools, and following prescribed methodologies (e.g., survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews), in compliance with national and local travel limitations, in-person and online interactions.

• Conduct field-level data processing (e.g., transcribe, translate, tabulate, and organize, the qualitative and quantitative data collected)

• Coordinate and organize site visits and interviews, including the arrangement of local logistics and communication with key informants such as implementing partners, government agencies, and other partner institutions.

• Assist in documentation (i.e., online and in-person meetings, workshops, consultations).

• Prepares and submits data collection field reports and summary sheets for all KII's and Focus Groups.

• Complete the required orientation/training sessions and attend team meetings (either remotely or in-person).

• Perform other tasks related to field data collection as assigned by the assignment Evaluation Team Leader.

Requirements

• College degree, in social sciences or related disciplines; master's degree preferred.

• At least 4 years of experience in conducting field-level data gathering activities for monitoring, evaluation, and research, preferably for USAID-funded projects/activities.

• Demonstrate skills in conducting field-level data gathering using online and offline applications with the use of mobile tablets and phones.

• In addition to English, can speak the local dialects in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka to include Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and (if needed) Urdu and Punjabi

• Must be an Indian national.

Application Instructions:

Please include a cover letter and resume. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. No telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted.

Panagora Group is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

*Note: Panagora does not offer visa sponsorship at this time.