Senior Associate, Schools of Applied Learning (SoAL), Punjab

About The Education Alliance

The Education Alliance (TEA) is a non-profit organization that warmly welcomes all those who share our passion for providing high-quality education to every child in India. Headquartered in Delhi, we are committed to promoting system reform projects that help to ensure that all children in India have equitable access to quality education.

We support state education departments by deploying highly qualified teams that work with state and non-state actors to co-create solutions to improve the quality of education in government schools. We currently operate in five states (Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, and Punjab) and are proud to have a dedicated team of 50+ young professionals.

Why TEA?

Joining TEA provides you with a rare opportunity to drive meaningful and lasting change within the education system, working alongside top politicians (ministers) and bureaucrats (IAS officers) who are leading education reform in the country. As a member of our team, you’ll have the chance to help deliver statewide education projects that make a real difference to the lives of children and their families.

At TEA, we believe in creating a positive work environment that fosters growth and development, and we’re proud to be certified as a ‘Great Place To Work®. We offer some of the most progressive work policies in the not-for-profit sector, with a strong focus on employee development and well-being, ensuring that young professionals have every opportunity to build a fulfilling and successful career with us.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for passionate, driven, and highly qualified young professionals who are eager to build a career in public policy and public administration, with a focus on education. If you have excellent project management and problem-solving skills, we’d love to hear from you. Our rigorous recruitment process ensures that we find the right candidates for the role and the culture of our organization.

Joining TEA is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful and long-lasting impact in education. 

About the Project:

In Punjab, approximately 2.5 Lakh students leave the government school system annually with around 1.5 Lakh entering the workforce immediately post-school. The government of Punjab is enhancing school-to-work vocational education by establishing Schools of Applied Learning (SoAL).

The SoAL program represents a strategic effort to enhance the state’s skill-based education offerings for Grade 11 and 12 students. Building upon the foundations laid by existing schemes like the National Scheme of Vocational Education (NSQF) and traditional vocational programs, SoAL aims to deliver a more comprehensive, industry-aligned approach to skill development. This program seeks to equip students with practical, job-ready competencies that enable a seamless transition into the workforce or further educational pursuits in their chosen trade.

The project focuses on three key areas:

1. Reforming Vocational Trades: This involves rationalising existing vocational offerings and introducing industry-relevant in the state through collaboration with industry experts. To deepen skill sets provided in vocational courses, a new curriculum closely aligned with industry expectations is being envisioned.
2. Upgrading resources to enable effective vocational education: Enhancing the capabilities of school teachers to transact the curriculum effectively, building and modernizing infrastructural facilities to improve overall skill training.
3. Building Industry-School Synergy: Establishing a sustainable relationship between industries and schools, ensuring a seamless transition from education to employment.

The goal is to create a vocational education system that aligns with the needs and aspirations of students, equipping them with industry-relevant skills and facilitating their smooth transition into the workforce.

About the Role:

Job Summary:

The Senior Associate role is a dynamic opportunity to support our program in orchestrating overall program management, defining strategy/design, and driving day-to-day execution across various workstreams. This role will also include driving stakeholder management with all partner organizations involved, ensuring that their core strategic focus aligns with wider department mandates.

1. Support Curriculum Development

• Collaborate with industry experts to design and develop relevant curricula tailored to program objectives.
• Facilitate workshops and focus group discussions with industry experts, vocational teachers, and students to gather input and feedback on curriculum development.

• Work with trainers to implement new curricula and provide ongoing support and training to ensure effective delivery.

2. Support Program Strategy and Approach

• Conduct research and analysis to inform project planning and decision-making.
• Supporting the project manager in overseeing project timelines, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders including schools, government officials, and partner organizations, to ensure efficient project progression.
• Tracking project milestones and progress and providing regular status updates to the project manager and other stakeholders.

3. On-Ground Implementation and Monitoring

• Lead specific program verticals as assigned by the Project Manager, ensuring effective execution and monitoring.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, school principals, vocational teachers, partner organisations, and team members.
• Support data collection, analysis and learning through school visits and other forms of stakeholder engagement at the school level. 
• Identify areas for process improvement and collaborating with the project manager to implement changes that enhance project performance and outcomes.
• Support resource management, including staffing and material allocation, to meet project needs.

4. Communication and Documentation

• Documentation on on-ground learnings and knowledge received from external partners to support TEA’s internal capacity/knowledge building.
• Developing and delivering project-related communications to all stakeholders, including project status updates, reports, and presentation.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with at least 2-3 years of work experience in consulting/government/education sectors. Fresh Graduates/Post Graduates are also encouraged to apply.
• Strong communication skills (both written and verbal), experience in documentation, writing reports, proposals, and presentation skills.
• Analytically strong, with an ability to understand, work with, and draw insights from data; familiarity with data analysis tools.
• Ability to coordinate between and build relationships with various stakeholders within the government and with partner organizations
• Ability to work in a high-paced environment, and maintain a flexible work schedule to accommodate multiple simultaneous projects.
• Strong project management skills – prioritization, setting goals, assessing progress and course-correction
• Demonstrated commitment to social impact/prior experience working in the social sector

Salary: 06+ LPA

Employment Type: Permanent / Full Time

Location: Chandigarh/ Mohali

To apply, fill out the form here .