State Manager - Kusuma Foundation India (Apply by: November 20, 2015)

JOB DESCRIPTION
State Manager, Kusuma Foundation – India, Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh

1. POSITION VACANT: State Manager, Kusuma Foundation – India, Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh

2. ORGANISATION BACKGROUND:

The Kusuma Foundation (KF) is registered under Section 8 of the Company’s Act 2013 and works to support and implement programmes of national importance for Secondary Education of marginalised children, in the states of Odisha and Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The Foundation supports Kusuma Trust UK’s (The Trust) work in India. KF works in partnership with 112 Secondary schools to implement its programmes. It also has a Kusuma Resource Centre and twoKusuma Satellite Centres, which offer free access to educational resources, including books, audio-visual materials and computers with internet connectivity.

For more information about KF, please visit www.kusumafoundation.co.in

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reporting to the Country Leader – India (CL) and working closely with the Senior Programme Manager (SPM), the State Manager (SM) shall be responsible for the successful initiation and implementation ofKusuma projects in the State and their outcomes. This includes direct delivery of the Kusuma Schools Partnership Initiative (KSPI), Teacher Professional Development (TPD), Secondary School Readiness Programme (SSRP) and Kusuma Resource Centre (KRC), Kusuma Excellence Awards (KEA) and Kusuma Excellence Fellowship (KEF).

The SM will also be accountable for managing projects implemented by NGO partners.

The SM will provide leadership to the team at Hardoi and work closely with the team in New Delhi, to ensure high quality implementation of The Foundation’s interventions in the State.

Job Responsibilities:

1. Programme Management

(1) Directly manage and implement all aspects of the KSPI, TPD, SSRP, KRC, KEA, KEF and other assigned projects under the supervision of CL and SPM;
(2) Support the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Uttar Pradesh, to form and build the capabilities of School Management and Development Committee’s (SMDC) in order to improve school governance and management government secondary schools in 75 Districts of Uttar Pradesh;
(3) Lead Government liaison, approval and resource deployment from government and non-government sources for secondary schools at the state and district level;
(4) Plan, manage and provide inputs to partner schools - directly and through programme consultants;
(5) Work with HTs, teachers and SMDCs to create a community of schools that model, sustain and expand good practices in the district;
(6) Work with partner schools and Specialist - Teaching & Learning, to improve teaching and learning practices at the schools;
(7) Work with partner schools and Specialist - Schools to improve school planning, management and governance practices;
(8) Review, analyse and lead reflection on programme progress through:

(a) Management Information Systems
(b) Monthly reviews and presentations to SPM on progress in agreed dashboard indicators for key projects
(c) Monthly and quarterly programme and financial review of grants. Formally communicate with grantees along with Finance Manager (FM)/ SPM for improvements;
(d) Periodic field visits to ensure high quality implementation of the programme.

2. Programme Implementation Quality

(1) Provide inputs to SPM on detailed Programme Implementation Plan and Milestones for each programme;
(2) Ensure high quality programme implementation as per quality standards agreed with SPM in the following key areas:

(a) Teaching and Learning
(b) School Governance and Management
(c) Management of Infrastructure and Facilities
(d) Direct Intervention with Students (Secondary School Readiness & Student Assessment)
(e) Kusuma Excellence Awards
(f) Kusuma Resource Center
(g) Kusuma Fellowships

(3) Ensure high quality implementation of agreed plans and performance standards by KF staff, technical agencies and schools at the field level;
(4) Monitor and review the progress of projects implemented by NGO partners in the districts;
(5) Collate information and evidence on agreed monitoring tools and processes for programme implementation;
(6. Work with partner schools to develop their school improvement and action plans;
(7) Prepare all school level agreements in coordination with the school management to deliver improvements;
(8) Plan, manage and coordinate the implementation of interventions with the Specialist – T&L andSpecialist – Schools at the school level;
(9) Ensure high quality of data collection at the field level for Management Information Systems at KF.

3. Team, Financial and Risk Management

(1) Manage the Kusuma team at the state and 85 consultants, including District Resource Group Members, Volunteer Teachers and Community Volunteers;
(2) Under the guidance of CL and in close coordination with SPM, FM and Programme Support Manager (PSM), provide inputs on KF’s Annual Programme Budget;
(3) Quarterly review the Budget vs. Expense Analysis with FM and SPM and present to CL;
(4) Review the disbursement of funds to grantees and payments to partner agencies and provide recommendations to SPM and CL;
(5) Under the guidance of FM and SPM, conduct internal audits of partner schools;
(6) Provide information on match and leverage funds generated by partner schools;
(7) Take responsibility for day-to-day operations of the state office, ensuring that the operations are effective and efficient and that the team works cohesively and delivers results in a timely manner;
(8) Establish and maintain effective financial management systems, processes and controls, compliant with good operating standards and the relevant legal and statutory requirements.

4. Key Relationships

(1) Maintain regular contact and dialogue with grantees, programme partners, technical agencies, national and state level education departments and research partners to strengthen programme implementation;
(2) Work closely with the CL, SPM, Specialists, PSM, FM and consultants as part of a mutually supportive team;
(3) Develop collaborative relationships with representatives from the government, civil society organizations and donors.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualification and Experience 

(1) Applicant should have a Masters in Education, International Development or Social Sciences and a minimum of five years’ experience in providing leadership to large programmes, projects and grants in the education sector or a Bachelors in a relevant field and eight years’ experience in managing programmes;
(2) Demonstrated knowledge of at least one of the following areas in the context of education and development: education management, in-service and pre-service training, pedagogy, improvements in quality of teaching and learning, governance of education, scholarships and project management.

Skills and Competencies

Essential
(1) Experience with state of the art approaches to learning, participatory methods for monitoring and evaluation, and partnership development;
(2) Experience and skills in leading and supervising teams;
(3) Willingness to be based and work from a district location in the State of Uttar Pradesh;
(4) Management and leadership qualities, including the ability to innovate and manage risks effectively;
(5) Excellent organisational and planning skills, ability to prioritise a diverse and demanding workload, and meet deadlines consistently;
(6) Strong interpersonal, networking, communications (including high level written and verbal English), information technology, problem solving and analytical skills;
(7) Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office covering Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel;
(8) Awareness and understanding of various technologies, which can be used in the field of Education;
(9) Working knowledge of Hindi;
(10) Willingness to work flexibly and travel regularly;
(11) Proven ability to think strategically and analytically;
(12) Patience and flexibility;
(13) Excellent negotiation and diplomacy skills.

Desirable
(1) Demonstrated ability to successfully work with a range of stakeholders, including government agencies, community leaders, donors and NGOs on issued-based advocacy initiatives;
(2) Empathy with Kusuma’s mission and priorities;
(3) A sense of humour;
(4) A passion for creative problem solving and enthusiasm.

5. COMPENSATION OFFERED: 

The offered compensation for this position is attractive and competitive to market rates. The offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience and salary history.

6. APPOINTMENT:

This is a full-time position and the initial contract will be offered for a period of two years, renewable, based on performance.

7. LOCATION: Hardoi, UP

8. REFERENCE: SM-KF

9. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Senior Consultant
Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar 
New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025 Phones: 011-2684-2162; 011-4165-3612; 011-4101-1564 and 011-4101-1565
Email: sm-kf@sams.co.in  

10. LAST DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:

Eligible candidates interested in this position are requested to apply to sm-kf @sams.co.in with a cover letter outlining how they fulfill the expectations of KF, along with an updated resume, giving details of three references, current cost to organization and expected compensation, by or before November 20, 2015.

For further details please visit our website http://www.sams.co.in.