Positions – 2
Job type – Full time
Location – Nagpur
About us
At Learning Companions we are working to create education leaders who work to create effective, engaging and inclusive learning spaces for children from marginalized communities. Our mission is to transform the education landscape of Vidarbha (Maharashtra) in the next 10 years by creating about 150 education leaders through ‘Learning Companions Fellowship’ and supporting and collaborating with another 150 education leaders at different levels in schools, NGOs, government or private spaces. Through this movement, we aim to reach about 20,000 children and develop a generation of learners who are aware of their interests, values and develop a set of skills that will enable them to pursue their passion.
In the process, we will help passionate and talented fresh graduates from Nagpur to develop the set of 21st century skills necessary for solving complex social problems and leading the people and change for creating impact in the education sector. It will enable the youth to find best opportunities for work and create a proud, satisfying career. Being part of learning companions means developing the most relevant skills and opening the doors of opportunities for a brighter future while contributing to a meaningful social cause.
About the role
We want our children to grow on 3 key things:
- Preparedness to Learn (PTL) – children learn to read fluently, develop critical thinking, problem solving, and other socio-emotional skills which are core learning and life skills. For example, only if I can read fluently, and know how to manage relationship with others, I will be able to successfully survive in a college and study books to be a doctor or a musician
- Health – What are the challenges and opportunities around me regarding physical, economical, psycho-social health. For example, our children will learn that they are becoming late to school because of work at home. So they will think together and find solutions, how to complete work more quickly so that they do not miss study.
- Adventure – Children identify what they enjoy and how they can build life around it. For example, children are introduced to different sports, arts, professions, and children, while doing all these things, find what they love the most.
We believe that if any child learns the above 3 things well, they will be able to build their life successfully anywhere they want.
To build these things, our ground teachers and community leaders are working through:
- Classroom activities and lesson plans
- Different projects
- Reflection and sharing spaces.
Throughout the year, we do a lot of projects and activities. Centre/Project leads at Learning Companions support fellows/grounds teams to execute these activities projects and other activities by themselves demonstrating how to do it, observing ground teams do it and give them feedback and collect data for the senior team. A program manager is responsible for ensuring overall centers and project assessments to make sure that they are running as expected, observation/assessment of center/project leads and support where necessary, plan support structures, training and future programs based on how programs are running and where there is need of improvement/capacity building.
Responsibilities
At learning companions, key functions of a program manager are:
- Understanding for self and helping the center/project leads to understand different ongoing priority programs in the organization
- Assessing if ground team/fellows understand their roles well enough, got enough training and skills to execute the projects and their regular tasks
- Assessing how center/project leads are supporting the fellows, address if there are any gaps
- Provide support and training to center/project leads as well as fellows as per regular training calendar and emerging needs
- Design and conduct open spaces for fellows to unwind and receive emotional support and ensure well being.
- Generate regular feedback and ground data, in order to assess effectiveness of programs/strategies initiated by the organization and use it for future changes in the program
Expected Skills and Qualifications
- 2 years of Teaching/Teaching Fellowship experience
- Preferably 1-2 years of managerial experience in education sector
- Strong understanding of existing best pedagogical practices and different educational experiments happening around in the world
- Proactive communication
- Experience in driving operations in high pressure, goal driven environments
- Experience of having collaborated effectively with a broad range of individuals and groups and have a big sibling(brother/sister ) temperament.
- Experience and excitement to document learnings and goals
What do we offer:
- Highly creative, innovative, rigorous and disciplined work experience that will give you the opportunity to thrive as an education leader.
- Experience working with a young, like-minded and exciting team
- Encouragement and opportunity to experiment on your own
- Flexible Monday – We believe that time is the most important resource we have in life. Generally, in life, spending time with friends, family and specifically at your age (25-20) learning, traveling and exploring new things while doing your work is an important need. For that every Monday of the month will be flexible. That is, there is no need to come to the office on Monday and we can do some work from wherever we are, whenever necessary. This gives us two weeks of three-day weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) and two weeks of two-day weekend (Sunday and Monday) in a month, which we can use to give time to our exploration, friends, family. (This rule will apply from month of September, with some important conditions; you will learn more details during the selection process)
Remuneration
Negotiable based on location, needs and experience
Selection Process
Interest form – Please fill this quick form if this opportunity looks interesting and relevant for you. Registered candidates will be provided support through the process of application if required.
Step 1 – Application – If you have understood the role properly and if you are ready to apply, please submit this application form by March 22nd, 2024. We might request you for a telephonic conversation if we need clarifications on some of the details shared by you.
Step 2 – Selection workshop – Short-listed candidates will be called to participate in virtual selection day in which you will be asked to complete some tasks. Final candidate will be selected based on the performance in these tasks.
Write to us at learningcompanions2021@gmail.com or gsbirajdar516@gmail.com if you have any questions.