Program Lead
Location: NPMU-MoRD DELHI
About our Organization
The/Nudge is an action institute working towards a poverty-free India, within our lifetime. We partner with governments, markets, and civil society to build resilient livelihoods for all. We are a collective of some of India’s best leaders and entrepreneurs from across the industry, academia, government, and development sectors.
Who are we solving for in End Ultra Poverty program?
We are solving for the bottom ~5-10% of the population in India which is tucked away and invisible to the outside world on the edges of remote villages, geographically isolated, socially and financially excluded, and economically excluded. Both markets and governments find it difficult to meaningfully support this segment.
A typical ultra-poor household in India may have following indicators:
annual household income of less than INR ~25000-35000
tied to unpredictable wage labour
living on less than 2 meals a day
ownership of little or no land or productive asset (like livestock, bicycles)
no savings (spend 80% of income on food)
little or no access to social entitlements
Women in ultra-poor households are especially vulnerable; hence we directly engage with them at each household level.
What are we solving for in End Ultra Poverty program?
End Ultra Poverty (EUP) program is solving for households in ultra-poverty through a targeted, multi-faceted and sequenced model called the graduation approach which has demonstrated that ultra-poverty can be conquered.
At The/Nudge we have been piloting this program for the past 3 years and are in the process of catalyzing propagation of the same. Our purpose is to contribute to ending ultra-poverty in India. EUP will:
continue to implement on its own to iterate the design for impact at scale
enable more NGOs to adopt technical and capacity-building support
enable govt to adopt by providing research, design, and implementation support
continue to generate data on ultra-poverty and evidence on graduation approach to nudge governments to adopt at scale
build technology solutions for NGOs and governments to adopt and implement at scale & with quality.
What are some of the principles/approaches we use to solve problems?
First principles thinking
Human-centered design (thoughtful, action-oriented, experimental & iterative process) with a gender lens
Systems thinking (analytical, stakeholder-oriented, and holistic)
Strategic planning (result oriented, logical, and coherent with clearly defined outcomes, grounded on the current realities)
Responsibilities:
Develop, manage and execute strategic plans for the Ultra-Poor program with MoRD-DAY NRLM
At the National Level:
Preparation of a detailed timeline/ action plan for the overall program and the specific projects as well as the institution of a tracking mechanism to monitor overall progress. Ensure that roles and responsibilities at different levels for regular and quality tracking of progress are clarified within the teams
Review and build robustness of internal monitoring and project management frameworks by developing and maintaining project management frameworks, trackers, review cadences
Ensure quality reporting and representation of overall program and specific project progress, at decided periodicities, using data from the National Tech solution and other appropriate sources to key stakeholders
Identify potential risks to program implementation and develop risk mitigation strategies. Monitor and manage risks to ensure the smooth functioning of the program overall.
Ensure smooth coordination with the concerned thematic anchors of DAY-NRLM, technical partners, and SRLMs for the smooth integration into programmatic aspects (Livelihood, Gender, Climate and PVTG)
Identify potential partnerships for strategic convergences, including government and non-government organizations, so that the program is contextualized to meet the requirements of states. Enable strategic ecosystem building efforts to galvanize a coalition of like-minded partners (regional, national and international levels) to further the agenda
Ensure that the required technical inputs across all themes are provided in a timely and qualitative manner to all states and also ensure that coherence is maintained between all technical partners working on the program strategy
Ensure that the guidelines/advisories and manuals for each program component are prepared and updated on a time-to-time basis. The same needs to be shared with concerned States and state technical partner agencies.
Organize frequent workshops, consultations, and brainstorming sessions with the key stakeholders on different program-related aspects to bring clarity and coherence on the program.
Undertake frequent travel to the States for support provision and monitoring
Qualifications:
Master’s Degree/PG in Management, Rural Management/Development/ Business Administration or any other relevant field. An advanced degree in development studies, livelihoods, rural/urban development, public policy or a relevant field
At-least 10-12 years of work experience, 5 at the senior management level with experience in project management or operations. Experience in developing programs at scale is preferred.
Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in Government, reputed Governmental organisations, international development agencies and research organisations in relevant areas
Strong understanding of databases, analytical tools, and research methodologies. Should possess excellent project management, communication, report writing, and presentation skills, and should be well versed with MS Office and MIS. Excellent written and spoken Hindi and English language is required.
Strong interpersonal skills to support teams in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, and multicultural environment.
Creative problem-solving ability and adaptability to changing workflow/team needs;
Proven ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
Strong understanding of the thematic aspects across different social and economic contexts i.e. livelihood- farm, non-farm and off-farm, climate change and adaptation, PVTGs and Gender, and an ability to work around intersectional thematic areas for the benefit of the overall program strategy.
Sound financial management and planning skills for ensuring optimal utilisation of resources