Project Officer - Education

American India Foundation Trust (AIFT)

About the American India Foundation Trust (AIFT)

The American India Foundation Trust (AIFT) is dedicated to improving the lives of India's underprivileged, with a particular focus on women, children, and youth. The Foundation achieves this through high-impact interventions in education, health, and livelihoods, recognizing the multi-faceted nature of poverty. Established over two decades ago in the aftermath of the devastating Gujarat earthquake, AIFT was founded as a humanitarian initiative by the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the U.S. President, Bill Clinton. To date, AIFT has positively impacted the lives of 18.88 million of India's poor across 35 States and Union Territories.

About the Digital Equalizer Program

The Digital Equalizer (DE) program envisions a world where all children from underprivileged communities, especially girls, are equipped for successful careers and lives. The program aims to bridge India's digital divide by providing and integrating technology into underperforming public schools, training teachers in techno-pedagogy and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) methodologies, and transforming classrooms into collaborative and interactive learning spaces. Targeting students most at risk of dropping out of school (grades 6-10), Digital Equalizer instills a love of learning in them.

Since its inception in 2004, the Program has empowered 8.14 million children with interactive STEM experiences, trained 240,302 teachers in STEM pedagogy, and transformed 46,385 schools across 35 states and union territories.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

Project Officer

This role requires the Project Officer to act as the end accountable person for the program's projects across planning, implementation/execution/delivery, reporting, donor-driven requirements, financial, and other statutory compliances. They will be responsible for planning, managing, supervising, and organizing activities to ensure that project goals align with the program objectives and the organization's mission.

1. Project Planning, Implementation & Budgeting:

• Develop an operating plan and goals with a detailed project plan (micro-plans) for project delivery in accordance with organizational protocols and contractual commitments.
• Ensure timely execution of all project activities and the operating plan as per organizational standards of time and quality to fulfill project MoUs/contractual commitments.
• Maintain excellent project management and effective utilization of time and resources.
• Analyze project risks.
• Implement and manage changes and interventions based on project monitoring to ensure project goals are achieved.

2. Approvals, Documentation & Legal Compliances:

• Proactively seek approvals from government, partners, and other stakeholders as applicable to ensure timely on-ground implementation.
• Ensure timely and accurate documentation—legal and others—related to project implementation activities, including contracts, budgets, expenses, fund utilization, manpower, administrative expenses, etc.
• Adhere to all legal compliances within the project, including labor compliances, taxation and other financial compliance, auditory compliances, POSH, Child protection, Code of Conduct, HR & admin policies.

3. Manpower Hiring, HR Management & Contracting:

• Proactively plan manpower staffing for effective project delivery.
• Conduct recruitment activities as per HR policies. Prepare JDs, NAFs, design and conduct technical assessments, and participate in the selection process to ensure timely recruitment of qualified project manpower.
• Train the project team effectively to deliver to the project's needs.
• Manage consultancy contract management for projects' consultants to ensure 100% compliance and zero deviations with respect to organizational and legal compliances.
• Manage the project team to ensure project goals are met, including donor satisfaction, safety, quality, and teams' performance and motivation. Set goals for the project team, monitor progress and performance monthly, and give timely feedback and support to ensure the team performs well.
• Adhere to all HR policies for project staff and consultants.
• Proactively support HR in project staff hiring and HR operations such as performance management, development, data, MIS, etc.

4. Financial Management, Budget Monitoring, Expense Management & Approvals:

• Develop a detailed operational budget for the project.
• Proactively manage budget utilization and project expenses.
• Monthly monitor and report budget utilization, project expenses internally and externally.
• Manage local expenses, including approvals, staff expense approvals, management of advances and reimbursements, local procurements.
• Collaborate proactively with Finance on all statutory and donor compliances with respect to project finances.
• Manage vendor relationships for administrative and other services as per project needs and organizational norms.
• Optimize utilization of ERP for timely and accurate project expense management, procurements, reimbursements, etc.

5. Reporting:

• Ensure monthly project monitoring through Smartsheets and timely updates to maintain accuracy.
• Consistently provide excellent quality data and documentation that meet the organization's quality standards.
• Produce accurate and timely reporting of project status throughout its lifecycle, including conducting project reviews monthly and quarterly for Leadership and as per project MoUs and contracts.

6. Communications:

• Share project updates and highlights, including written notes and briefs, photographs and videos, presentations, etc.
• Ensure success stories are documented and shared periodically for program communication through AIFT's social media handles.
• Facilitate field visits for internal and external stakeholders, including Leadership, Board, Donors, Partners, and others.
• Support in planning and executing events and training for the project at the ground level.

7. Evaluations & Studies:

• Support in evaluation studies.
• Support in developing evaluation methods to assess project strengths and identify areas for improvement.

8. Government Representation:

• Proactively engage with government bodies and relevant stakeholders for implementation success, project sustainability, scalability, and replication.
• Actively foster new government relationships and nurture existing relationships with government partners.

9. Stakeholder Engagement:

• Ensure timely and effective communication and active engagement with all internal and external stakeholders to maintain transparency regarding project progress, issues, and related decisions.

10. Donor Engagement & Fundraising:

• Coordinate a system for regular feedback from donors and partners.
• Build excellent professional relationships with donors and partners.

11. Technology Utilization:

• Utilize all technological tools and innovations as per organizational norms.

12. Administration & Procurements:

• Proactively plan for procurement to meet MoUs and contractual commitments.
• Execute procurement activities timely, as per organizational policies and protocols.

13. Fundraising:

• Develop proposals timely and partner with the SP team to ensure uninterrupted project funding and follow-up funding.

14. Field & Facility Management:

• Conduct regular field visits for effective monitoring.
• Ensure field leasing, rent renewals, and general office administration are planned and managed for safety, cost optimization, and efficient project monitoring, adhering to all applicable admin and HR policies.

15. Organizational Ambassadorship:

• Adhere to and maintain the highest levels of integrity and urgency towards all legal, statutory, and organizational compliances.
• Work smoothly with peers and managers and receive constructive feedback well.
• Go beyond own deliverables to support others in the team or the larger organization where required.
• Maintain the highest level of respect and integrity towards the organization's policies, goals, and values.

KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• Post-graduation, with specialization in social or business studies preferred.
• Minimum 04 to 06 years of experience in a social enterprise, non-profit organization, or eco-system building, with at least 2 years of direct accountability as a leader or manager of a project up to 50 lacs.
• Prior experience in consulting, strategic communication, fundraising, and research functions preferred.
• Strong personal commitment to serving underprivileged communities.
• High personal integrity.
• Strong PowerPoint presentation design and delivery skills.
• Excellent English skills—written and verbal.
• Demonstrated excellence in time management, multitasking, and problem-solving ability.
• Adaptability, flexibility, and openness to feedback.
• Ability to deliver under pressure and work on tight deadlines.
• Ability to work in a fast-changing environment and continuously evolving needs.
• Strong team-playing skills.
• "Can-do" attitude.
• Ability to work independently with large volumes of data with initiative.
• Ability to work across teams and supervisors.
• Ability to respond positively to feedback.
• Ability to respect diverse points of view.

OTHERS:

• Salary shall commensurate with experience.

POSITION AVAILABILITY:

• Immediate

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Only applications of shortlisted candidates will be acknowledged.