Academic Coordinator-DTP

Leadership For Equity; India; On-site; INR 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

Leadership for Equity is seeking an Academic Coordinator for the District Transformation Program in Palghar, Maharashtra. The role focuses on translating training inputs into effective classroom practices through ongoing observations, academic support, and demonstrations.

You will collaborate with a Project Associate and Manager at LFE to meet program goals, coordinate with KPs and HMs, and ensure timely delivery of classroom activities in govt schools.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1–2 years of experience in executing educational projects.
• Experience working with government teachers in Maharashtra is a MUST.
• Willingness to travel across the district and engage with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide teacher support and feedback to strengthen Foundational Literacy and Numeracy practices.
• Plan academic support and prepare for program inputs and demonstrations.
• Coordinate with KPs, HMs and government stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation.
• Document classroom observations, assessments, and program activities in the data system.
• Conduct baseline and endline assessments and support programme reviews.

Skills

Classroom observation

Feedback skills

Regional language communication

Team collaboration

Education

Graduation in any discipline

D.Ed

B.Ed

MA Education

Job description

Leadership For Skilled Education Foundation (branded as Leadership for Equity , LFE) is a non-profit organisation based in Pune, Maharashtra, working to strengthen India’s public education system so that every child learns and thrives. We envision public education systems that refuse to let children down.

LFE partners with state and district governments across multiple states—including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Haryana—to improve teaching practices and build sustained academic support structures within the public system. Our work is anchored in the belief that public education systems are the gatekeepers of social equity, and strengthening them is essential to ensuring that every child has access to strong foundational and future-ready learning.

Approach

LFE’s systems-change approach focuses on improving classroom practice and enabling government ownership through three core levers:

• Co-creating high-quality curricular resources and building teacher capacity
• Developing academic leadership to coach and mentor teachers
• Providing data-driven advisory support and policy implementation guidance

Our model empowers teachers as instructional leaders and embeds long-term support through government-run mentor cadres, continuous classroom observation cycles, and in-system academic structures. Technology plays a critical role, including an in-house Classroom Observation App for real-time monitoring and a WhatsApp-based teacher support chatbot for contextual resource delivery.

The approach is iterative and context-responsive, grounded in classroom realities and tailored to state and district needs. Implementation varies across geographies—whether working directly with teachers or through government-appointed mentors—ensuring relevance and feasibility within existing structures. A continuous feedback loop of training, observation, and coaching moves beyond one-time interventions toward sustained practice change. All programs are co-designed and co-implemented with government partners to ensure scale, sustainability, and systemic ownership, ultimately leading to improved student learning outcomes in foundational and future literacy.

About District Transformation Project:

The district transformation project (DTP) is aimed to improve the quality of schools in Zilha Parishad of a particular district. This program was started in 2018 in the Nashik district and now it's present across 5 districts of Maharashtra. Under DTP, we want to improve the practices of teachers of Zilla Parishad schools and overall the interaction of the teachers with students so that student learning outcome especially in foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) improves. As part of this work, the team conducts teacher training through the government in service teacher training platform. We also work with middle managers of the system and support them in the administration in order to improve the quality of education in government schools.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Academic Coordinator, District Transformation Program (DTP), will be responsible for the effective implementation of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy interventions in the schools and classrooms assigned to them within the allocated geography in Palghar district.

The current focus of the role will be to support teachers in translating training inputs into effective classroom practices through regular classroom observations, academic support, demonstrations, assessment, and continuous follow-up. The Academic Coordinator will also coordinate with school- and block-level stakeholders to build ownership of the program and ensure smooth implementation of classroom activities.

The Academic coordinator will work with a Project Associate and Manager at LFE to ensure project goals are achieved.

The key responsibilities include:

1. Teacher Support (50%)

• Identify and select Grades 1–5 teachers to strengthen Foundational Literacy and Numeracy practices.
• Strengthen Foundational Literacy and Numeracy practices among assigned teachers through academic support and classroom engagement.
• Use classroom evidence to identify teachers’ academic and pedagogical needs and provide targeted support, feedback and demonstrations to improve classroom practice.
• Support teachers in translating Shikshan Parishad and other program inputs into effective classroom practices, and track changes in implementation to adapt support accordingly.
• Conduct classroom observations using classroom observation tool to strengthen teaching-learning practices.
• Conduct baseline and endline classroom observations of assigned teachers to assess teaching-learning practices and track academic progress.

2. Academic Planning & Readiness (20%)

• Develop a strong understanding of the program progression, academic goals and expected classroom practices, and plan academic support for assigned teachers accordingly.
• Prepare thoroughly for academic inputs and develop mastery over content, pedagogy, demonstrations, prerequisite knowledge and likely misconceptions.
• Use classroom observations and teacher interactions to identify academic gaps, strengthen subsequent planning, and share relevant academic insights and effective practices with the wider team.

3. Stakeholder Management (10%)

• Build and maintain positive and professional relationships with KPs, HMs, and other relevant school-level stakeholders in the assigned geography.
• Regularly coordinate with KPs and HMs to update them on program activities, classroom implementation, and progress.
• Work with KPs and HMs to build their ownership of the interventions being implemented in their schools.
• Coordinate with KPs and HMs to ensure that planned classroom activities are implemented effectively.
• Keep the Extension Officer and BEO informed about the progress of program implementation, key developments, and relevant field-level insights, as required.
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation of planned classroom and program activities.

4. Documentation (10%)

• Document all classroom observations, assessments, and program activities in the data management system.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of DMS entries, forms, and other program documentation.
• Maintain accurate records of assigned teachers, classrooms, observations, assessments, and program activities.
• Document relevant classroom practices, teacher journeys, and field-level insights.
• Share regular updates on implementation progress, challenges, and support required with the Project Associate and Manager.
• Contribute field evidence and examples of effective practices for program reviews and organisational learning.

5. Monitoring & Evaluation (10%)

• Conduct baseline and endline assessments for assigned classrooms at teacher and student level, as planned.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of classroom observations, assessments, and other monitoring activities.
• Use classroom observation and assessment data to identify implementation gaps and inform subsequent teacher support.
• Support the team in analysing classroom-level data and generating insights for improving implementation.
• Support control-group observations when required.
• Use assessment and observation evidence to inform subsequent classroom support and implementation decisions.
• Support block-level training program through academic demonstrations, preparation, or logistics when required.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 1–2 years of experience in executing educational projects.
• Experience working in Maharashtra with government teachers, either teaching students or lesson demonstration with students is a MUST.
• Experience in facilitating training with teachers would be highly preferred.
• Graduation in any discipline, D.Ed , B.Ed , MA Education is highly desirable.
• Must have a valid two-wheeler driving licence and access to a two-wheeler for regular travel to assigned schools and classrooms within the district.

Knowledge, Skills & Capabilities

• Strong classroom observation and feedback skills , with the ability to identify classroom practices, understand teacher needs and provide relevant support.
• Ability to demonstrate effective teaching practices and explain the academic and pedagogical thinking behind them.
• Strong communication skills in the regional language , with the ability to communicate clearly and build positive working relationships with teachers, KPs, HMs and government stakeholders. Working knowledge of English is required for internal communication and documentation.
• Willingness to continuously learn and strengthen content and pedagogical understanding through preparation, practice, observation and feedback, with a genuine interest and passion for education.
• Takes ownership of responsibilities , works independently, uses evidence to inform decisions, and proactively responds to challenges and changing program requirements.
• Works collaboratively with teachers, KPs, HMs and the wider team, is open to feedback and different perspectives, and builds positive relationships towards shared program goals.

Location and Compensation

Location : Palghar, MH. Frequent travel across the Panchayat Samitis and schools in the district.

Compensation : Apart from being a part of a young and dynamic learning team, the individual will receive a healthy compensation at par with the non-profit sector benchmark for this position, commensurate with the individual’s prior experience and qualifications. The current compensation band offered, based on fit and experience , is 3 to 4 lakh INR per annum CTC.

Applications from candidates identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community or PWD would be prioritized.

Leadership for Equity is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind. We do not discriminate on the basis of caste, race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other non-merit factor.