Academic Specialist

Ground Zero; Prayagraj; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Ground Zero in Prayagraj seeks an Academic Specialist for Foundational Literacy to support state institutions like SIE and SCERT. The role involves curriculum development, teacher materials, professional development, and field visits across Uttar Pradesh.

You will collaborate with state and central teams, design assessment tools, and contribute to knowledge sharing on foundational literacy, with regular travel for workshops and classroom support.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree or equivalent qualification in Education, Language, Literacy, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience, including 3 years on foundational literacy programs involving teacher training and/or development of instructional materials.
• Strong conceptual understanding of foundational literacy, early-grade language development, curriculum, and pedagogy.
• Demonstrated experience in developing workbooks, teacher guides, training modules, and other academic resources.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience conducting workshops or professional development programs.
• Ability to review, analyse, and provide academic inputs on curricula, textbooks, teaching-learning materials, and program documents.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in Hindi; proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Hindi is essential.
• Basic conversational proficiency in English.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and internet-based tools; Hindi typing skills are essential.
• Ability to use AI tools effectively for academic and professional work.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively within Uttar Pradesh as required by the role.

Responsibilities

• Provide academic and technical support to the State Institute of Education (SIE), Prayagraj, and engage regularly with the institution on foundational literacy.
• Contribute to curriculum and instructional material development for Grades 1-3.
• Develop training frameworks, modules, and academic resources in consultation with SIE/SCERT and central teams.
• Develop workshop designs, facilitation modules, and workshop materials for teachers and educators.
• Contribute to video and digital resource development for professional development courses.
• Support professional development for State Resource Groups, DIET faculty, and teachers on foundational literacy.
• Visit schools for classroom observations, assessments, and piloting of instructional materials.
• Document learnings and share best practices with state and central teams.

Skills

Facilitation

Hindi language proficiency

Travel readiness

AI tools proficiency

Education

Graduate degree in Education or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Internet tools

Hindi typing

Job description

Job Summary

Role: Academic Specialist - Foundational Literacy, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

The employee will be stationed in Prayagraj and will work primarily from the office of the State Institute of Education (SIE), Prayagraj. The Academic Specialist will engage closely and regularly with SIE and other state-level academic institutions, providing academic and technical support on foundational literacy.

The position will work as part of the organization's academic team and will collaborate closely with the Academic Lead (Uttar Pradesh), central academic team, SCERT, SIE, DIETs, academic resource persons, and other government stakeholders. The role involves contributing to academic discussions and planning, curriculum and instructional material development, professional development, assessment and classroom support, and documentation and knowledge sharing related to foundational literacy.

The role requires regular travel to field locations in Uttar Pradesh for school visits, program reviews, workshops, classroom observations, professional development activities, and piloting of academic resources.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

1. Academic Engagement with SIE and State-Level Institutions

• Provide academic and technical support to the State Institute of Education (SIE), Prayagraj, and engage regularly with the institution on matters related to foundational literacy.
• Contribute to academic discussions, consultations, and planning processes related to foundational literacy, curriculum, and instructional practices.
• Provide technical inputs on academic documents, frameworks, programs, and other materials related to foundational literacy.
• Represent the organization in relevant academic forums, consultations, and discussions with government and academic institutions.

2. Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Instructional Material Development

• Review state language curricula, textbooks, and other instructional materials from the perspective of foundational literacy, and prepare comprehensive reports and recommendations for government and academic partners.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of learning outcome frameworks, instructional designs, teaching-learning materials, workbooks, teacher guides, and other academic resources for Grades 1-3.
• Develop training frameworks, modules, and academic resources in consultation with SIE/SCERT and the central academic team.
• Develop workshop designs, facilitation modules, and workshop materials for teachers, teacher educators, and academic resource persons.
• Contribute to the development of videos and other digital resources for professional development courses and training programs.

3. Professional Development and Capacity Building

• Support the design and implementation of continuous professional development for State Resource Groups (SRGs), DIET faculty, academic support personnel, and teachers on foundational literacy.
• Facilitate professional development workshops and academic sessions for teachers, teacher educators, and other academic stakeholders.
• Work closely with state and district academic functionaries to strengthen their understanding and implementation of foundational literacy approaches.
• Support government and partner-led academic workshops and capacity-building programs.

4. Assessment, Classroom Practice, and Program Support

• Design and develop assessment tools, classroom observation tools, and other academic monitoring formats in consultation with the central team and SCERT/SIE.
• Visit schools to conduct classroom observations, support assessment activities, and pilot instructional materials and approaches.
• Analyse observations and field-level evidence, preparing reports and recommendations to inform program improvement.
• Support academic review of foundational literacy programs and contribute to strengthening implementation quality across the state.

5. Coordination and Knowledge Sharing

• Coordinate academic activities related to foundational literacy programs in Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with state and central academic teams.
• Maintain effective working relationships with SIE, SCERT, DIETs, and other government academic stakeholders.
• Contribute to documentation and sharing of academic learnings, field experiences, and emerging practices.
• Participate in relevant forums and platforms to represent the organization's academic work in foundational literacy.

6. Other Responsibilities

• Undertake regular travel to field locations in Uttar Pradesh for academic workshops, program reviews, school visits, professional development activities, and piloting purposes.
• Contribute to other academic initiatives and responsibilities related to foundational literacy, as assigned by the supervisor.

Educational Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

• Graduate degree or equivalent qualification in Education, Language, Literacy, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience, including a minimum of 3 years working on foundational literacy programs involving teacher training, academic capacity building, and/or development of instructional materials.
• Strong conceptual understanding of foundational literacy, early-grade language development, curriculum, and pedagogy.
• Demonstrated experience in developing workbooks, teacher guides, training modules, and other academic resources.
• Strong facilitation skills and experience conducting workshops or professional development programs.
• Ability to review, analyse, and provide academic inputs on curricula, textbooks, teaching-learning materials, and program documents.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in Hindi; proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Hindi is essential.
• Basic conversational proficiency in English.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and internet-based tools; Hindi typing skills are essential.
• Ability to use AI tools effectively for academic and professional work.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively within Uttar Pradesh as required by the role.