Program Lead Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG)

Theconvergencefoundation; Delhi; On-site; INR 600,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Theconvergencefoundation is seeking a Program Lead to oversee the implementation of a bold plan to reduce PM2.5 in Delhi NCR. This role demands strong project management skills and experience in strategy consulting. The successful candidate will work closely with government officials, support day-to-day issue resolution, and assist in designing effective solutions. A Master's degree and 2-3 years of relevant experience are required. The position offers the opportunity to significantly impact air pollution reduction efforts.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of work experience in strategy consulting with excellent project delivery.
• Ability to work alongside senior Government officials.
• Passion to solve the air pollution crisis in India.

Responsibilities

• Support the strategy for developing the overall portfolio of solutions.
• Develop implementation tracking processes and risk mitigation plans.
• Unblock execution challenges by diagnosing bottlenecks.
• Help design the operating and review model at NITI Aayog.
• Design key enablers like digital stack architectures.

Skills

Project Management

Entrepreneurship

Government Relations

Implementation Tracking

Risk Mitigation

Education

Masters' degree in business or public policy

Job description

Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) was set up in 2019 by Ashish Dhawan (Founder and Chairperson, Ashoka University and Central Square Foundation), Vijay Chadda (previously CEO of Bharti Foundation) and Mohit Beotra (previously Chief Brand Officer of Airtel).

A-PAG is focused on implementation of solutions to combat air pollution and works with Government on a pro-bono basis by placing Project Teams to support implementation. Some of our projects are as follows:

• In Delhi, we are engaged with the Municipal Corporation on a massive program aimed at dispersed sources. This covers all ~250 wards across the city.
• In Uttar Pradesh (UP) we have programs running in 7 cities across the state. This relationship is expected to be extended to all 17 non-attainment cities in the state.
• As part of our program with Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BPSCB), we are active in Patna, Muzaffarpur & Gayaji.
• We work in Gurgaon & Faridabad in partnership with the Municipal Corporation.
• We have recently launched programs in AP and Odisha.
• We have a PMU based at the Central Pollution Control Board, which is helping CPCB drive effectiveness of the National Clean Air Program (NCAP).

We are currently 51 strong with teams in 11 cities.

The Opportunity

Air pollution in Delhi NCR is a structural public health and economic crisis, contributing to ~21 lakh annual deaths nationally and an estimated ₹49,000 crore in GDP losses each year in the region.

Led by A-PAG, a plan has been created with a bold ambition to reduce PM2.5 by ~40% over the next 2-3 years. It involves 4 ministries (MOHUA, MORTH, MOEFCC, MAFW) and 5 states (Delhi, Haryana, UP, Punjab, Rajasthan). The plan has been green-lit at the highest levels of the Central Government.

The execution effort will be anchored through a central Secretariat at NITI Aayog to drive cross-ministerial and cross-state coordination, track progress, and de-bottleneck implementation challenges. A-PAG has been tasked with providing PMU support to ensure this plan is implemented.

We are looking for a Program Lead who will support timely and effective implementation of this plan.

The key areas of focus in this role are as follows:

• You will support the strategy and solution architect in developing the overall portfolio of solutions. This requires an on‑going assessment of the portfolio of solutions, including a detailed design and implementation plan of each initiative.
• You will develop implementation tracking processes and risk mitigation plans for each program. This involves creating step‑by‑step implementation plans that define actions, owners, timelines, and dependencies by embedding with line ministries and implementing agencies to support day‑to‑day issue resolution.
• You will be expected to support the unblocking of execution challenges by diagnosing on‑ground bottlenecks and supporting corrective actions to maintain implementation momentum.
• You will support the Secretariat at NITI Aayog to operate as an effective monitoring body to deliver outcomes. This requires helping design a fit‑for‑purpose operating and review model focused on review cadence, including decision rights, approval workflows, decision‑making, and escalation mechanisms.
• You will help design key enablers such as the architecture of the Digital stack for integration of multiple databases for priority interventions.

The role reports to Senior Program Lead & interacts closely with the CEO A-PAG. It is an opportunity for a dynamic individual willing to invest 2-3 years to actually mitigate air pollution in Delhi NCR.

• Masters' degree in business or public policy with a strong track record of good academic performance
• 2‑3 years of work experience in strategy consulting, demonstrating excellent project delivery and relationship development skills.
• Previous experience working alongside Government would be helpful, but is not essential. Also experience working in the space of environment/air pollution would be preferred – again it is not essential – however, passion to solve the air pollution crisis in India is critical.

Skill Sets Required

• Entrepreneurship – success in this role depends heavily on your making things happen on the ground.
• Ability to work alongside senior Government officials, while being able to convince them to accept our recommendations.
• Project Management skills are critical to ensure programs are delivered against agreed timelines with requisite quality.
• Ability to learn quickly – air pollution is a relatively nascent space and new knowledge is constantly emerging which we need to understand & utilize to our benefit.

Compensation

Will be commensurate with the best within social sector norms