Position Summary

As a Manager, Research and Operations, you will contribute to the vision and strategy of the Fellowship Selection Team as well as ensure efficient and accurate implementation of our selection model during the Selection cycle. You will be responsible for ensuring that each applicant at a given stage of the selection process has an experience that is fair, consistent, and inspirational, such that they leave the selection process as advocates of our movement. 

To do this, you will play a critical role in designing and implementing state-of-the-art, agile, and effective operations across the team. You will conduct both primary and secondary research in different sub-verticals on the team to work towards improving the collaboration between sub-verticals, pushing the bar for excellence, and setting up sustainable systems. This could look like project management, deep dives, and implementation in many focused areas to problem solve for challenges faced across the team. These projects are towards innovation, agility, and operational excellence. Most of this research will also be towards the selection model revamp study and transferring the design to implementation. 

As part of the Selection leadership team, you will also be responsible for working with other managers to improve overall team effectiveness through cross-functional projects towards improving the Fellowship Selection model. 

Team Overview

What skills and mindsets drive excellent teachers and how are these similar to or different from those that drive our greatest leaders? These are the questions, which guide the work of the Fellowship Selection Team at Teach For India. 

The Fellowship Selection Team is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the best possible makeup of our cohort. We conduct research and analysis to design a selection model, which will lead us to efficiently identify those likely to be excellent teachers and impactful leaders. We design and run systems and processes that ensure efficient and accurate execution of this model across 8 cities in India. All this by training and supporting over 200 Staff, Fellows and Alumni to execute their roles as interviewers and reviewers. Outcomes are monitored and evaluated at each stage of our process to ensure all decisions are accurate and that every applicant has an experience that is fair, consistent and leaves them as advocates of our movement. In short, we put teachers in classrooms who will transform the lives of every child they teach and who will, as Alumni, work towards eliminating the wicked educational crisis in India. Our team is entering an exciting phase where we strive to maintain the stability of our operations while focusing on innovation and automation of our processes to prepare for scale and strong analysis to better measure the impact of our model.

Responsibilities

As Manager, Research and Operations:

Reviewing applications and interviewing applicants , and supporting others to do the same in a fair and consistent manner.  Designing state-of-the-art and innovative systems to ensure effective operationalization of the selection process. Doing ad-hoc analysis and presenting findings in a manner that is clear, easy, and exciting for stakeholders to deeply engage with. Designing and implementing pilots based on the insights generated through rapid iterations throughout the year. Building relationships with and facilitating ongoing training to manage Staff, Fellows, and Alumni involved in the selection process to ensure fair and consistent implementation of our model. Project management, such that you can plan for and manage complex projects with many moving parts and stakeholders. All this ensures a high-quality outcome in a tight timeframe. Monitoring and tracking progress towards goals through data analysis, which allows you to design and implement strategic solutions to in-the-moment challenges as well as increase long-term process efficiency. Adapting to a dynamic environment, which will require you to create and recreate to increase effectiveness. Collaborating within the team to design execution of a consistent, aspirational Applicant Experience. Quantitative and qualitative research and analysis to understand training needs as well as improve the Fellowship Selection model. Collaborating with other verticals within the Selection Team on projects to improve efficiency, research, and improving systems, which in turn improve the training strategies. Problem-solving the various challenges which arise during the selection process through the design and implementation of strategic solutions that are both immediate and sustainable long-term. Being an ambassador and advocate for the team internally and externally.

As a Manager at Teach For India:

Contributing to the team goals and priorities beyond individual goals and priorities. Serving as an ambassador of the Teach For India brand and an advocate for our work and for educational equity in our country through both internal and external communication after commiting time in our classrooms to understand our work more deeply. Supporting with key organizational areas such as Recruitment, Selection, Fundraising, Volunteering, Movement Building.

Additional Responsibilities

Knowledge and Technical Skills

Competencies and Abilities

Values and Mindsets

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualifications, Experiences and Expectations

Belief that every child deserves an excellent education and that every single child has the ability to be successful academically, whatever their background. Exceptional English language communication skills – both written and verbal, experience in reporting/report creation. Graduate (any field) with 3+ years of work experience. End-to-end project management experience (from vision setting to execution).

Preferred Qualifications, Experiences and Expectations

Project management skills and ability to manage complex projects with many moving parts and stakeholders, ensuring high-quality outcomes in a tight timeframe. Strong critical thinking competence with the ability to look out for gaps and challenges, make connections rapidly and think strategically through multiple approaches. Data analysis and inferencing skills to identify and understand challenges and scoping out and piloting solutions.  Problem-solving and solution-oriented approach when faced with challenges, and the ability to identify and implement solutions to complex challenges rapidly. High attention to detail, with a belief in the importance of ‘the little things’. Highly organized with the ability to envision and set clear plans and adapt them when required to ensure you meet ambitious project goals within clear timeframes. And eye for aesthetics and knowledge of up to date/innovative branding and communication strategies to invest stakeholders High sense of possibility and an anything-it-takes attitude. Growth-oriented mindset and a drive to develop self as well as to challenge and improve existing systems and approaches. Agility and understanding of what it takes to design and implement agile systems.  Risk-taking appetite and ability to balance stability with innovation and experimentation. Excitement and stamina to work in a high-stakes, deadline-driven environment.

Note: We want to hear your unique voice and perspectives through the process, hence all applicants are expected to personally author statements of purpose/essays in the application form. Sole use of AI or Chat-GPT based tools may lead to disqualification from the process.