Academic Specialist – Early Childhood Education (CG)

   JD – Academic Specialist – Early Childhood Education (CG) 

      Designation: Academic Specialist – Early Childhood Education

Nature: Full Time

Location: Chhattisgarh 

Reports to: State Academic Lead – Chhattisgarh  

About LLF

Language and Learning Foundation (LLF)- (www.languageandlearningfoundation.org) is a New Delhibased non-profit organisation working to enhance equitable student learning, especially language, literacy and foundational learning, through professional development of teachers and teacher educators, building and sharing knowledge, and implementing programmes in collaboration with state governments.

About LLF’s ECCE Programme

LLF works towards strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), with a particular focus on Balvatika-3 (age 5–6 years). LLF aims to support the development of Balvatika as a

comprehensive, structured and play-based school readiness programme aligned with the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022 and integrated with the state’s foundational learning efforts.

In Chhattisgarh, LLF will work in collaboration with relevant state and district education structures to strengthen ECCE/Balwadi through academic support, instructional design, professional development, mentoring, implementation support, documentation and evidence-based programme improvement.

Position Summary

The Academic Specialist – ECCE, Chhattisgarh will be responsible for providing academic and programme leadership for LLF’s ECCE work in the state. The position will anchor the planning, implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement of ECCE interventions, while working closely with government stakeholders, state and district-level functionaries, LLF’s central team and other relevant partners.

The position will require a combination of strong academic expertise and techno-managerial capabilities. In addition to contributing to curriculum, instructional design, teacher professional development and field support, the Academic Specialist will be expected to independently manage state-level planning, coordination, progress tracking, data analysis, documentation, reporting and follow-up of programme activities.

The position will require regular field travel and the ability to work independently while maintaining close coordination with the central ECCE team.

Key Responsibilities

       A. Academic and Instructional Support

• Lead assigned academic activities related to ECCE/Balwadi under the guidance of the State Academic Lead and Central ECCE Team.
• Support development, contextualisation and refinement of instructional materials, including workbooks, teacher guides, play-based learning resources and professional development modules.
• Develop/support teacher and mentor resources, including handouts, activity resources and digital/print materials.
• Design and facilitate workshops and academic sessions for ECCE Educators, mentors, master trainers, resource groups and other stakeholders.
• Support professional development and mentoring approaches for ECCE Educators and field functionaries.
• Conduct school/classroom visits to observe teaching-learning practices, identify implementation challenges and collect evidence.
• Analyse field observations and data to identify academic and implementation gaps and recommend actions.
• Support strengthening of ECCE academic processes, instructional design, professional development and classroom practices within the state education system.

       B. Government and Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with relevant government stakeholders and institutions at the state and district levels.
• Coordinate with relevant government departments, SCERT, Samagra Shiksha, DIETs and district/block-level functionaries, as applicable, for planning and implementation of ECCE activities.
• Represent LLF in relevant academic meetings, workshops, consultations and review meetings with government and other stakeholders.
• Prepare/support presentations, concept notes, briefing notes, agendas, minutes and other stakeholder-engagement materials. 
• Follow up on agreed actions and ensure timely communication of progress, requirements and pending issues. 

       C. Programme Planning and Techno-Managerial Responsibilities

• Support preparation of state ECCE work plans, activity calendars, implementation plans and timelines. 
• Independently coordinate and track multiple activities, deliverables, timelines and responsibilities.
• Maintain trackers for trainings, field visits, school interventions, stakeholder meetings, materials and key deliverables. 
• Review progress against plans, milestones and indicators and flag delays, risks and implementation challenges.
• Prepare/consolidate periodic reports covering progress, achievements, challenges and next steps.
• Use Excel and other digital tools for programme tracking, data organisation, analysis and presentation.
• Support data collection, quality checking, analysis and interpretation for programme planning and improvement.
• Coordinate logistics and operations for trainings, workshops, field visits and review meetings.
• Support preparation of budgets, estimates, resource requirements and utilisation-related information.
• Coordinate with LLF Programme, Operations, M&E, Communications and Finance teams as required.
• Maintain organised records of programme documents, government communications, meeting proceedings, training records, field observations and data.
• Identify emerging implementation issues and proactively propose practical solutions.

        D. Monitoring, Learning and Documentation

• Monitor implementation through field visits, classroom observations, review meetings and programme-data analysis.
• Document implementation experiences, promising practices, challenges, innovations and learnings.
• Lead/contribute to case studies, process documentation, reflective notes, success stories and other knowledge products.
• Support collection of evidence and learning from demonstration programmes to inform programme refinement and potential scale-up.
• Share regular field-based insights with the Central ECCE Team for continuous learning and improvement.

        E. Team Capacity Building and Internal Coordination

• Support capacity building of LLF state and field teams on ECCE concepts, classroom practices, instructional design and implementation.
• Facilitate internal review and reflection sessions to strengthen academic understanding and field practice.
• Work closely with the Central ECCE Team, seeking technical guidance where required while independently managing assigned responsibilities.
• Provide academic and programme support to other LLF teams/projects as required.
• Stay updated on research, policy developments, ECCE frameworks and emerging practices in early childhood education. 

        Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Graduation or equivalent degree is required; Master’s degree in Education, Early Childhood Education, Child Development or a related field is preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in ECCE, elementary education, curriculum/instructional design, teacher education, professional development or academic programme implementation.
• Strong academic understanding of ECCE, Balvatika, play-based learning and school readiness.
• Understanding of NCF-FS 2022 and foundational learning/ECCE frameworks.
• Experience of working with government education systems and stakeholders will be preferred.
• Strong ability to design, facilitate and support teacher professional development programmes.
• Strong academic writing and documentation skills.
• Good communication skills in Hindi and English; knowledge of the local language of Chhattisgarh will be an advantage.
• Strong working knowledge of MS Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to use Excel for programme tracking, data organisation and basic analysis.
• Ability to prepare presentations, reports, trackers, work plans and other programmemanagement documents.
• Strong planning, coordination, follow-up and time-management skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple activities and deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Willingness and ability to undertake regular travel to districts and schools within Chhattisgarh. 

       Desired Competencies

The candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong project planning and execution skills.
• Ability to independently manage state-level activities from planning to completion.
• Strong coordination and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to track deliverables, timelines, risks and follow-up actions.
• Comfort with data-based programme review and decision-making.
• Ability to prepare and maintain trackers, dashboards and periodic reports.
• Basic understanding of programme budgeting, resource planning and utilisation tracking.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability.
• Ability to coordinate across academic, programme, operations and other internal teams.
• Ability to work independently in a state where the position may function as the primary LLF ECCE resource.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with both academic and administrative stakeholders. 

        Desired Qualities

• Entrepreneurial spirit and a strong “can-do” attitude.
• Open to feedback and committed to continuous learning.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with a wider team.
• Strong ownership and accountability for assigned responsibilities.
• Resourcefulness and adaptability in a small-organisation environment.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional and social awareness.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion and improving the quality of early childhood education. 

       Compensation

Competitive and commensurate with sector standards and the candidate’s experience.

Apply link :- https://forms.gle/y1wV4csUAqeKjDcHA