Academic Specialist – Foundational Literacy, Lucknow, UP

The organization is looking for an Academic Specialist Foundational Literacy to support its foundational literacy work in Uttar Pradesh.

The employee will be stationed in Lucknow and will work primarily from the office of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Lucknow. The Academic Specialist will engage closely and regularly with SCERT and other state-level academic institutions providing academic and technical support on foundational literacy.

The position will work as part of the organizations 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 will involve 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 will also require regular travel to field locations in Uttar Pradesh for school visits program reviews workshops classroom observations professional development activities and piloting of academic resources.

• Provide academic and technical support to SCERT Lucknow and engage regularly with SCERTs academic teams on matters related to foundational literacy.
• Contribute to academic discussions consultations and planning processes related to foundational literacy curriculum pedagogy and instructional practices.
• Provide technical input on academic documents frameworks programs and other materials related to foundational literacy.
• Support SCERT in academic planning and implementation related to foundational literacy as required.
• Facilitate coordination and collaboration between SCERT SIE DIETs and other state and district-level academic stakeholders on relevant academic initiatives.
• Represent the organization in relevant academic forums consultations and discussions with government and academic institutions.

• 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 13.
• Develop training frameworks modules and academic resources in consultation with 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.

• 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 SCERT government and partner-led academic workshops and capacity-building programs.

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

• Coordinate academic activities related to foundational literacy programs in Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with SCERT other government academic institutions and state and central academic teams.
• Maintain effective working relationships with SCERT SIE 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 organizations academic work in foundational literacy.

• 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.

• 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 of experience 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 including Word Excel and PowerPoint as well as 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.

• Strong academic orientation and intellectual curiosity with the ability to engage meaningfully in discussions on curriculum pedagogy and foundational literacy.
• A can-do attitude entrepreneurial spirit and openness to feedback and learning.
• Ability to work collaboratively with government institutions academic teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a dynamic fast-paced environment.
• Resourcefulness initiative and the ability to work independently while being a strong team player.
• Strong interpersonal skills self-awareness and the ability to build positive professional relationships.
• Commitment to the mission of strengthening foundational learning and improving the quality of education for children.