About Pratham
Pratham was founded in 1995, to provide pre-school education to children in Mumbai slums. Over the last 27 years, Pratham has grown to be one of the largest non-profit organizations working to provide quality education to children and youth in over 20 states and union territories across the country, through a range of interventions.
Pratham is a widely recognized organization, having received notable awards such as the Yidan Prize, Lui Che Woo Prize, WISE Prize for Innovation, Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the Henry R Kravis Prize in Leadership, and the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year for Public Service. For more details, refer to www.pratham.org.
About the Birth – 3 years Program
Over 85% of a child’s brain development occurs before the age of 6 years, indicating the crucial role of early care and stimulation in shaping outcomes across physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, cultural, and communication domains. Pratham’s Early Years programs work towards the holistic development of children in the age group of Birth – 6 years through the implementation of play-based pedagogies for early stimulation and development, using local resources, low-cost and appropriate material, and involving caregivers, especially mothers.
Position Summary
As an Early Years Action Researcher, the candidate will play a pivotal role in advancing research and learning initiatives aimed at enhancing early childhood development within the program objectives. Their responsibilities will encompass qualitative and action research, strategic planning, methodological oversight, and technical guidance to help derive actionable insights for program design and execution. The candidate should be open-minded and ready to adapt, demonstrating flexibility in approach to accommodate evolving research needs and changing circumstances.
Key responsibilities
- Collaborate with program team, partners, and other cross-functional teams to plan, coordinate, and execute research and learning activities.
- Coordinate with field teams to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of research outputs.
- Participate in programmatic discussions to integrate research into program planning at various levels.
- Oversee research design, data collection, and data analysis, with a focus on mixed methods research aligned with the program.
- Review and enhance research methods and tools for their contextual suitability and effectiveness in program implementation stages.
- Lead analysis and synthesis efforts to derive actionable insights for the program.
- Strengthen the research capabilities of program team members, to help them implement action research and learning initiatives effectively.
- Lead efforts in documenting research methods and insights tailored to program contexts.
- Disseminate research findings and policy recommendations to relevant stakeholders and contribute to knowledge exchange activities.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, Social Work, Social Sciences , and related fields. Master`s degree is preferred.
- Minimum 3 to 4 years of research and/or data analytics experience, preferably in the education domain.
- Strong understanding of early childhood development and education, qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively and independently, with a strong commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
- Willingness to travel, often to remote locations
Technical Competencies
- Knowledge of early childhood development, community engagement, parental engagement, nutrition, child and maternal health.
- Ability to translate research findings into policy discussions and development programs.
- Experience in mixed-methods research, including quantitative and qualitative approaches. Awareness of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Comfort with programming languages such as R, Stata, etc.
- Familiarity with education sector planning, and program management.
- Awareness of gender and equity considerations in education and development programming.
Working Location: Thane
Positions available: 1
Application Process
Please send the following to recruitment@pratham.org and ece@pratham.org with the Subject: Application for Action Researcher, Birth – 3 Years. We will reach out to you to set up the application process.
Your resume should contain:
- Contact information
- Academic background: Universities attended and degrees acquired with academic record (Marks or GPA, if applicable)
- Past work experience, highlighting relevant skills
- Relevant Coursework: List Courses in Development, Management, and Education
- Experiences in development, teaching, and/or education (if applicable)
- Interest areas/hobbies
- Languages spoken
Note: Pratham is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce and consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability. We encourage individuals from underrepresented groups, especially persons with disabilities to apply.