Senior Program Associate – Youth Dreamers Foundation (YDF)

Youth Dreamers Foundation (YDF) is a not-for-profit organisation registered under Sec 8 (1) of the Companies Act 2015. YDF intends to realize an equal-opportunity approach to accessing higher education, making higher education more inclusive, accessible, and affordable for marginalized sections of society.

One of the most important ways to improve access to higher education is by providing scholarships to needy students. YDF works with all of the stakeholders who have a role to play in the scholarship’s delivery to bring in higher efficiency and efficacy in the system. YDF also supports our scholar alumni to make their higher education journey more relevant to their aspirations.

About the Position
The Senior Program Associate will ensure equal access to secondary & higher education to the socio-economically weaker sections of society. S/he should set up a good liaison and rapport with all the officials involved in the fieldwork for the implementation of all activities relating to the Scholarship Support program. S/he should be able to lead operations providing end-to-end scholarship support to underprivileged students.

Overview

• Job Type: Full-time
• Salary: ₹ 30,000 to ₹ 35,000 per month, commensurate with experience and skills
• Probation: Three months
• Office Working Days: Monday to Saturday
• Reporting To Program Manager
• Location: Patna (Bihar)
• Travel: Field visits to schools/colleges and communities

Key Responsibilities

They are expected to take up the following responsibilities:

Scholarship Engagement:

• Proactively manage the attainment of scholarships for eligible students under Private Scholarship Schemes, ensuring optimal reach and utilization.
• Develop and sustain relationships with educational institutions, engaging with key stakeholders such as principals, heads of departments, and students to promote the scholarship program.
• Lead targeted awareness campaigns on scholarship opportunities for students, parents, community members, NGOs, and institutions, leveraging community meetings and informational materials for dissemination
• Oversee the management of scholarship applications, including their completion, collection, and verification, ensuring compliance with specific scholarship criteria.
• Actively manage field operations, providing essential support to the program manager and ensuring seamless execution of program activities

Alumni Engagement

Coordinate and execute skill-building and training programs by collaborating with industry experts, alumni, and volunteers from CSR partners, ensuring impactful and relevant learning opportunities for students.

Mentoring and Career Guidance:

• Offer customized sessions in career guidance, 21st century life skills, and skill development based on each student’s specific needs and goals.
• Build relationships with students through sessions and help them to find career pathways, courses, colleges, etc.

Data Management Oversight:

• Administer the maintenance of Excel databases for tracking student profiles, scholarship journey, and mentoring sessions.
• Ensure consistently updating student application records, documentation, and session data.
• Develop and oversee a program dashboard to monitor progress and activities.
• Analyze data and provide regular reports on application metrics for strategic team support.

Branding and Promotion:

• Manage the creation and distribution of promotional materials (leaflets, posters, banners) across communities and institutions, ensuring brand consistency.
• Handle the publication of program news in online and offline media, maintaining strong media relations.
• Organize and oversee scholarship distribution events, ensuring smooth execution and high engagement.
• Direct the documentation and storage of event photographs on Google Drive for organizational record-keeping and future promotions.

Reporting:

• Assist the Program Manager in compiling and presenting monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and annual reports, including creating impactful PowerPoint presentations.
• Generate comprehensive activity reports detailing personal tasks and achievements.
• Document and compose success stories and case studies of scholars, highlighting program impact.

Additional Explorations:

• Create a healthy learning environment in the team.
• Keep up to date about various public and private scholarship schemes.
• Effectively lead and manage teams to elevate performance and drive results

Desired Profile

• Excellent computer skills (MS Excel, MS PPT, Google Spreadsheets, Canva, etc.)
• Have experience in project management.
• 2-3 years of experience in youth empowerment and/or community-based operations management
• Proven ability to independently handle multiple diverse assignments simultaneously, complete assigned tasks, and meet deadlines while conducting high-quality work.
• Excellent verbal & written communication in Hindi, English (and any local language) and rapport-building
  skills with stakeholders.
• Ready to work from the office (Patna, Bihar).
• Women & candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply
Send your CV with a cover letter to khushal@youthdreamersfoundation.org with the subject line “Senior Program Associate.” Shortlisted candidates will be contacted with further details