Consultant-Lucknow

About Indus Action

At Indus Action, we seek empathetic, driven, and action-oriented team members who share our mission of making welfare access sustainable and frictionless for vulnerable citizens. We collaborate with both the state (Sarkar) and communities (Samaaj) to drive meaningful change. We prioritize an inclusive, equitable work environment with transparent policies and supportive culture. As a Deliberately Developmental Organization (DDO), we foster growth through cross-functional learning and a no-door policy, promoting open collaboration across all levels. If you're passionate about building impact at scale, experimenting, and learning joyfully, Indus Action is the place for you!

Position Summary

Indus Action has signed an MoU with The Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) to transform the delivery of social security benefits to millions of Unorganised and Gig and Platform workers across the state. This partnership marks a significant step toward digital governance and enhanced social protection. Through this collaboration, Indus Action will support the GoUP in modernizing the state's worker welfare system by implementing digital solutions and streamlined processes. The initiative will focus on benefits delivered to Unorganised and Gig and Platform workers as per the new Labour Codes notified by the Government of India. The project involves everything from supporting the state in setting up the new Gig and Platformworkers welfare Board, designing rules and SOPs for worker welfare delivery as well as designing protocols for Cess collection from businesses.Indus Action is looking for a professional who can take ownership of critical aspects of these projects and support the state lead in driving towards crucial outputs and outcomes. Engaging with primary and secondary research, building government relations and implementing critical aspects of the project will be essential for this role. The Consultant will ensure technical support to the Department in the policy, process formulation and day-to-day execution support. The role may also involve supporting operations in other states in the North zone as per projectrequirements.

Roles and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities would include:

Strategic planning

? Designing project strategy, building the theory of change as well as the logframe for the project.? Resource planning for the project and managing time and budget allocation.? Design contingency plans as well as pivot strategies as per evolving circumstances

Project Operations

? Operational Management: Support the day-to-day operations of projects within designated departments, ensuring strict adherence to project terms and scope of work.? Cross-functional collaboration: Coordinate with various teams within IA to drive key project outputs and outcomes.? Efficiency Enhancement: Identify operational bottlenecks and assist in implementing strategies to boost efficiency and productivity.

Data Analysis and Reporting

? Data Collection: Facilitate end-to-end primary data collection exercises as per the project requirements? Data Analysis: Analyse government, primary data and secondary research to identify trends and derive stakeholder recommendations.? M&E Planning: Develop and implement the monitoring and evaluation plan for project? Report writing: Write reports and one pagers based on analysis and actionable recommendations for government stakeholders.

Stakeholder Engagement

? Government Liaison: Engage with government officials at multiple levels (including Principal Secretary/Special Secretary Labour) on specific project aspects. This includes working out of a government office most days a week.? Community Outreach: Engage with citizens from economically and socially disadvantaged groups across diverse geographical areas. This entails travelling to rural and urban locations across thezone for consultations and data collection.? Partnership Development: Foster on-ground partnerships with local NGOs and other civil society organizations.

Donor management

? Prepare donor progress reports and share regular updates? Design and execute a donor engagement plan to establish regular touchpoints with donorsRequirements

Skills and Qualifications

? Educational Background: A Master's degree in labour studies, development studies, social sciences, public policy, or a related field is preferred.? Experience: Previous experience working on government projects is advantageous.? Technical Skills: Proficiency in working on Excel or any data visualization tools (such as Miro/ PowerBI) would be beneficial.? Research: Familiarity with carrying out end-to-end research studies including designing methodology, preparing study tools and conducting data collection.