Phule Ambedkar Fellow 2024 Internship in Chennai

Job Description About Indus ActionAt Indus Action, we seek empathetic, driven, and action-oriented team members who align with our intention of making public welfare unlock happen as a Do-Tank. We desire candidates who want to partner with the Sarkar (state) and Samaaj (communities) in service of our audacious mission of systematically making welfare access sustainable and frictionless for our vulnerable citizens and their families. At Indus Action, we commit to nurturing active citizens and supporting enterprising individuals with a growth mindset, professionally and personally. If you are about building for impact at scale, experimenting, and learning with joy along the way, then Indus Action is the place for you, and we have been looking for you!Position SummaryDeriving its vision from the life of pioneer social reformers Savitribai Phule and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Phule Ambedkar Fellowship (PAF) is a 12-15-month journey of leading community change through research, mobilisation of champions from the community and citizen-focused advocacy. A cross-functional role with field experience at its core, the fellowship provides young changemakers with an opportunity to undertake strategic projects resulting in possible long-term leadership roles on Indus Action's mission.Through the project, the Fellow understands the vision of the organization and the work that happens across different functions such as communications, fundraising, research, tech and MEL in turn developing generalist skills across Partnerships, Technology and Organizational Development. The focus of the fellowship will be on the Policy Implementation of PoWER (Portfolio of Welfare Entitlements and Rights). As a fellow, you will be visiting the field, meeting government officials and working across one/more defense functions at Indus Action.4-Phased Structure of the PAF programme -The Phule Ambedkar Fellowship is a 12-15-months full-time commitment. During this period, the fellow will be responsible for outcomes and key result areas (KRA) such as research, mentorship, operations, leadership building, welfare unlock structured into the 4 phases of their fellowship journey.Phase 1 - Fellows focus on research on potential DBT schemes in the state that can be added to the PoWER portfolio in the coming year. This stage also involves a boot camp to onboard fellows and recruitment of champions by the PAF. Phase 2 - Fellows will be assigned to an operational team in a zone to lead Samaaj 3.5% operations in the state and a function as point persons.Phase 3 - Fellows mentor upcoming community leaders as part of Samaaj 3.5 and continue working in their respective functional roles.Phase 4 - Fellows will be responsible for integrating the project to the zone based on primary research conducted over the previous months. The structure and outcomes for this phase are decided by the zone, based on the fellows performance to be inducted as a full-time employee at Indus Action.RequirementsRole and Responsibilities (including KRAs)Samaaj 3.5% and ResearchSupport the team in secondary and primary research related to flagship DBT schemes of the state government. Support zonal team with research on citizen experiences related to priority projects. Mobilisation, recruitment, onboarding and induction of champions for Samaaj 3.5% Strategise the planning and implementation to support the first-mile delivery of welfare benefits (welfare schemes) to citizens by champions. Capacity building of champions. Coach champions different ways of looking at the problems of disadvantaged citizens, training them in capturing quality data and building their analytical faculties to make sense of qualitative and quantitative information. Mentor cohort of community champions in the state Samaaj 3.5% chapter, including support in proposal submission for community projects aimed towards first-mile delivery of welfare benefits and training them in understanding the theory of change of their community-based dream projects. Support the state's PoWER project for schemes like RTE 12.1.c and E-Sevai with the support of community champions. Create a culture within the Champions cohort to foster citizen-state engagement for public service delivery. Support the Community Leaders in the state by working closely with the program mentors Knowledge and Technical SkillsResearch (both primary and secondary) capabilities Basic Managerial Skills Planning and operations management skills Strong event management and facilitation skills Interpersonal Skills Communication Skills - Multiple Stakeholders - Govt / Champions/CSO Relationship Building - Partnerships Team building Conflict Resolution Negotiation Proficiency in Tamil(speaking, reading and writing) Proficiency in MS-Office and G-Suite Behavioural Competencies and ValuesCitizen-Focused Mindset: Place the vulnerable citizen at the centre of every action. Entrepreneurial Energy: Own your time and resources to deliver solutions Dealing with Ambiguity: Grace under pressure, progressive elaboration Growth Mindset: Every experience is an opportunity for growth Collaboration: Build productive partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders Commitment, Integrity and Resilience: Ethical practice and perseverance are integral in our commitment to goals Education and ExperienceWe believe that reaching our vision demands that we have the best and brightest group of leaders working to lead our organisation. Here are the minimum qualifications we look for:Graduate ((Postgraduates preferred) - preferably Social Science / MSW / Public Policy, Political Science, Law Must have: Field/ community engagement experience Must have: Research experience Good to have: Fellowship experience Minimum of 2 years of work experience (Fellowship experience can be counted) Volunteering and internship experience will be considered equivalent to 50% of full time work experience. What will you get out of this role:The PAF will get an opportunity to:A structured learning environment. Manage a group of passionate individuals and mentor their journey to become community leaders. Be part of designing and mentoring champions across the state chapter. Build an on-ground understanding of how policies are implemented across the country Get mentored and coached by a diverse set of individuals Hand-on works with the functional teams Upskill through mentorship and coaching by a diverse set of individuals across various functions Fellows will be considered for full-time employment at Indus Action after successful completion of their fellowship tenure based on a rigorous review process. BenefitsCompensation-The PAF will be compensated based on the Indus Action's compensation benchmarking rubric. The compensation range will depend on the qualifications, experience and fit to the role.LocationThe role is based out of Chennai. Expect to travel to Champions base locations within the state every month.