Job Description:
Job Description: Sr. Program Lead
About the Organization
Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) was set up in 2019 by Ashish Dhawan (Founder and Chairperson, Ashoka University and Central Square Foundation), Vijay Chadda (previously CEO of Bharti Foundation) and Mohit Beotra (previously Chief Brand Officer of Airtel).
A-PAG is focused on implementation of solutions to combat air pollution and works with Government on a pro-bono basis by placing Project Teams to support implementation. Some of our projects are as follows:
- In Delhi, we are engaged with the Municipal Corporation on a massive program aimed at dispersed sources. This covers all ~250 wards across the city.
- In Uttar Pradesh (UP) we have programs running in 7 cities across the state. This relationship is expected to be extended to all 17 non-attainment cities in the state.
- As part of our program with Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BPSCB), we are active in Patna, Muzaffarpur & Gayaji.
- We work in Gurgaon & Faridabad in partnership with the Municipal Corporation.
- We have recently launched programs in AP and Odisha.
- We have a PMU based at the Central Pollution Control Board, which is helping CPCB drive effectiveness of the National Clean Air Program (NCAP).
We are currently 51 strong with teams in 11 cities.
The Opportunity
About the Role
- Air pollution in Delhi NCR is a structural public health and economic crisis, contributing to ~21 lakh annual deaths nationally and an estimated ₹49,000 crore in GDP losses each year in the region.
- Led by A-PAG, a plan has been created with a bold ambition to reduce PM2.5 by ~40% over the next 2- 3 years. It involves 4 ministries (MOHUA. MORTH, MOEFCC, MOAFW) and 5 states (Delhi, Haryana, UP, Punjab, Rajasthan). The plan has been green lit at the highest levels of the Central Government.
- The execution effort will be anchored through a central Secretariat at NITI Aayog to drive cross-ministerial and cross-state coordination, track progress, and de-bottleneck implementation challenges. A-PAG has been tasked with providing PMU support to ensure this plan is implemented.
We are looking for an Sr. Program Lead who will oversee timely and effective implementation of this plan.
The key areas of focus in this role are as follows:
- You will be the strategy and solution architect for the overall portfolio of solutions. This requires an on-going assessment of the portfolio of solutions, including a detailed design and implementation plan of each initiative.
- You will develop implementation tracking processes and risk mitigation plans for each program. This involves creating step-by-step implementation plans that define actions, owners, timelines, and dependencies by embedding with line ministries and implementing agencies to support day-to-day issue resolution.
- You will be expected to unblock execution challenges by diagnosing on-ground bottlenecks and supporting corrective actions to maintain implementation momentum.
- You will need to enable the Secretariat at NITI Aayog to operate as an effective monitoring body to deliver outcomes. This requires designing a fit-for-purpose operating and review model focused on review cadence, including decision rights, approval workflows, decision-making, and escalation mechanisms.
- You will help design key enablers such as the architecture of the Digital stack for integration of multiple databases for priority interventions.
This role will involve close engagement with senior stakeholders across NITI Aayog, central ministries, and state governments, contributing to decision-making and implementation at the highest levels.
The role reports to Director Operations & interacts closely with the CEO A-PAG. It is an opportunity for a dynamic individual willing to invest 2-3 years to actually mitigate air pollution in Delhi NCR.
Eligibility
- Masters' degree in business or public policy with a strong track record of good academic performance
- 8~10 years of work experience with managerial responsibilities, demonstrating excellent project delivery and relationship development skills. Candidates from a strategy consulting background will be preferred.
- Previous experience working alongside Government would be helpful, but is not essential. Also experience working in the space of environment/air pollution would be preferred – again it is not essential – however, passion to solve the air pollution crisis in India is critical.
Skill Sets Required
- Entrepreneurship – success in this role depends heavily on your making things happen on the ground.
- Ability to work alongside senior Government officials, while being able to convince them to accept our recommendations.
- Project Management skills are critical to ensure programs are delivered against agreed timelines with requisite quality.
- Ability to learn quickly – air pollution is a relatively nascent space and new knowledge is constantly emerging which we need to understand & utilize to our benefit.
Why This Role
- Opportunity to move from advising to owning real-world outcomes at national scale
- Work on one of India's most urgent public health and economic challenges
- Direct exposure to government decision-making at central and state levels
- Build experience in driving system-level change and state capacity building
Location
Delhi
Compensation
Will be commensurate with the best within social sector norms