Academic Development Lead SAJAG | Kalyan-Dombivli, Maharashtra | Full-time INTRODUCTION SAJAG believes in creating safe and welcoming spaces for children in their early years, so that no child is left behind. Since 2016, we have worked on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in Kalyan-Dombivli through three programmes :
• Shala Sangati – an in-school programme that builds teacher capacity
• VidyaSadan – a community-based supplementary learning programme
• EnRead – a town library exclusively for children Our work spans Marathi language and literacy, Mathematics, and social-emotional learning. Our work is guided by three principles: inclusion, empowerment and sustainability. As we expand to more schools and centres, we want the quality of our teaching to grow with us. We are looking for an Academic Development Lead to build and document SAJAG’s academic content, and to support our team to deliver it well. This role sits at the heart of what happens in our classrooms. You will shape what children learn, help facilitators plan and teach with confidence, and make sure that good practice is written down so that it lasts. The role reports to the Director and works closely with our Programme Coordinators, field facilitators, and our Academic & Pedagogy and Math Content consultants.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Syllabus and Lesson Plan Design
• Draft and revise the syllabus for Shala Sangati and VidyaSadan, and the reading programme at EnRead, aligned to grade-level FLN goals.
• Strengthen our language pedagogy, including the OELP approach in Marathi, read-alouds and comprehension strategies.
• Sequence content across the academic year in consultation with our Academic & Pedagogy and Math Content consultants,



who review and advise on content.
• Translate the syllabus into clear, usable lesson plans for each programme.
• Revise the syllabus and lesson plans using classroom evidence and assessment data, including our Baseline findings. 2. Academic Documentation
• Maintain an up-to-date syllabus document for each programme.
• Build and maintain a lesson plan bank, organised by programme, grade and term.
• Prepare facilitator guides and notes on teaching-learning materials (TLM).
• Keep records of classroom observations, feedback given and follow-up.
• Keep all academic documents version-controlled, in Marathi and English as needed, and easily accessible to the team. 3. Team Guidance and Planning Support
• Guide Programme Coordinators and facilitators in implementing the syllabus and lesson plans.
• Lead weekly and monthly academic planning cycles across programme sites.
• Orient new team members on SAJAG’s academic and pedagogical practice.
• Build the independent planning capacity of facilitators and coordinators over time. 4. Classroom Observation and Feedback
• Conduct regular, structured classroom observations across all programme sites.
• Give teachers and facilitators specific, actionable feedback based on observed practice.
• Track individual and site-level improvement, and flag recurring gaps for coaching follow-up.



What success looks like in the first six months:
• The syllabus is documented for all three programmes.
• A lesson plan bank is in place for the current term.
• A monthly observation and feedback cycle is running at every programme site.
• Coordinators and facilitators are planning from shared, documented materials. Qualifications Experience
• 3–5 years in curriculum design, teacher coaching, academic quality or classroom observation roles in the education or NGO sector.
• Direct classroom teaching experience is strongly preferred. Education
• Postgraduate degree in Education, Early Literacy or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Exposure to FLN frameworks, early literacy approaches such as OELP, or structured classroom observation tools is an advantage. Languages
• Fluency in Marathi, the classroom language, including reading and writing.
• Working proficiency in English for documentation and reporting. Skills
• Robust writing and structured documentation skills.
• Typing in Marathi (Unicode) and working comfortably in Google Docs and Sheets.
• Ability to explain pedagogy simply and practically to facilitators.
• Comfort with Mathematics content at the foundational level. We are looking for someone who shares our belief that every child has a right to quality learning, sees teachers as reflective practitioners, and wants to build practices that last beyond any one person. ROLE DETAILS
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Location:
Kalyan-Dombivli, with regular travel across programme sites
• Reports to: Director, SAJAG Charitable Trust
• Remuneration: Commensurate with experience

📌 Academic Lead (Kalyan)
🏢 SAJAG
📍 Kalyan