Nithya Dorairaj
Program Manager
Hawthorn,Victoria
Summary
Dedicated community work professional with history of making deep impact utilizing consistent and human-centred practices. Skilled in working under pressure and adapting to new situations and challenges to best enhance the project impact in a sustainable way.
Legal training, passionate about education and committed to social change with 20+ years' diverse experience in leading, developing and implementing programs that result in concrete and positive changes at the grassroots level as well as at the policy level across various agents of change including gender, climate change, health, behaviour change, education and access and most recently, due to my lived experience of financial hardship, passionate about financial literacy and well-being for women and people of all backgrounds. Hardworking Project Lead with an exceptional commitment to exceeding expectations.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
5
5
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Project Lead
Women's Information Referral Exchange Inc (WIRE)
Melbourne, VIC
11.2021 - Current
- Interrogated evidence and impact of pilot Lead for change and identified gaps and redesigned project concept and implementation accordingly.
- Used principles of participatory and human centred design and intersectional lens to create project model.
- Centred lived experience to inform and create evidence base for project design and rollout.
- Maintained tactical control of project budgets and timelines to keep on task and achieve schedule targets.
- Adjusted project plans to account for dynamic targets, workshop and marketing changes and operational specifications to include co-facilitation for certain communities.
- Met with manager weekly to provide detailed project report and milestone updates.
- Kept funder consistently informed of project plans through regular updates and reports.
- Identified actions to mitigate risk by developing contingency and avoidance strategies.
- Created network of organizations that have expressed interest in workshop.
- Performed independent analysis and provided recommendations to overcome project obstacles.
- Developed and followed baseline project plan and milestones for task completion.
- Partnered with CEO and subsequently, acting CEO to identify and quickly address problems of pilot and redesigned project.
- Designed innovative workshop model and facilitator's guide which is ready for rollout.
- Accomplished 1st year's program mandate to revise and adapt program within 3 months.
Consultant
Azim Premji University
Bangalore, Karnataka
02.2021 - 10.2021
- Research project on how Pandemics shape cities and civic, legal and social consequences and responses.
- Coordinated research and collated data to create public health narratives.
- Organized webinars and created presentations for various webinars.
- Created digital resource hub of all information relating to pandemics from Plague to Coronavirus.
- Create pedagogical resource towards academic course in public health.
- Created abstracts of 200 historical papers.
- Organized and analyzed primary and secondary research to socio-political policy trend.
- Managed multiple deadlines simultaneously.
- Renegotiated outsourcing contracts to save considerable costs.
- Generated reports detailing findings and recommendations.
- Gathered, organized and input information into digital database.
Lead, Network and Marketing (consultancy)
Global Ark Foundation
Bangalore, Karnataka
01.2021 - 04.2021
- Strategic planning and Business Development
- Made presentations to potential customers
- Coordinate team and workflow processes
- Reported and monitored updates to project specifications and progress.
- Coached team members in techniques necessary to complete job tasks.
- Achieved multiple pathways for services in very short turn-around time.
Head, Blue.Red
Prarambha
Bangalore, Karnataka
07.2017 - 02.2021
- Strategized with client development team members to manage budget and synchronize volunteer efforts to boost funding initiatives.
- Composed grant proposals and fundraising newsletters to raise capital for non-profit organizations.
- Raised over Rs. 1,00,000 in corporate sponsorship funds for nonprofits events in 2 months
- Created content for impactful social media platforms, offering content relating to fundraising campaigns and organizational objectives.
- Researched and identified potential donors.
Mediator, Family Dispute
Jhala Family
Bangalore, Karnataka
07.2019 - 03.2020
- Family dispute resolution over property and financial estate.
- Established calm environment for dispute settlement, utilizing conflict resolution techniques to reach agreements to contentious issues.
- Led interviews and collected evidence to support either side and achieve favorable resolutions.
- Applied deep understanding of relevant laws and policies to reach agreements.
- Provided legal advice to clients, advising to accept or reject terms of settlements depending on parameters and details.
- Conducted initial meetings to outline process, answer questions and set expectations for both parties.
- Read and analyzed details of legal disputes, absorbing minutia and often overlooked but critical information.
- Conducted individual meetings between parties, utilizing empathetic listening skills and documenting relevant details.
- Prepared agreements and settlement documentation for each interested party to sign and complete.
- Used mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, to further parties' understanding of different perspectives and to guide parties toward mutual agreement.
- Settled 15 year old dispute within 9 months, amicably and to satisfaction of all parties.
Educational Consultant
The Learning Centre Goa
Goa, Goa
03.2018 - 06.2019
- Worked with The Learning Centre founders to create a strategic 5 year plan
- Designed and developed thematic for the Learning Centre to achieve a child-based collaborative learning space
- Facilitated bi-weekly sessions with the learning facilitators on vision, reflection, personal and common goals, understanding approaches and models of learning
- Developing questionnaires for all stakeholders (parents, funders, staff) and facilitating workshops
- Acting as liaison between various stakeholders to understand the common goal
- Created learning rubrics for self-directed learning and put in place systems for implementation of goals, engagement principles between children and staff, curriculum goals and methodologies and year-long calendars
- Facilitated sessions and workshops for groups of children aged 8 to 16 on various topics
- Provided personalized service to parents and guardians regarding academic needs of students and expectations of parents through phone calls, email and live video chat.
- Coordinated training and professional development courses for teachers and school administrators to create new teaching strategies that encourage student learning.
- Performed detailed and comprehensive evaluations of teaching and support staff.
- Organized committees, workshops and conferences to promote social and intellectual welfare of students.
- Effectively implemented best training practices and learning principles in planning and creation of instructional materials.
- Created curricula, research topics, course format, subject matter and presentation.
- Designed course materials and supported implementation.
- Targeted diverse learning modalities in development of new course content and training programs.
Co-designer
Buzz India
Bangalore, Karnataka
02.2017 - 06.2017
- Recruited, trained and mentored 35 junior financial and support staff to generate ideas, share knowledge and grow firm.
- Designed and implemented leadership curriculum, financial training and fostering entrepreneurship for rural, economically disadvantaged women producing 6 modules.
- Created innovative and impactful training curriculum and modules for low-literacy adult women using principles of instructional design and adult learning.
- Facilitated training of trainers and stakeholders.
- Produced materials for training packages.
- Designed workshops with specific tangible outcomes and methodologies.
- Put in place evaluation systems for effective program implementation.
- Helped individuals and families build and execute finance generation strategies based on unique goals and objectives.
Consultant Trainer
Navya Disha
Bangalore, Karnataka
04.2016 - 07.2016
- Quickly adapted training plans for client needs, keeping timelines, budgets and desires in mind.
- Monitored participant workflow and behaviors throughout training process.
- Analyzed team performance and identified opportunities for additional training.
- Performed continuous evaluations of content and plans to enhance delivery and improve effectiveness.
- Developed effective training plans based on department needs and objectives.
- Created board game on Financial Literacy for children ages 14+
- Board game has been deployed in 2600+ Government schools in India
- Renegotiated outsourcing contracts to save considerable costs.
- Evaluated staff performance and provided coaching to address inefficiencies.
- Monitored participant workflow and behaviors throughout training process
- Educated clients on proper use of game for optimal results
Senior Program Manager
ISquareD
Bangalore, Karnataka
09.2008 - 07.2017
- Conceptualized and designed program through robust research and evidence
- Used an intersectional lens to identify areas for program interventions (particularly gender, disability, caste)
- Liaised with program stakeholders; donor agencies; partners
- Negotiated terms of project with collaborators and partners.
- Hired staff and built teams at all levels of program making sure that principles of diversity and inclusion were adhered to at all levels across organization of 500 staff.
- Created training modules, conducted training of field trainers, designed and delivered workshops for stakeholders and implemented of training objectives.
- Identified areas of behaviour change intervention with communities through participative methodologies (PRAs).
- Kept abreast of developments in policy and protocol.
- Created and implemented evaluating and monitoring systems.
- Created and implemented budgets within tight budget lines.
- Represented organization at external meetings.
- Supported building of capacity and capability within team and communities.
- Managed German volunteer program through SCI (Service Civil International) and acted as first and primary point of contact for volunteers.
- Wrote, directed and produced over 200 radio programs for rural communities on gender, sexuality, violence, access to justice, financial empowerment, child rights and many other issues resulting in direct change in individuals and communities
- Considered to be organization's most effective program to date
- Identified system needs and designed processes to support program requirements.
- Engaged with staff, community, partners and stakeholders groups to create positive, trusting and professional relationships.
- Tracked and reported program results to customers and stakeholders to facilitate change management activities.
- Trained multiple teams in Behaviour Change and Climate change to accomplish set goals and benchmarks.
- Devised tools and benchmarks to improve team performance and monitor impact in communities across all thematics.
- Communicated best practices among teams and external personnel to align efforts and goals.
Welfare Program Coordinator
Samuha
Karnataka, Karnataka
01.2006 - 09.2007
- Organized and managed program development from conception through successful execution.
- Orchestrated smooth and efficient program development by collaborating cross-functionally across organization and community.
- Worked with 20+ most marginalized and invisible communities in Karnataka.
- Helped in guiding resource group to work with these communities in self-identification and creating social identity.
- Designed and implemented interventions to support these communities to acquire and strengthen leadership and advocacy skills through training programs end to end.
- Coordinated workshops for over 100 staff on cultural sensitisation for working with indigenous communities and diversity and inclusion.
- Implemented budgets and prepared periodic reports.
- Evaluated impact of program internally and in partnership with external validators.
- Edited Annual reports.
- Created linkages for community members to pursue education and occupations with partners.
- Worked with partner organisations in consultative committees to create and influence policy objectives.
- Designed program implementation and maintenance plan.
- Prepared variety of different written communications, reports and documents
Education
B.A. LL.B. (Hons) - Law
National Law School of India University
Bangalore India 06.1988 - 05.1993
Skills
Facilitation of training and workshopsundefined
Accomplishments
- Successfully campaigned for changes in Cooperative Laws
- Appointed to the Justice Malimath Committee on Criminal Justice Reforms (wrote two chapters)
- Wrote amendments to The Disability Act (implemented) and The Slum Act
- Campaigned for amendments to The Mental Health Act
- Consultant to PUCL, Samraksha, JanaSahyog on effective training &methodologies for adult stakeholders
- Directed three short films for - GRAM, Christian Children's Fund and Samuha
Passionate about self-directed learning
I am the mother of two and have brought my children to be self-directed learners who trust themselves to navigate life and learning in a peaceful and joyous way.
Timeline
Project Lead
Women's Information Referral Exchange Inc (WIRE)
11.2021 - Current
Consultant
Azim Premji University
02.2021 - 10.2021
Lead, Network and Marketing (consultancy)
Global Ark Foundation
01.2021 - 04.2021
Mediator, Family Dispute
Jhala Family
07.2019 - 03.2020
Educational Consultant
The Learning Centre Goa
03.2018 - 06.2019
Head, Blue.Red
Prarambha
07.2017 - 02.2021
Co-designer
Buzz India
02.2017 - 06.2017
Consultant Trainer
Navya Disha
04.2016 - 07.2016
Senior Program Manager
ISquareD
09.2008 - 07.2017
Welfare Program Coordinator
Samuha
01.2006 - 09.2007
B.A. LL.B. (Hons) - Law
National Law School of India University
06.1988 - 05.1993
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