Consultant – Knowledge Product (Lifted -SF)

About the British Asian Trust:

The British Asian Trust is a leading international development organisation dedicated to addressing poverty and inequality in South Asia. Founded in 2007, the Trust collaborates with partners to implement innovative solutions that empower communities, promote sustainable livelihoods, and drive social change across the region. The Trust is a global pioneer in social finance, with a strong track record of driving successful collaborations and applying social finance approaches to solve social and economic challenges in South Asia. 

Our Social Finance work started in 2018 when we launched the world’s largest education Development Impact Bond (called Quality Education India Development Impact Bond) in India with global and domestic partners. In 2021, we launched India’s first DIB for employment, called Skill Impact Bond with leading partners including Government of India’s National Skills Development Corporation and most recently launched an outcomes fund, LiftEd, to promote better foundation learning and numeracy outcomes in India.

LiftEd leverages collective action, finance, and innovation to strengthen Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) in India and aims to impact the lives of ~6.5 million children by 2028. The coalition driving LiftEd – leaders in education across the private sector and civil society – works in close alignment with the Government of India’s NIPUN Bharat Mission. LiftEd supports foundational learning, the ‘building blocks’ of every child’s education journey, through a three-pronged approach encapsulated within a $20mn initiative:  

• To drive impact at scale through a systems-strengthening approach, the LiftEd Development Impact Bond (DIB) supports partners who are training key government cadre (e.g. Block Education Officers, Head of School, mentor cadre etc) building their capacity to improve foundational learning levels for children in public schools across grades 1-3.   
• To reach children at home and unlock the power of technology, the LiftEd EdTech Accelerator supports partners who are developing high-quality, contextually relevant EdTech products for children aged 4-10 from low-income communities.   

• To foster an outcome orientation within government, the District Education Innovation Challenge (DEIC) creates a pull-based incentivization approach for promoting micro innovation, championing data-driven governance, and rewarding performance improvements across all districts in Jharkhand. 

Development Impact Bonds sit within the broader umbrella of Outcomes-Based Financing (OBF), a funding approach where donors pay for pre-determined, measurable and verifiable outcomes (e.g. improved learning outcomes, job placement and retention) rather than paying for a roadmap of activities that may or may not lead to impact. Rather than a government or a donor financing a project upfront, impact investors initially finance the initiative and are repaid by ‘outcome funders’, only if agreed-upon outcomes are achieved. The outcomes to be measured are agreed upon at the outset and independently verified. The first of its kind in many ways, the DIB takes a systemic approach and builds on the Government of India’s efforts exhibited through the NIPUN Bharat Mission and aims to improve FLN outcomes through an indirect model of delivery.  

The DIB aims to achieve the following objectives:                                                              

• Improve learning outcomes for ~1.5 million children and strengthen their FLN skills to set them up for success later in life, making them future-ready. 

• Strengthen the ability of state governments to effectively implement impactful FLN interventions at the district and block levels. 

• Build evidence for the ecosystem on interventions working on FLN at scale and the impact they have on learning outcomes, systems strengthening and cost effectiveness.  

• Demonstrate the ability of outcomes-based financing tools like DIBs to drive results for FLN and create systemic shifts in the education ecosystem.   

Scope of Work 

LiftEd is seeking an experienced professional with 6-7 years of experience to lead the research, synthesis, and documentation of a knowledge product — a compendium of good practices emerging from the LiftEd DIB. The consultant will work closely with LiftEd's programme and leadership teams to conduct stakeholder interviews, structure and analyse qualitative data, and produce a well-organised, practitioner-friendly resource. The compendium will document 'what works' in driving systemic change within India's public education system to accelerate FLN outcomes for children. It will also serve as a reference guide for future programming and a resource to influence the broader education ecosystem.

This is a 3-month consultancy, starting in June, structured as a 3- or 5-day-a-week engagement depending on the candidate's availability. Given the tight timeline, we are looking for someone who can work independently and possesses time management skills.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience working in or with the education sector, a strong grasp of India's public education system and policy landscape, and the ability to move fluidly between qualitative research, data analysis, and clear, compelling writing. The scope of work will include the following:

Research & Evidence Gathering 

• Co-design and execute a structured research framework drawing on both primary and secondary sources 

• Conduct in-depth interviews with stakeholders across the project 

• Review programme documentation and monitoring data relevant to LiftEd's areas of work 

Analysis & Synthesis 

• Lead stakeholder communications related to interviews and consultations in a professional and timely manner 

• Analyse quantitative and qualitative data to identify patterns, insights, and lessons learned 

• Cull out actionable good practices and distil complex information into clear, evidence-backed findings. 

• Situate LiftEd's experience within the broader landscape of education reform in India 

Documentation & Reporting 

• Produce interim outputs including outlines, draft sections, and progress updates in line with agreed milestones 

• Incorporate feedback from the programme team in an iterative and responsive manner 

Job-related knowledge, skills, and experience

Essential:

·       Minimum 6–7 years of professional experience in the education sector in India, with experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative research. 

·       A strong grasp of India's public education system and policy landscape, with hands-on experience working with or within government education systems at state or national level (e.g., SCERT, DIET, Samagra Shiksha, NAS, or district administration). Experience of Programme design and work with Direct Implementation is desirable but not mandatory.  

·       Proficiency in qualitative research methods, including stakeholder interviews, key informant interviews, and focus groups. 

·       Ability to synthesise large volumes of data from diverse sources into coherent, insightful narratives. 

·       Excellent written communication in English, with the ability to write clearly for practitioner and policy audiences. 

·       Prior experience producing high-quality written outputs (reports, knowledge products, policy briefs, case studies, or evaluations). 

·       Highly structured approach to planning and execution, with strong time management and the ability to deliver within a compressed timeline. 

·       Self-directed and proactive; able to work with significant autonomy while staying closely aligned with the team. 

·       Collaborative, interpersonally skilled, and responsive to feedback — able to iterate quickly on draft outputs.