Our Vision: Making technology accessible to changemakers

Our mission: All Changemakers (esp grassroots, cooperatives, movements) should have access to trained professionals to meaningfully leverage technology.

Position

aikyam fellowship 2024

Location

Kochi, India

Type

Full-time, 1-year with a monthly scholarship

Who is this fellowship for?

Are you passionate about any of the following - building valuable apps/ Product Management/ UI/UX / Design Thinking / Operations / Storytelling / Fundraising, HR & Talent Management / Accounts & Finance / Project Management / Community Building / Impact Measurement / Data Analytics?

Do you believe that organizations can leverage technology to do all the above things in a simpler, easier way?

Are you looking for a meaningful, rewarding career in Social impact sector (NGOs, government agencies, etc)?

If your answer to all the above is YES, we believe you will like this fellowship. 

This immersive fellowship is designed to make benefits of tech more accessible to change makers. It will lead to assured job placements within impactful, grassroots NGOs across India.

Who can apply? Only techies? No.

One of the reasons that changemakers find it challenging to leverage tech is because tech is only a small part of the solution really.

For example, websites are not a tech problem but a content challenge; fundraising is not a payment button problem but a storytelling challenge, etc. So if you have experience, expertise and passion for any of the following - Storytelling, Coding, Product Management, Design, Fundraising, Impact Measurement, Data analytics, HR & Recruitment, Operations, Accounting & Finance, Compliance, please do apply.

During the fellowship, you will

1. Engage in intensive learning modules designed around technology and its real world applications for change makers and the communities they serve.
2. Hands-on projects and work with NGOs, immersion through field visits.
3. Work collaboratively with other fellows and with mentor guidance to grow personally and professionally.

We want to give you a sense of what could be a prospective career for you:

1. aikyam fellow [1 Year]

This is a learning by doing phase and not a job phase. You will learn how to use simple tech tools to create valuable solutions to help NGOs. The learning will be hands-on and will also involve field visits to understand the challenges that grassroots NGOs face. You can check out some examples of the work that you will do here and here. You will be mentored by a great team, including Shemeer, Jinso, Megha and Sumi.

1. aikyam solver [2 Years]

Congrats! You have completed the 1st stage! Now as an aikyam solver [salary could range between ₹35,000 - 50,000 per month], you will be placed with different NGOs across India for short periods of time. You will be involved in solving real world problems with these amazing NGOs. You will also continue to learn and will be training new aikyam fellows.

1. aikyam partner: [optional] You move on to the next level in the aikyam journey, where you will manage a team of solvers and train fellows, while working on your own projects to help NGOs directly. 
2. aikyam co-founder: [optional] After 2-3 years of being an aikyam partner, if you feel that you are excited to continue being a part of aikyam, you can look at becoming a co-founder. 

Ideal fellow profile

Our fellowship and career path above have been carefully designed for the following profile. We recommend that you read through and see if you fit the profile before you apply. 

1. Cares deeply about coding, product management, UI/UX, operations, storytelling, fundraising, impact measurement, data analytics by using technology.
2. Dreams about a long-term career in the social sector to help vulnerable communities and NGOs who work with them.
3. Is resilient and can work in remote areas, including small villages and with small NGOs, and can travel and navigate difficult situations as needed.
4. Likes to break down big problems into smaller problems and solve them one by one.
5. Cares for values like democracy, secularism, inclusiveness.
6. Loves to imagine and tell or read stories.
7. Is a good listener.
8. Is goal oriented - good at setting personal goals and chasing them without anyone having to push them.
9. Practises mathematical reasoning and analytical thinking.
10. Values both their time and others’ time. Practises time and task management through daily work calendars, getting things done no matter what.
11. Curious about learning new things in their work through self learning and also have the ability to ask for help when they get stuck.
12. Shares warmly and freely: Should not hesitate to engage with others in supportive environments.

Please do read our values to get a sense of who we are and why we are doing this.

Minimum Qualifications

1. At least 1-2 years of rigorous practice in your expert skills (coding, product management, UI/UX, operations, storytelling, fundraising, impact measurement, data analytics), learning through working on useful projects that bring your skill and technology together.
2. At least beginner-level spoken & written English
3. Completed class 10 or equivalent, with at least 75% score
4. Our youngest fellow is 22 years old, and our oldest fellow is 46 years old. What we are saying is that age is not a barrier for you to apply for the fellowship. As long as you meet the rest of the requirements of the ideal fellow profile.

Wondering what we offer?

Pick 4 of the following :) 

Great peers to work with

Helping NGOs with real problems by learning tech, design tools

Monthly scholarship

Assured 2-year aikyam solver job placement on successful completion of fellowship.

Scholarship

₹15,000 per month + Up to ₹5,000 per month in additional benefits [reimbursements for medical expenses, mobile recharge, etc. on producing bills]

How to Apply

If you feel that your profile matches the requirements of the fellowship, we encourage you to apply at the earliest. Follow the steps below to apply. Please note that the next step involves an assessment and will take 30-60 minutes to complete.

1. Make a copy of this google doc: aikyam-fellow-application 

2. Change the title of your copy to include your name. This is to help us identify your application easily.

3. Fill in your details and answers to the questions in your google doc. 

4. Download your completed assessment as a PDF before the next step. 

5. Use the apply button below to submit the PDF of the assessment.

Following this, there will be 2-3 rounds of online and in-person interviews for shortlisted candidates. The interviews may be held in Delhi/Bangalore/Kochi, depending on need. Selected candidates will begin their fellowship at aikyam space in Kochi, starting May/June 2024.

Timelines

There is no set timelines but we encourage you to apply as early as possible as we will be processing the applications in a staggered manner.

Wishing you the best from all of us here at aikyam.

We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief, veteran status, or other by any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We are on a journey towards ensuring our team and community is diverse at all levels and that we are representative of the world around us. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Credits

We are grateful to the team, changemakers, our friends from OASIS, funders & donors, Free and Open Source Softwares, Github, AWS, Digital Ocean and many more for their support, guidance.



Are you passionate about Design?

Do you think benefits of good design excludes vulnerable communities?

Do you think we should make benefits of Design more accessible to vulnerable communities and the grassroots NGOs who serve them?

Then, this role might be a great fit for you.

About us

At aikyam fellows, We love changemakers and the extraordinary work they do to serve vulnerable communities & the planet. aikyam makes technology accessible to grassroots, small NGOs and help them amplify their impact.

We work from our aikyam space in Kochi, Kerala. (Bangalore, Remote options may also be available)

This position is a Full time position (1-3 months).

Compensation: 10,000 INR per month as a scholarship

Job Description

Design at aikyam

We are a small, diverse team of technologists, service designers, curriculum designers, social workers with deep specialist practitioner skills across all parts of the technology for social good – covering research, design strategy and service design, Human Centred Design, through to content, prototyping and movement.

We display a generalist attitude; an understanding of the whole design process, and can easily navigate, communicate and practice the full spectrum. Our goal is to make technology more accessible to grassroots NGOs.

We are passionate about the possibilities that all aspects of design has for meaningful innovation in the space of technology & society. We work with a diverse set of NGOs and their teams, are collaborative and believe in iterative learning and providing a psychologically safe space for everyone to thrive.

The Role

Designers work on the rapid delivery of user centred experience design across a variety of projects, NGOs and sectors. Our processes are designed to give more agency and power in design to those who are usually never respresented in the design process (Vulnerable Communites, The Planet);

You will contribute to all aspects of our design work; producing UX & UI artefacts from sketches, maps and prototypes through to detailed product design. You will have meaningful input to impactful projects, deliver work with real use for those who really need it and help shape our vibrant design for good community.

What You’ll Do

1. Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to research, conceive and craft meaningful products and services
2. Contribute to and support all types of research and design activities; from interviews and workshops through to prototyping and user testing
3. Rapidly visualise ideas, through collaborative sketching and prototyping
4. Craft high quality UX & UI artefacts
5. Present your ideas to peers and make iterative improvements
6. Have a strong focus on quality and timely delivery
7. Take an interest in emerging trends, tools and technologies; pushing the creativity and innovation in our work

Flexible working & Remote work - You have autonomy to manage your time and diary to suit your work/life balance.

Qualifications

As a Designer, its preferable but not mandatory that you have some experience in producing UX and UI design to solve a range of problems. You know a range of design tools, techniques and processes, and when to apply them. You are curious and an enthusiastic learner.

Collaboration Skills

1. Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team environment; actively contributing to a safe and respectful environment where the team can do their best work
2. Collaborative and friendly; working openly and transparently with your team
3. Communicate clearly and manage expectations about your output
4. Understand and apply UX best practice while balancing the technical constraints of your project -Enjoy knowledge sharing and learning from others

Practitioner Skills

1. Understand quantitative and qualitative research techniques and how to use them to uncover user needs.
2. Understand design thinking; supporting workshop activities and co-creation sessions; both in person and using online tools
3. Sketch target customer experiences, journeys and interfaces
4. Create low and high fidelity design artefacts for validation/testing/delivery as required (eg. service blueprints, experience maps, user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, detailed UI design)
5. Use design, prototyping and collaboration software (eg. Figma, Sketch, Miro or any others you can introduce us to)
6. Interpret and follow design guidelines

Communication Skills

1. Good verbal and written communication skills
2. Present your work clearly and concisely; both in person and using online tools
3. Sensitively challenge inappropriate ideas and solutions
4. Question your own thinking and actively seek feedback on your output

We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates like you, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.

We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief veteran status, or other by any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We are on a journey towards ensuring our team and community is diverse at all levels and that we are representative of the world around us. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.



aikyam fellows & aikyam.space in Kochi, Kerala supports small grassroots NGOs and change makers in their impact journey.

While aikyamfellows.org helps make tech more accessible to NGOs through their unique fellowship program, aikyam.space is on a mission to ensure that all changemakers have access to psychologically safe spaces, people and resources to amplify their impact.

They are looking for Junior, Mid and Senior Level Associates to join their mission to make benefits of technology accessible to small & grassroots NGOs in India.

If you have experience & expertise in one or more of the following, we encourage you to apply

1. Operations (Recruitment, Talent Management, Finance, Administration)

2. Fundraising (Individual Fundraising)

3. Community Building, Engagement, Outreach

4. Project Management, Program Management

5. Curriculum & Instruction Design

6. Design Thinking, Service Design

7. Data Analytics

8. Technology for Social Good (Especially FOSS tools, DevOps, Product Management)