Hello all!

Please see below and attached for an exciting and challenging opportunity to join the Project Sammaan (projectsammaan.com) team!


Project Overview
Project Sammaan (www.projectsammaan.com) is an urban sanitation initiative dedicated to
redesigning and improving toilet facilities in slum communities across India, beginning in
Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The project was borne out of the abysmal state of sanitation in India
and the enormous public health hazard the lack of a basic infrastructure like toilet poses for
urban and rural populations in India.

Project Sammaan is a unique project that seeks to:
(1) design improved versions of shared community toilet blocks for formal and informal urban
settlements,
(2) institute financial and organizational management systems for sanitation facilities to ensure
proper maintenance over the long run, and
(3) build rigorous evidence on the optimal combinations of toilet infrastructure design,
management systems and service delivery models. The ultimate goal of the project is to identify
which solutions will produce the most attractive, sustainable and hygienic alternatives to open
defecation for slum residents and replicate that model in cities across India.
Project Sammaan is the first pilot project of its kind focusing on community toilets and will
design and build 119 operating toilet facilities in slums located in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar
and Cuttack, Odisha. These facilities are intended to directly impact more than 65,000
beneficiaries.

The initiative is partly funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is being led by cograntees
Quicksand Design Studio and the Institute for Financial Management and Research
(IFMR).

About Quicksand
Quicksand is a multi-disciplinary design and innovation firm with studios in Delhi and Bangalore
(www.quicksand.co.in). Established in 2005, Quicksand has steered several projects in the
development sector, in partnership with multi-lateral and international development
organizations such as The World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GIZ, PATH etc.
Quicksand’s approach has been to bring together principles of design, business, technology and
research in order to conceptualize and implement innovative products, services and programs in
areas of water and sanitation, education and livelihoods, financial inclusion and others.
Our work in the area of sanitation started in 2010 with a year long research study on the
attitudes and perceptions of urban slum residents towards issues pertaining to sanitation
(www.pottyproject.in) - which eventually paved the way for Project Sammaan.

Job Purpose and Description
The Project Manager is responsible for the overall supervision of the facilities’ construction in
Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Odisha. The underlying focus of the Project Manager should be
ensuring that the individual facilities are completed within the allocated period of time and
within the budget that has been assigned.

The Project Manager is expected to operate under a certain degree of autonomy using the staff
and resources allocated to them. The Project Manager is directly accountable to a Senior Project
Manager and ultimately accountable to the Project Sammaan’s lead grantees (Quicksand and
IFMR).

Management is a key component of Project Sammaan as there are a multitude of stakeholders
located in cities across India and abroad, the project’s footprint is massive (with the 119 facilities
spread across the entirety of both Bhubaneswar and Cuttack), and the potential impact
enormous. We are looking for someone dynamic that is able to juggle numerous extremely time-sensitive
matters simultaneously, and to do so with absolute dogmatic attention to detail and
moral fortitude. The Project Manager will need to be savvy enough to understand the technical
intricacies of the project and make on-the-fly adjustments accordingly, while also clearly and
effectively communicating all pertinent information to the project consortium. The ideal
candidate will be as comfortable in the !eld working alongside contractors as they are in a
boardroom working with senior level government officials.

Most importantly the Project Manager will be someone that understands the importance of the
project and is driven by an unshakeable determination to get the job done right. The Project
Manager will be joining a team that has dedicated the last several years to providing an
innovative solution to India’s urban sanitation crisis. Literally tens of thousands of lives will be
affected by Project Sammaan. We are looking for someone that understands the gravity of that
statement and is committed to doing whatever is necessary to ensure the end-users of these
facilities receive the highest-quality work that is possible.

Lastly, and in the interest of full disclosure, this role will be as challenging professionally as it is
rewarding personally. It will likely be one of the most taxing managerial experiences of the
selected candidate’s career for all the reasons listed above, and more. We cannot promise that
this job will be easy, but it is a vital part of the project and requires someone willing to put the
work first and capable of leading a large group efficiently, effectively, and with the utmost
consideration for the end-users of these facilities. If any of this casts any doubts in your mind,
please do not apply; we are only looking for the best, most capable and committed candidates.

Responsibilities
The specific responsibilities of the Project Manager include, but are not limited to, the following:

Project Management
• A Project Management Consultancy (PMC) will be appointed to supervise the construction
sites, conduct regular quality audits, provide engineering and technical expertise for site-specific issues, prepare monitoring and completion reports, and keep the construction schedule
on track. The Project Manager is Quicksand’s representative on the ground and will be expected
to direct and manage construction for the project through the appointed PMC.
• Determine and assess need for additional staff and/or consultants and make the appropriate
recruitments if necessary during project cycle.
• Set and continually manage project expectations with team members and other stakeholders.
• Delegate tasks and responsibilities to appropriate personnel.
• Identify and resolve issues and conflicts within the project team quickly, fairly, and permanently
• Identify and manage project dependencies and critical path, including resources and
participants needed to achieve project goals.
• Plan and schedule project timelines and milestones using appropriate tools.
• Track project milestones and deliverables and communicate progress to the consortium
accordingly.
• Proactively manage changes in project scope, identify potential crises, and devise contingency
plans.
• Define project success criteria and disseminate them to involved parties throughout the project
life cycle.

Liaising and Relationship Management
• Represent Project Sammaan to the Government for all critical issues and approvals. Maintain
an open channel of communication with all the concerned government personnel in order to diagnose where the project is stuck and liaise with them to ensure timely redressal and resolution.
• Coach, mentor, motivate and supervise project team members and contractors, and influence
them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work.
• The Project Manager is expected to work closely with state and other municipal authorities to
ensure all appropriate approvals are granted prior to commencement of construction.

Communications and Documentation
• Develop full-scale project plans and associated communications documents, and effectively
communicate this to all team members and stakeholders. The important stakeholders during
the construction phase will be - Quicksand (Delhi/Bangalore), Architects (Delhi), Sewage
Technology Experts (Bangalore), Grassroots Community Engagement Firm (Bhubaneswar/
Cuttack), PMC (Bhubaneswar/Cuttack) and the Municipal Corporations (Bhubaneswar/
Cuttack)
• Develop and deliver progress reports, proposals, requirements documentation, and
presentations.
• Determine the frequency and content of status reports from the project team, analyze results,
and troubleshoot problem areas.
• Draft and submit budget proposals, and recommend subsequent budget changes where
necessary.
• Oversee preparation and implementation of construction documents which will allow the
successful bidding contractors to construct the project efficiently and with minimal changes.
Technical Oversight
• While it is not expected for the Project Manager to have in-depth technical knowledge (which
the PMC is supposed to provide), the PM should have no qualms about acquiring the necessary
knowledge about multiple key factors including:
- Sound engineering practices
- Municipal regulations and requirements
- Client-dictated criteria
- Sensitivity to costs
- Constructability of the design
• The Project Manager will be expected to have a detailed understanding of the !eld conditions
and challenges faced by the Contractor(s). They must be able to convey speci!c elements of
the design and overall project to the Contractor(s) throughout the construction phase.

Qualifications
This position requires a degree in engineering and management (ideally both but the lack of a
management degree can be made up through relevant managerial experience). The ideal
candidate will have approximately 10-15 years of practical experience. The applicant should have
exceptional communication skills, exhibit great attention to detail, be capable of managing
multiple job sites and multiple team members simultaneously, and be committed to providing
at-risk people with a product and service that will greatly improve their quality of life.
Additional qualifications include, but are not limited to:
• Construction project management experience, along with experience working on government
projects.
• Strong familiarity with technology tools for collaboration, analysis and reporting such as project
management software, word processing, spreadsheet analysis, emails, Internet tools, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in personnel management, particularly in large organizations or in
projects involving a multitude of stakeholders.
• Experience at working both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment is
essential.
• Proven ability to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines through analytical and
problem-solving capabilities.
• Reacts to project adjustments and alterations promptly and efficiently.
• Flexible during times of change.
• Ability to read communication styles of team members and contractors who come from a
broad spectrum of disciplines.
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including upper management,
clients, and other departments.
• Persuasive, encouraging, and motivating, while still being fair and just.
• Ability to defuse tension among project team members, should it arise.
• Ability to bring project to successful completion through political sensitivity.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Adept at conducting research into project-related issues and products.
• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment is crucial.

Location
The Project Sammaan field office is in Bhubaneswar, where 60 Community Toilets and 27 Public
Toilets will be constructed; an additional 32 Community Toilets will be constructed in Cuttack
(~25kms from Bhubaneswar). The Project Manager will be located full time in Bhubaneswar with
occasional travel to Delhi as necessary.

Compensation
Salary will be commensurate with experience and is negotiable.

Contact
In case this resonates with you, please get in touch with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with a
portfolio of selected work and/or links to relevant online work, along with a thoughtful cover
letter. Please mention “Project Manager - Project Sammaan” in the subject line of your
application email.

We look forward to hearing from you.