Location: Delhi

Responsibilities:

Strategic Program Leadership

• Work closely with the Country Director on the design, evolution, and execution of national program strategy, aligned with organisational vision, adolescent wellbeing goals, and systems-change approach.
• Translate organization's theory of change into scalable, contextually adaptable program models across states.
• Balance innovation with implementation rigour—ensuring programs are evidence-informed, feasible, and system-ready.
• Anticipate sector trends (education reform, mental health integration, youth wellbeing frameworks) and incorporate them into program design.

Program Integration & Cross-Vertical Alignment

• Ensure strong alignment between and relevant capacities of curriculum, training, implementation, research, and LME teams, avoiding silos.
• Create clear roles, handoffs, and decision-making frameworks across verticals and state teams.
• Act as the glue that holds together design, delivery, learning, and systems engagement.

Oversight of Program Implementation

• Guide the National Lead - Program to ensure consistent quality, timely delivery, and contextual adaptation of programs.
• Establish national norms for planning, review cycles, documentation, and program governance.
• Support states in navigating complex public systems while maintaining program integrity.

Curriculum, Training & Capacity-Building

• Oversee the Curriculum & Pedagogy department to ensure relevance, inclusivity, and alignment with adolescent wellbeing and mental health frameworks.
• Oversee the Training vertical to build the capabilities of teachers, facilitators, and system actors through blended, scalable learning approaches.
• Ensure continuous improvement through feedback from the field, research insights, and learner data.

Learning, Evidence & Adaptive Improvement

• Partner closely with Research & LME to embed learning loops into program decision-making.
• Use evidence, data, and practitioner insights to refine strategy, delivery models, and scale pathways.
• Encourage a culture of reflection, experimentation, and learning—not just compliance.

Government & Ecosystem Engagement

• Serve as a thought partner to senior leadership in engagements with state and national government stakeholders.
• Support institutionalization of programs within public systems (education, health, WCD, youth).
• Represent the org in sector platforms, policy spaces, and collaborative forums related to adolescent wellbeing.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Lead and mentor a diverse, multi-disciplinary national programs team.
• Foster a culture grounded in values: empathy, accountability, ownership, collaboration, and learning.
• Build leadership capability across states and verticals to support scale with care.

What We're Looking For:

• 15–20 years of experience in designing, implementing, and scaling large-scale social or development programs, with some experience working with government systems. .
• Strong experience in education, mental health, adolescent wellbeing, public health, and/or youth development.
• Demonstrated leadership in multi-state or national programs, with an integral focus on training and capacity building .
• Proven ability to manage complexity, ambiguity, and cross-functional teams.
• Strategic and systems thinker with strong execution capabilities.
• Ability to align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision.
• Strong people leadership and coaching skills.