About the job Director- Programs, Delhi
Role: Director- Programs, Delhi
Experience: 10-15 years [not more than 15-years]
Salary: Up to 28.5 LPA
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About Org
1. Scale our work to impact 20M children annually.
By 2030, we aim to impact 20M children, reaching and sustaining to impact 25% of children in elementary and secondary government schools in India.
To achieve this, we prioritise core education outcomes and identification of ones that contribute to impact life beyond schools for children. We focus on the last five years of school and ages 13-18 years with special attention to government schools, vulnerable groups and geographies. These include but are not limited to girls, Dalits, Tribals, Aspirational districts and blocks. Our work is informed and aligned to SDG 4,5, & 10, global and national policy and evidence.
2. Produce long term measurable impact on
2.1 Improved transition rates from primary to secondary
2.2 More children staying in school & completing secondary school
2.3 Reduced gender gap in educational attainment
2.4 Improved student performance
We establish these through appropriate robust internal, independent qualitative and quantitative approaches.
3. Establish long-term systemic interventions, partnerships and change focus to enable
3.1 Rapid growth of our impact at scale work especially on student learning
3.2 Build an innovations Institute to test and scale interventions
3.3 Leverage our knowledge and expertise to establish sectoral leadership to inform policy and practice.
Job Purpose
As the Director-Programmes, you will lead the charge in redefining secondary education for underserved students across India, spearheading org Schools’ mission to unlock the potential of millions of young minds. Positioned at the helm of programme innovation and systemic change, you will craft and execute groundbreaking strategies that inspire and empower.
This role combines visionary leadership with hands-on execution to scale impactful educational reforms, harness cutting-edge research, and drive measurable improvements in learning and life outcomes. Collaborating with state governments, donors, civil society, academic institutions and international organisations, you will orchestrate partnerships that amplify impact and foster long-term sustainability.
Your mission: to champion scalable innovations, deepen the impact of our at-scale programmes across multiple geographies and build systemic capacities that significantly impact learning and life outcomes, advancing educational equity at scale.
The ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of leading large-scale impact initiatives, securing and managing diverse funding streams, and delivering results in complex environments. They will champion a culture of accountability, innovation, and learning, while ensuring seamless integration with org Schools’ mission and governance systems. Exceptional leadership, communication, and crisis management skills are critical to safeguarding the organisation’s vision and advancing its growth.
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Collaborates with
Internally org Team, Specifically - COO, Associate Director QA and Impact, Deputy Director Finance and Operations, Deputy Director Development and Deputy Director - Partnerships and Learning
Externally - State Education departments and affiliated organisations, academic, research and measurement experts and institutions. Donors, Board and Advisors.
Direct reports
Deputy Director Programme Design & Quality
Head - Quality Implementation
State Heads across Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal
Oversight
Provides oversight to all org Schools’ affiliates organisation’s Programme/Project Directors in line with its mission
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
a. Develop and execute org Schools’ strategy to impact 20 million students by 2030 in collaboration with the leadership team, board members and advisors.
b. Align programmes with national and state level education policies to strengthen partnerships with state governments, influence policy, advocate for systemic changes and secure funding.
c. Design and implement strategies to expand proven innovations and pilots across diverse geographies and education ecosystems.
d. Responsible for providing strategic guidance and frameworks for replication of at-scale programmes in new districts and states.
e. Lead, mentor and manage a multidisciplinary team of technical and management experts, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
f. Provide leadership oversight to affiliates of org Schools to promote their operational and strategic capabilities.
Technical Expertise, Programme Design & Innovation
a. Lead the design and enhancement of programmes to address critical challenges such as
cumulative learning losses, low transition rates from primary to secondary school, gaps in teacher capacity, intersectionality and inequity.
b. Work closely Head - Quality Implementation to develop innovative teaching-learning models that are both effective and scalable, state-of-the art teacher and student learning resources, and professional development programmes for teachers and school leaders.
c. Work closely with the Deputy Director-Programme Design & Quality to create modular, replicable programme models that enable seamless adoption by state governments and replication partners in new geographies.
d. Keep track of national and global trends in education reforms and innovation, specifically School/ Secondary/ Adolescent Education and skilling.
Programme Delivery and Management
a. Develop detailed implementation plans for smooth program delivery across states. b. Guide alignment of state level programmes with government education policies, priorities, and initiatives to ensure effective execution.
c. Establish monitoring systems to track program success and ensure scalability without compromising quality.
d. Institutionalise practices within government systems for sustainability.
Programme Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
a. Work closely with the Associate Director - Research, Impact and Quality to design and implement comprehensive MERL frameworks to evaluate the impact, efficiency, and scalability of org Schools’ programmes.
b. Use evaluation insights to refine program design and advocate for systemic changes. c. Drive evidence based advocacy to promote systemic changes in education policy and practice, influence funding decisions, policy priorities, and the adoption of innovative solutions at scale.
Partnerships & Stakeholder Management
a. Grow, leverage and cultivate relationships with existing and potential donors, global partners, collectives and consortiums ensuring long term, multi year grants. b. Develop compelling proposals and impact reports that showcase the scalability, cost-effectiveness, and transformative outcomes of programmes to secure funding for expansion and scale efforts.
c. Lead the management of high-value, multi-stakeholder partnerships, ensuring all parties are aligned on shared goals, roles, and deliverables.
d. Develop frameworks and toolkits that make it easy for stakeholders to adopt, scale, and sustain programmes beyond org Schools’ direct involvement.
External Representation and Partnerships
a. Leverage existing networks, and grow and cultivate new relationships with multilateral organisations, CSR’s and philanthropic foundations to secure funding for large-scale, long-term initiatives.
b. Lead the management of high-value, multi-stakeholder partnerships, ensuring all parties are aligned on shared goals, roles, and deliverables.
c. Establish orgs Schools as a leader in education innovation by actively participating in national and international forums, conferences, and roundtable discussions. d. Lead the preparation of high-quality grant proposals and funding applications tailored to the interests and priorities of potential donors.
Education and Experience
1. Belief in the power of education to impact social and economic outcomes for children 2. A Masters in Education, Management, International Development or Social Sciences and a minimum of five years’ experience in leading large programmes and grants in primary, secondary or higher education in a senior management position. 3. Minimum of 1015 years in programme leadership roles, preferably in the education sector. Experience in large-scale, government-led initiatives is highly desirable 4. Demonstrated technical knowledge: education management, in-service and pre-service teacher training, pedagogy, accelerated learning, learning assessments and quality of teaching and learning.
5. Has a consolidated view of ecosystem level education schemes, initiatives and innovations driven by state governments, and is able to proactively use this information to design/recalibrate the organisation's focus areas and long term impact frameworks. 6. Is a Systems-thinker: brings cross-organisation awareness when generating solutions
7. Strategic planner with strong attention to detail and aspiring high standards in all outputs
8. Exceptional project management, training, writing, public speaking, and data analysis skills
9. Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office and rendering tools
10. Excellent collaboration, problem-solving skills, and ability to prioritise a diverse and demanding workload
11. Exceptional interpersonal, networking, spoken and writing abilities. Track of writing and publishing think pieces and position papers.
Desirable Requirements
1. Technical expertise in STEM or Languages
2. Teaching and teacher training experience
3. Experience in managing government partnerships
4. International experience in education programmes
5. Experience in writing education resources including implementation, training, teaching and learning resources.
6. Abreast of cutting-edge education research and evaluations
7. A sense of humour and patience
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Hiring Note: Applications will be reviewed on rolling basis. This job is first posted on Jan 16, 2025 on GroundZeroJobs.org
For any questions, ping us on WhatsApp helpline: +8058331557