Job Description
Job title: Program Manager – Higher Education Academy
Unit: Programs
Reports to: Head of Programs And Training
Location: Kolkata, West Bengal
CTC : Can be stated as INR 60,000 – 80,000 per month
About VAANI
VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation is a national nonprofit organization working across the life cycle of a Deaf child—from newborn hearing screening to education, skill development, and higher education pathways. Through its direct intervention and enabler models, VAANI ensures early identification, inclusive education, and long-term empowerment of Deaf children and youth.
The Higher Education Academy is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to support Deaf students in pursuing graduation and post-secondary pathways through accessible, inclusive, and academically rigorous systems.
Role Overview
• The Program Manager – Higher Education Academy is responsible for the end-to-end planning, execution, quality assurance, and strategic development of higher education programs for Deaf students.
• The role ensures academic excellence, accessibility compliance, faculty coordination, student success, and donor accountability while aligning with VAANI’s inclusive culture and mission.
• The program manager is expected to actively understand and engage with VAANI’s programs and institutional language, fostering collaboration, inclusivity, and shared organizational values.
Key Responsibilities
1. Program Planning & Academic Delivery
• Plan, coordinate, and implement higher education and graduation programs for Deaf students.
• Develop academic calendars, course schedules, assessments, milestones, and content delivery plans.
• Ensure 100% adherence to academic calendars, examination schedules, and content validation SOPs.
• Oversee the timely release of digital and classroom content as per the content calendar.
• Ensure completion of academic portions within agreed timelines.
• Ensure accessibility through interpreters, captioning, assistive technologies, and inclusive pedagogy.
• Support Senior Management in academic expansion and program strategy implementation.
2. Faculty & Institutional Coordination
• Liaise with universities, colleges, accreditation bodies, and training partners.
• Coordinate faculty, academic mentors, guest lecturers, and sign language interpreters.
• Ensure contingency planning for faculty absenteeism.
• Conduct faculty orientation on inclusive teaching practices for Deaf learners.
• Review monthly class reports and implement corrective action plans.
• Monitor classroom performance and provide academic coaching where required.
3. Student Support, Development & Inclusion
• Oversee student onboarding, orientation, and academic tracking.
• Ensure monthly preparation of Section Holistic Scorecards.
• Monitor attendance, performance, engagement, and well-being.
• Address accessibility, participation, or academic concerns proactively.
• Ensure a safe, inclusive, and culturally sensitive learning environment.
• Coordinate parent engagement and family counselling where necessary.
• Implement appropriate accommodations and student-specific interventions.
4. Assessment & Examination Oversight
• Ensure adherence to university and academy examination schedules.
• Monitor high-quality execution of assessments.
• Track graduation rates and academic outcomes.
• Analyse performance trends to strengthen learning outcomes.
5. Monitoring, Reporting & Donor Engagement
• Track academic KPIs, including attendance, pass rates, retention, graduation outcomes, and employability indicators.
• Develop comprehensive MIS, impact reports, and annual donor report-backs.
• Prepare high-quality narrative and data-driven reports demonstrating program progress and alignment with donor objectives.
• Coordinate documentation, case studies, student stories, and impact metrics for CSR and foundation partners supporting the Academy.
• Support donor visits, presentations, review meetings, and compliance documentation.
• Ensure timely submission of utilisation certificates and program updates in coordination with Finance and Leadership.
6. Talent Management & Academic Team Engagement
• Ensure timely recruitment and closure of key academic positions.
• Oversee faculty scheduling, engagement, and performance reviews.
• Implement recognition, coaching, and feedback mechanisms.
• Promote teacher participation in training sessions and continuous professional development.
• Foster a collaborative, respectful, and inclusive team culture.
7. Compliance, Governance & Risk Management
• Ensure compliance with university regulations, accessibility standards, and organizational policies.
• Maintain zero legal or academic violations.
• Identify and mitigate operational, academic, and accessibility-related risks.
• Ensure adherence to inclusive education frameworks and best practices.
8. Technology & Learning Systems
• Evaluate and oversee Learning Management Systems (LMS) implementation.
• Ensure digital accessibility (captioning, transcripts, interpreter integration).
• Leverage data and technology to improve student engagement and monitoring.
9. Strategic Academic Development & Stakeholder Engagement
• Contribute to long-term academic strategy aligned with employability pathways.
• Strengthen partnerships with universities and industry stakeholders.
• Engage with parents, donors, academic bodies, and institutional partners.
• Represent the Academy in meetings, conferences, and knowledge-sharing forums.
• Strengthen institutional credibility and brand positioning of VAANI’s higher education vertical.
Essential Skills and Experience
• Master’s degree in education / social work / management / inclusive education / relevant field.
• Computer proficiency, including MS Office, data analysis in Excel, MIS reporting, and digital documentation systems.
• 5–8+ years of experience in academic program management, higher education, or NGO education leadership.
• Experience working with persons with disabilities (preferably the Deaf community) is highly desirable.
• Strong reporting, documentation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience in donor reporting and CSR compliance preferred.
• Proficiency in English (knowledge of Indian Sign Language is an added advantage).
Organizational Skills
Time Management:
• Effectively prioritizing tasks and managing time to meet deadlines and handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
• Planning and Coordination: Developing strategic plans and coordinating resources to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
Task Delegation:
• Delegating tasks and responsibilities to program implementation team members based on their expertise and workload capacity.
• Problem-Solving: Identifying execution challenges of the program, analyzing root causes, and developing solutions to address issues efficiently.
Communication:
• Effectively communicating program information and recommendations to stakeholders, including senior management, board members, and external partners.
• Adaptability: Adapting to changes in the landscape, organizational priorities, and industry regulations to ensure agility and resilience.
Record-Keeping:
Establishing and maintaining organized program & training records, files, and documentation for easy retrieval and reference.
Collaboration:
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including HR, finance management, and operations, to align strategies with organisational objectives.
• Continuous Improvement: Continuously seeking opportunities to improve processes, systems, and workflows to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Environmental demands
• Willingness to travel locally, nationally and internationally for meetings, conferences, and training events as and when the need arises.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed for program activities and events.
• Other essential competencies
• Commitment to the mission and values of VAANI DCF
• Sensitivity to cultural and linguistic diversity within the deaf community.
• Experience working collaboratively with NGO partners, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Good at networking and maintaining contacts and relations