Designation : Program Director – Operations
Location :Maharashtra & Uttar Pradesh
No. of Vacancies: 2 (Women leaders are encouraged to apply)
Role Overview:
We are looking for a seasoned and driven leader who is deeply passionate about girls’ education and agency building, with a strong understanding of systemic and socio-cultural barriers affecting adolescent girls, and a motivation to create lasting change at scale. Women leaders are encouraged to apply.
The role involves leading efforts to enable equitable access to secondary education for girls by addressing financial barriers and strengthening their agency. It focuses on driving systemic improvements in the girls’ education ecosystem through close partnership with state government departments—strengthening governance, addressing process gaps, and maximising the delivery of scholarships and entitlements.
Working in collaboration with place-based partners and local institutions, the leader will also drive social and behaviour change by shaping community mindsets towards girls’ education and strengthening decentralised action at the panchayat level.
Through these efforts, the role will be responsible for achieving measurable outcomes, including reducing dropout rates at the secondary level, improving transition rates, ensuring saturation of benefits, and contributing to the delay of child marriages.
This role will be responsible for but not limited to the following:
1. Program Planning & Implementation
• Co-create and execute state and district-level program strategies aligned with organisational goals.
• Drive implementation of interventions focused on improving girls’ access to secondary education.
• Ensure achievement of key outcomes, including reduction in dropout rates and improved transition rates.
• Design and implement initiatives to ensure saturation of scholarship and benefit delivery.
2. Systems Strengthening & Governance
• Identify and address systemic gaps in the girls’ education ecosystem.
• Build and strengthen governance structures for effective program delivery.
• Institutionalise sustainable operating systems within government frameworks.
• Strengthen decentralisation efforts at the panchayat level.
3. Government & Stakeholder Management
• Build and manage senior-level relationships with government stakeholders, including Secretaries, Collectors, and state department officials.
• Partner with nodal bodies to strengthen capacity building, technology enablement, and benefit delivery systems.
• Collaborate with place-based partners and ecosystem stakeholders to drive convergence.
4. Social & Behaviour Change
• Lead initiatives to shape community behaviours towards girls’ education.
• Drive interventions aimed at delaying child marriages and strengthening girls’ agency.
• Support community-level engagement strategies to address socio-cultural barriers.
5. Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
• Define clear program goals and track measurable year-on-year outcomes.
• Use data and insights to inform decision-making and course correction.
• Ensure robust monitoring and evaluation systems across districts.
6. Team Leadership & Capability Building
• Lead and mentor a diverse team including Program Managers, Program Leads, Fellows, and Centres of Excellence (20–30 members initially, expanding to 40–50).
• Build organisational capability in systems change and social behaviour change.
• Drive performance management and foster a culture of accountability and continuous learning.
Desirable Qualification & Experience:
• Master’s degree in Public Policy, Education, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or related field.
• 12–15 years of relevant experience in large-scale program leadership.
• Strong experience working with government systems and managing senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in leading large teams and driving systemic change.
• Prior experience in education, gender or adolescent development programs will be preferred.
Essential Skills:
• Strong facilitation and communication skills (Hindi & English).
• Ability to work in ambiguous and complex environments.
• People and performance management skills.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving ability.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and government liaison skills.
• Data driven decision-making capability.
Travel: Travel up to 50-70% across districts/state.
Application process: Candidates interested in the role may apply with their updated resumes by filling out the application form here:
https://forms.gle/TkA7krKTnev5XWoy7