State Lead

Position Summary The organisation's Social and Economic Empowerment practice works towards building girl capital, empowering women and nurturing resilient communities by creating inclusive and sustainable solutions, including but not limited to policy development, capacity building, adaptive management, community mobilisation, behavioural change communication, deepening social safety nets, beneficiary feedback analysis, poverty assessment, and evidence-based monitoring.

We seek a dynamic and strategic leader to spearhead an innovative program to support the delivery of school-based vocational education in select States of India. The State Lead will be responsible for identifying key barriers and designing interventions to expand vocational pathways within secondary education, with a core goal of reducing school dropout rates and increasing student retention. The role ensures alignment with the national education policy and vocational skilling ecosystem. It involves extensive stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and program management to promote aspirational courses, hands-on skills, employability, and entrepreneurship among students.

Key Responsibilities Programme strategy design and execution Analyse state educational needs and student aspirations to develop a state action plan for vocational education expansion in schools, aligned with the national roadmap, NEP 2020 and national skills ecosystem reforms. Lead creation of a model VE district in the state that implements the state roadmap. Engage with the state education department to develop and implement guidelines, frameworks, and operational manuals on VE curriculum design, assessment, training delivery, teacher/VT deployment, and engaging school management committees in Vocational Education counselling. Support the state education department to introduce dynamic, market-relevant and aspirational courses in schools in alignment with the NEP, NSQF and industry standards based on periodic curriculum review and findings from the district-level market scans. Undertake contextualization of public awareness initiatives created at the national level and support roll-out in the state to improve social perception of VE and life skills. Support quality improvement of pre-vocational education and student counselling in grades 6-8. Support the state department in organising localised career fairs in collaboration with industries and the State Skill Mission. Strengthen the monitoring and evaluation systems and state MIS to track student enrolment, retention, vocational education, OJT, and employment outcomes, adapting strategies as needed. Promote adoption of technology-enabled instruction, digital content, and MIS systems to improve monitoring and accountability at the state level.

Strategic engagement and partnership management Build and sustain strong partnerships with relevant state government departments and bodies to align school vocational initiatives with skill missions. Create a State Employer Engagement Cell to coordinate partnerships with industry, MSMEs, and skilling partners to improve industry linkages and OJT opportunities. Organise CSR Roundtables in the state to amplify industry engagement on VE in schools and increase opportunities for on-the-job training, internships and jobs for girls. Collaborate with private sector partners, NGOs, and development agencies to mobilize resources and strengthen vocational education infrastructure. Organise workshops for dissemination of best practices and innovations.

Project management Lead a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability and provide build team capacity for effectively delivering programme objectives. Manage resources, budgets, and timelines to ensure effective and timely program delivery with measurable impact. Track progress against programme milestones, identify potential risks and proactively address them. Oversee evidence generation: pilots, cost analyses, and documentation of best practices. Lead preparation of high-quality project reports and briefs, monthly progress reports, and thought papers/articles/research papers to contribute to public discourse on skill-based education leading to education continuity and empowerment of girls. Represent the programme at various state-level forums, disseminating learnings and best practices, and steering a case for investing in actions to combat early marriages.

Educational Background Master’s degree or higher in Education, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or a related field.

Work Experience and Expertise: At least 12 years of experience leading state-level programmes related to education and/or skilling and promoting student retention. Proven experience working with government education departments, skill development ministries, civil society, and community stakeholders. Experience working with Samagra Shiksha or state education systems is desirable. Strong understanding of NEP 2020, NSQF, and national and state frameworks guiding vocational education in schools. Experience in designing gender-responsive, large-scale in-school programmes that enhance vocational skills, employability, and life skills for adolescents. Strong understanding of the socio-cultural, economic, and policy factors influencing school dropout rates and school-based vocational education, including poverty, gender discrimination, social norms, and systemic barriers within the education system. Deep commitment to advancing youth empowerment, gender equality, and inclusive education, with a particular focus on enabling girls’ access to in-school vocational pathways and lifelong skills.

Key Skills and Competencies Strategic leadership : Demonstrated capacity to lead complex, multi-stakeholder programmes at scale. Stakeholder engagement and management : Ability to engage and persuade diverse stakeholders. Analytical thinking : Strong data interpretation skills, academic content decoding, and evidence-based decision-making. Communication : Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Team building : Ability to lead and inspire a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.