Lead, Strategic Partnerships and Program Implementation

Room To Read; New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Room to Read India is seeking an experienced professional to lead program implementation across multiple locations and drive high-quality proposal and concept note development for the Country Office. The role will work closely with the Program Operations Director, State and cross-functional teams to ensure effective execution, track progress, address implementation challenges, and capture program learning.

The role will also develop evidence-based, donor-responsive proposals and concept notes in

Qualifications

• Master's degree preferred in Education, Development Studies, Public Policy, Management, Communications or a related field.
• 7-12 years of relevant professional experience in program implementation, proposal development, fundraising or related fields.
• Experience managing large-scale programs across multiple locations and stakeholders.
• Strong experience in proposal writing and concept note development.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with ability to synthesize complex information.
• Experience with budgets, implementation plans, trackers and performance reports.
• Proficiency in preparing presentations, briefing notes and reports.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and writing of high-quality proposals for Room to Read India.
• Translate program strategies into donor-responsive narratives and proposals.
• Coordinate inputs from multiple teams to ensure coherent technical and financial components.
• Develop theories of change, program approaches, and results frameworks.
• Manage proposal reviews and maintain a content repository for reuse.
• Capture implementation insights and translate into evidence for proposals and learning.

Skills

Proposal writing

Storytelling

Stakeholder management

Project management

Analytical thinking

Written communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Synthesis of data

Presentation preparation

Education

Master's degree preferred in Education or related field

Job description

World Change Starts with Educated Children

Important: All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the country where the position is located. Room to Read is not able to provide sponsorship.

Position Overview

Room to Read India is seeking an experienced professional to lead program implementation across multiple locations and drive high-quality proposal and concept note development for the Country Office. The role will work closely with the Program Operations Director, State and cross-functional teams to ensure effective execution, track progress, address implementation challenges, and capture program learning. The role will also develop evidence-based, donor-responsive proposals and concept notes in collaboration with Programs, RME, Finance, Fundraising and Global Grant Management teams. Strong project management, analytical, writing, synthesis and stakeholder management skills are essential.

Responsibilities

Proposal Development for Strategic Partnerships - 50%

• Lead the development and writing of high-quality proposals for Room to Read India.
• Translate program strategies, implementation experience, evidence and organizational priorities into clear, compelling and donor-responsive narratives.
• Work closely with Programs, RME, Finance, Dev, Global Grant Management and other teams to gather, synthesize and validate technical inputs for proposals.
• Develop proposal narratives, theories of change, program approaches, implementation plans, results frameworks and other relevant sections as required.
• Coordinate inputs from multiple stakeholders and ensure consistency, coherence and quality across technical and financial components of proposals.
• Develop proposal content that clearly articulates the problem, proposed intervention, implementation approach, expected results, evidence and Room to Read's comparative strengths.
• Ensure that proposals are responsive to donor requirements, guidelines, evaluation criteria and submission timelines.
• Review and strengthen proposal drafts to improve clarity, structure, logic, persuasiveness and alignment between program design, outcomes, activities, budgets and ME frameworks.
• Maintain and continuously strengthen a repository of proposal content, program evidence, organizational information, impact stories, case studies and other reusable resources.
• Develop standard content and templates that can enable faster, sharper and more consistent proposal development.
• Coordinate proposal review processes and ensure timely incorporation of feedback from internal and global stakeholders.

Program Learning, Evidence Documentation - 10%

• Capture and synthesize implementation insights, innovations, challenges, success stories and lessons from State teams and program locations.
• Work with RME and Program teams to identify relevant evidence and data that can strengthen program planning, communication and proposal development.
• Translate implementation experience and evidence into compelling narratives, case studies, briefs and proposal content.
• Maintain an updated evidence and learning bank to support proposal development and strategic program discussions.
• Identify recurring implementation issues and opportunities for cross-state learning and improvement.

Program Implementation Delivery - 40%

• Accountable for ensuring all projects in select geography achieve their respective goals.
• Lead and coordinate implementation of multiple projects/program initiatives across states and locations, ensuring alignment with approved plans, objectives, timelines and program KPIs.
• Work closely with State and Country Office teams to translate program strategies and plans into clear implementation priorities and actions.
• Track key implementation milestones, deliverables, dependencies and risks across projects and proactively flag areas requiring management attention.
• Facilitate periodic implementation reviews with State teams and relevant Country Office functions to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and agree on corrective actions.
• Ensure that required program permissions, approvals and implementation processes are in place in coordination with relevant teams.
• Monitor implementation against agreed timelines, quality parameters and budgets and support teams in addressing deviations.
• Ensure timely completion and submission of program reports and other key implementation deliverables.
• Support effective utilization of program budgets and track significant variances, risks and implementation implications
• Work with relevant teams to ensure that implementation learning and emerging challenges are documented and translated into actionable improvements.

Qualifications

Required:

• Master's degree preferred in Education, Development Studies, Public Policy, Management, Communications or a related field.
• 7-12 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in program implementation, program management, proposal development, fundraising, consulting, development sector or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience of managing or coordinating large-scale programs/projects involving multiple locations and stakeholders.
• Strong demonstrated experience in proposal writing and concept note development, including the ability to independently develop high-quality narrative content.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong ability to synthesize complex information into clear, structured and compelling documents.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and coordinating multiple inputs to deliver time-bound outputs.
• Strong analytical, project management and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with budgets, implementation plans, project trackers and performance reports.
• Strong proficiency in preparing presentations, briefing notes, reports and other professional communication materials.
• Experience in the development/social impact/education sector would be an advantage.

Competencies and Attributes

• Strong execution orientation: Demonstrates ownership for moving plans from strategy to implementation and ensuring timely delivery.
• Excellent writing and communication: Able to develop clear, compelling and well-structured proposals, concept notes and program documents.
• Structured thinker: Able to break down complex problems, connect information across functions and develop practical solutions.
• Strong project management: Able to manage multiple priorities, timelines, stakeholders and deliverables simultaneously.
• Collaborative and influencing: Comfortable working across functions and influencing stakeholders without direct authority.
• Analytical and detail-oriented: Able to work with qualitative and quantitative information and identify key insights, gaps and risks.
• Proactive problem solver: Anticipates implementation challenges and takes initiative to address them.
• Adaptable and resilient: Comfortable working in a dynamic environment with changing priorities and tight deadlines.
• High ownership and accountability: Demonstrates discipline, follow-through and commitment to quality.
• Passion for equity and education: Strong alignment with Room to Read's mission of improving learning outcomes and advancing gender equality.

Child Protection Principles

• Room to Read is committed to the education and welfare of children and protecting them from abuse and exploitation
• Room to Read has zero tolerance for child abuse and exploitation.

Disclaimer: This job posting has been aggregated from external source. Role details, content, and availability are subject to change. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest information directly on the company website before applying.