Manager - Curriculum and Program Design

Antarang Foundation; Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 1,900,000; Full time

Job summary

Antarang Foundation is seeking a Manager of Curriculum and Program Design to lead the curriculum team and build high-quality program solutions for youth across India.

You will design and refine interventions, translate research into practical learning resources and collaborate with schools, parents and industry to shape gender-responsive career guidance.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in education, curriculum, learning design or related field.
• Strong pedagogy, student learning and school-to-work transition knowledge.
• Knowledge of India's education system and labour market.
• Excellent research, analytical and content judgement.
• Ability to translate research into engaging curriculum design.
• Strong project management and ability to lead a team.
• Experience collaborating with government, parents and school leaders.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and refine program interventions and clear frameworks.
• Lead and develop the curriculum team with clear expectations.
• Coordinate with state teams and other verticals on cross-functional priorities.
• Stay close to implementation via classroom visits and field feedback.
• Turn ideas into high-quality delivery with timelines and milestones.

Skills

Curriculum design

Education research

Program development

Leadership

Stakeholder management

English proficiency

Job description

Manager - Curriculum and Program Design

About the role:

We are looking for someone who is deeply curious about how young people learn, how careers are changing, and what it takes to build meaningful pathways from school to work in India. At Antarang, Curriculum and Program Design sits at the intersection of education, pedagogy, career guidance, Future of Work, government education systems, social justice practices and young peoples transition from school to work. The work requires you to go deep into unfamiliar subjects, ask difficult questions, find credible answers and navigate complexity whether researching an emerging sector, understanding a career pathway or policy, or translating complex ideas into meaningful learning experiences. You will also lead the curriculum team. This means the role is as much about developing people and building a high-performing team as it is about the quality of the work. You will need to balance empathy with high expectations, give thoughtful feedback, create space for creativity, and hold a strong bar for rigour, quality and timelines. We are looking for a strong thinker and builder who challenges assumptions, spots whats missing, and brings depth, rigour and creativity to the work. If you enjoy going deep, asking difficult questions and continuously making things better, and care deeply about the quality of what reaches young people, this could be a great fit.

If you are excited about the potential of youth in our country and want to be able to contribute to the careers of less privileged youth, apply for this role.

What you will do

Design and build high-quality program solutions

• Lead the design, development and refinement of program interventions taking complex questions such as How should we support students through transition What should gender-responsive career guidance look like How do we strengthen parent, industry and school engagement What should our digital learning ecosystem look like and turning them into clear frameworks, approaches, tools and program resources.

Bring depth, research and sector expertise

• Develop deep expertise across career education, pedagogy, the Indian education system, Future of Work, emerging careers, labour markets and education-to-employment pathways.
• Lead desk and field research to investigate questions, test assumptions and build the evidence base for curriculum and program decisions.
• Synthesise research, data, stakeholder perspectives and field insights into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Stay curious about what is changing across education, technology, industries and the world of work, and bring those insights into our programs.

Design from the reality of students and classrooms

• Stay close to implementation through classroom visits, student and teacher feedback, and analysis of learning and implementation data.
• Use evidence from the field to understand what is working, what isn't, and why and continuously support states in delivering a high quality career program.
• Ensure there is a strong connection between what looks good on paper and what actually works in a classroom.

Lead the Curriculum Team and Enable Organisational Collaboration

• Lead and develop a team of curriculum professionals, setting clear expectations for quality, ownership, rigour and timelines.
• Coach team members to think critically, research independently, make strong decisions and continuously strengthen their work.
• Ensure state teams have timely, responsive curriculum support, adapting quickly to emerging needs and different implementation contexts.
• Partner with other verticals on cross-functional priorities, bringing curriculum and program expertise to shared projects and organisational goals.

Turn ideas into high-quality delivery

• Own project plans, timelines, dependencies and milestones across multiple curriculum projects.
• Prioritise effectively, anticipate risks and unblock the team early.
• Coordinate across Curriculum, Training, State teams, MEL and other functions to ensure work moves smoothly.
• Hold yourself and the team accountable for delivering high-quality work, on time, bringing structure to complexity without limiting creativity.

What we're looking for

• 7+ years of relevant experience in education, curriculum, learning design, career guidance, education research or a closely related field, with experience leading a curriculum or program development project from conception to delivery.
• Strong understanding of pedagogy, student learning, curriculum design and career education, including the school-to-work transition.
• Knowledge of India's education ecosystem, particularly government schools, alongside curiosity about the country's labour market, emerging sectors, Future of Work, careers and skills.
• Excellent research, analytical and content judgement you enjoy getting to the bottom of a question, interrogating evidence and conducting deep, rigorous reviews.
• Ability to translate complex ideas, research and field insights into clear, engaging and meaningful program or curriculum design.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines and dependencies while maintaining quality.
• Experience managing, mentoring or coaching a team, with a genuine interest in developing people.
• Ability to work effectively with different stakeholders and across verticals, including government representatives, parents and school leaders.
• Experience with physical and digital learning formats is a plus.
• Willingness to travel regularly to schools, government offices and program locations.
• Proficiency in English and at least one of Hindi, Marathi or Urdu, including reading, writing and speaking.