Manager – Program Implementation & Partnerships

Zoho; Chennai District; On-site; INR 800,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Bhumi seeks a Manager for Program Implementation & Partnerships to drive the Whole School Transformation Program across Tamil Nadu, collaborating with government schools and officials to ensure sustained delivery.

The role combines strategic partnerships with hands-on program ownership, requiring leadership of a small field team and rigorous performance tracking to achieve scale across dozens of schools.

Qualifications

• Educational Degree: Any
• Relevant Experience (in years): 4-5 years in program design/implementation
• Experience with government schools, education departments, or district administration is a strong advantage
• Prior people management experience is preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of a government integration model for WSTP from planning through rollout.
• Build and manage relationships with School Leaders and education officials to enable delivery and scale-up.
• Lead and coach a small field team, setting priorities and developing stakeholder engagement capabilities.
• Own the model's success metrics and reporting, translating pilots into a case for scale-up.
• Act as point of resolution for implementation or stakeholder roadblocks with clear context.

Skills

Program design

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Reporting & analytics

Tamil fluency

English proficiency

Documentation

Government relations

Education

Any degree

Job description

• Salary 8 - 9 LPA (Based on candidate profile)
• State/Province Tamil Nadu
• Country India

Job Description

About the Role:

The Manager – Program Implementation & Partnerships will lead Bhumi's engagement with government schools, education officials, and local administrative stakeholders to drive the successful, sustained implementation of the Whole School Transformation Program (WSTP) across their assigned geography. This is a leadership role that combines strategic government partnerships management with on- ground program ownership — the Manager will be Bhumi's representative to School Leaders, Block and District Education Officers, and district administration. The role requires someone who can operate fluently at two levels simultaneously: building high-trust relationships with government stakeholders at the State/District/Block level, and building the internal team, systems, and rigour needed to convert those relationships into consistent program delivery across dozens of schools.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Program Design & Implementation — Lead the design and execution of a government integration model for WSTP, from planning through on- ground rollout, iterating based on what's working.
• Government & Stakeholder Partnership — Build and manage relationships with School Leaders, Block/District Education Officials, and local administration needed to enable program delivery and unlock scale-up opportunities.
• Team Leadership — Lead and coach a small field team, setting priorities and building their capability in stakeholder engagement and problem-solving.
• Performance Tracking & Reporting — Own the model's success metrics and reporting, translating pilot learnings into a clear, decision- ready case for scale-up.
• Risk & Issue Resolution — Act as the first point of resolution for implementation or stakeholder- related roadblocks, escalating with clear context where needed.

Educational Qualification/Experience:

• Educational Degree : Any
• Relevant Experience(in years) : 4-5 yearsof experience in program design/implementation, ideally including some experience building or piloting a new model from scratch.
• Experience with government schools, education departments, or district administration is a strong advantage.
• Prior people management experience is preferred.

Knowledge & Skill sets required

• Strong program design and execution skills — able to build structure where none exists and adapt based on what's working on the ground.
• A co‑building mindset — genuine comfort working with government stakeholders rather than for or around them; patient with a slower, consensus-driven pace without losing momentum on outcomes.
• Strong relationship‑building skills with Headmasters and education officials, and sound judgment navigating government systems and bureaucracy.
• Strong communication skills, verbal and written; fluency in Tamil (mandatory), proficiency in English preferred.
• Good documentation and reporting discipline.