Program Manager – Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), Mumbai

Ground Zero; Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 1,900,000; Full time

Job summary

Ground Zero in Mumbai is seeking a Program Manager – FLN with 9-12 years of experience to lead foundational literacy and numeracy initiatives in low-income primary schools. You will drive end-to-end program delivery, stakeholder engagement, and state-level partnerships in Maharashtra and beyond.

You will oversee budgeting, M&E frameworks, reporting, and governance processes, ensuring alignment with national educational objectives and donor requirements.

Qualifications

• Post-Graduate Degree in Education, Social Work, Social Science, Rural Management, or related field.
• 5–7 years of fast-paced project management experience in Indian education sector.
• Proven background in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and impact assessment.
• Strong ability to interact with government education departments, partners, and EdTech accelerators.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end program delivery, timelines, and monitoring for FLN projects.
• Coordinate and manage relationships with implementation partners, agencies, and internal teams.
• Refine program design, track milestones, manage budgets, and troubleshoot operational challenges.
• Ensure donor reporting requirements are met on time.
• Represent organization in state-level meetings and field visits.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Governance & reporting

Communication

Education

Post-Graduate Degree in Education / Social Sciences / Rural Management

Tools

Tableau

Job description

Role: Program Manager – Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), Mumbai
Experience: 9-12 years
Salary: Up to 15-19 LPA

About the role

The Program Manager – FLN plays a pivotal role in leading, managing, and scaling Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) initiatives aimed at addressing learning gaps among primary school children in low-income communities. Aligned with national educational frameworks (such as the NIPUN Bharat Mission), this position oversees end-to-end project implementation, partner relationships, governance, monitoring & evaluation, and state-level government engagements.

Key responsibilities

1. Partnership & Project Management

• Oversee end-to-end program delivery, day-to-day operations, timelines, and monitoring for assigned education projects.
• Coordinate and manage relationships with implementation partners, technical agencies, and internal cross-functional teams.
• Refine program design, track milestones, manage program budgets, and troubleshoot operational challenges early.
• Ensure all internal and external donor reporting requirements are met on time.

2. Outcomes, M&E & Evidence Building

• Execute evaluation frameworks, learning agendas, and impact assessments according to agreed work plans.
• Critically review evaluation notes, progress reports, and verification metrics to assess indicator changes or project shifts.
• Track outcome performance against commitments and flag any divergence between reported and verified progress.

3. Governance & Documentation

• Prepare decision notes, pre-meeting briefs, and quarterly review materials for organizational leadership and governance committees.
• Maintain correspondence, formal agreements, project version controls, decision logs, and governance calendars.

4. State-Level Program Management

• Serve as the primary organizational point of contact for implementation partners in key target states (e.g., Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh).
• Represent the organization in state-level government review meetings and maintain active engagement with education department stakeholders.
• Conduct regular field visits to observe ground realities, validate progress, identify risk areas, and support course correction.
• Support holistic education pilot projects and integrate state-level learnings into the overarching FLN strategy.

5. Operational & Cross-Functional Support

• Prepare periodic project updates, budget summaries, and progress reports for internal leadership committees.
• Support team communications, stakeholder events, and social finance/funding initiatives as required.

Success Metrics

• Compliance & Budgeting: Accurate tracking of outputs delivered by partners against financial expenditure.
• MIS & Reporting: Timely and accurate submission of project data and progress reports.
• Partner & Governance Management: High-quality documentation and efficient stakeholder coordination.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: Post-Graduate Degree in Education, Social Work, Social Science, Rural Management, or a related field. (Specialization in social financing or learning tools like Tableau is a plus).
• Experience: 5–7 years of fast-paced project management experience within the Indian education sector.
• M&E Expertise: Proven background in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), impact assessment, and managing evaluation frameworks.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Strong ability to interact with and manage government education departments, implementation partners, and EdTech accelerators.