Program Manager (Karnataka)

Quest Alliance; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 782,000 - 937,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal accident insurance

Mediclaim insurance

RFS learning grant

Internet allowance

Childcare support

Wellbeing programs

Counselling sessions

Job summary

Quest Alliance invites applications for the Program Manager, Youth Program, to lead ITI and VTI interventions across Karnataka. The role emphasizes strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, and team leadership to achieve KPIs and outcomes.

The incumbent will drive stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and rigorous reporting, while upholding Quest Alliance values of equity and inclusion. Willingness to travel to field locations is required.

Qualifications

• Financial intelligence: analyze numbers, trends, and translate to actions.
• Systems thinking: implement tech-enabled systems and processes.
• Program management excellence: strong organizational skills and multi-priority handling.
• Stakeholder communication & relationship management: clear written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive program strategy, budget, and action plan for Karnataka.
• Oversee end-to-end project management, including budgeting and donor reports.
• Lead youth employability program implementation across Karnataka ITIs and VTIs.
• Coordinate industry roundtables, alumni engagements, and CSO meetings in ITIs and VTIs.
• Manage ITI and VTI teams, ensuring capacity-building and goal tracking.
• Ensure data reporting standards and timely reporting across partners.
• Adhere to organizational policies and values.
• Support self-learning and development for the team.

Skills

Financial literacy

Systems thinking

Program management

Stakeholder management

Collaboration

Adaptability

Equity & inclusion

MS Office

Job description

A social impact organization with close to two decades of experience, Quest Alliance works at the intersection of technology and future skills to make learning more equitable and relevant, especially for socially and economically vulnerable learners. The organization influences systems to empower young learners in government high schools and trade and vocational institutes to holistically navigate their education to career transitions.

Quest Alliance works across 12 Indian states and is partnered with nine state governments, over 80 CSOs, national ministries, and funders. It has impacted 1.8 million young lives to date.

Role Overview:

The Program Manager for the Youth Program is responsible for managing the ITI and VTI intervention across southern states of India and leading the end-to-end implementation of the youth program in Karnataka. The role involves strategic planning, implementation, monitoring, and team management to ensure the achievement of ITI and VTI intervention goals and KPIs for Karnataka. The role also includes team management, driving performance, and being accountable for delivering key outcomes aligned with program objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Excellence in Execution

Develop a comprehensive program strategy, budget, and action plan for Karnataka, aligned with the youth program’s strategy and goals

Oversee end-to-end project management, from budgeting and fund utilization to timely submission of donor reports.

Lead the implementation of the youth employability program across Karnataka and the ITI and VTI interventions inSouth Region, ensuring timely achievement of goals and quality standards.

Coordinate key program events such as industry roundtables, alumni engagements, and CSO meetings in ITIs and VTIs.

2. Relationship Management - Stakeholders (Internal and External)

Build and maintain strong relationships with ITI and VTI partners across the region.

Organise and lead the ITI and VTIs capacity building activities in coordination with the Training & Content team

Ensure each ITI and VTI is able to meet the data reporting standard by giving them the necessary inputs, support and having agreed timelines in place for reporting

Working with thematic/support functions such as training, communications, research, data & tech, FAIT and any other internal teams as required to fulfill program and organisational requirements.

Work closely with the Placement team members of your region and call out the required support for ITI and VTI program.

3. Team Management

Managing the ITI and VTI team and fellow/interns of the program in the region.

Ensure necessary capacity building activities are planned for the team to work effectively.

Ensure each team member has Annual and quarterly goals defined and the same are reviewed quarterly.

4. Reporting

Ensure the monitoring tools are understood by the team and is used for reporting

Support the M&E focal point with baseline, end line and other relevant assessments

Submit all the relevant monitoring reports are submitted on time

Ensure the program process is documented and enough case studies are in place to show the impact or progress of the program.

Ensure the data is analysed and feeds into the planning and review meeting

5. Adherence to Systems and Processes

Ensure People and financial policy and procedure is adhered to by the team

Adhere to all the finance and HR policies of the organisation

Uphold the values of Quest Alliance

6. KRA 6: Investment in self-learning

Identify the development needs and have the development goal (self learning) for the year in place

Take ownership to track progress and for one’s own learning

Complete all the self learning goals for the year

Requirements:

Financial intelligence : Ability to analyze numbers, spot trends, and translate them into actionable insights.

Systems thinking: Skilled at setting up and ensuring adherence to tech-enabled systems and processes.

Program Management excellence: Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities.

Stakeholder Communication & Relationship Management : Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to distill complexity into clarity.

Collaboration & leadership support: Ability to work across teams, supporting project leads and enabling them to succeed.

Adaptability & problem-solving: Comfort with ambiguity and a proactive approach to finding solutions.

Commitment to equity & inclusion: Awareness of gender and social inclusion in education, skills, and the workplace.

Proficiency in MS Office suite and familiarity with digital collaboration platforms.

Strong personal alignment with the values of Quest Alliance: being compassionate, living with courage, collaboration and continuous learning.

Willingness to travel to Field locations as required.

Salary:

The pay band for the position starts at Rs. 77,000/- per month (cost to company) ( The salary offered will be commensurate with the experience and expertise of the candidate)

At Quest Alliance, we pride ourselves on being an Equal Opportunities employer, embracing applications from all segments of the community. We are committed to ensuring that every applicant and employee is treated with fairness and respect, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital status, social status, caste, religious belief, age, or any other factor that is irrelevant to performance. Your individuality is valued and respected within our organization.

In addition to your compensation, you are also eligible for a suite of benefits designed to support your well-being and growth:

• Comprehensive Personal Accident Insurance covering up to ₹10,00,000 annually
• Mediclaim Insurance covering up to ₹3,00,000 annually, supported through our insurance partner, Anand Rathi, which also offers additional wellness benefits
• Reach for the Stars (RFS) amount of up to ₹5,000 to support your self-learning and knowledge-building efforts
• Internet allowance of up to ₹750/month, reimbursable based on actual usage to support flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• For employees with children under the age of 6 years, Quest offers childcare or day care fee support through a monthly matching contribution of up to ₹3,000, helping you create a supportive work-life balance
• Access to emotional health and wellbeing programs such as:
• Group sessions worth ₹7,500 per session fully covered by the organisation
• 1:1 counselling sessions (worth ₹1,800 per session), fully covered by the organisation