Project Lead - ITI Transformation

LEND A HAND INDIA (UK); Pune District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Lend A Hand India is seeking a Project Lead to own the day-to-day leadership of ITI transformation operations across its Maharashtra clusters. This state-level role sits at the heart of the State PMU, coordinating with government stakeholders and managing cluster teams to deliver on the 10-pillar playbook.

The role requires strong program management, governance liaison, and data-driven execution across strategy, field work and partnerships with industry and NGOs.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of experience in program/project management, with significant exposure to skilling, vocational training, education, or livelihoods program.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-stakeholder program involving government departments, NGOs/implementation partners, and industry.
• Prior experience working with or within the ITI/vocational training ecosystem (DGT, MSDE, State Skill Development Missions) is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing field teams and driving delivery across multiple sites/districts simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall planning, rollout and day-to-day management of ITI transformation operations across Maharashtra clusters.
• Own delivery at the cluster level, from student mobilization and aspiration-building through to post-placement mentorship and tracking.
• Manage and mentor cluster project coordinators/field teams, setting clear targets, reviewing progress and unblocking implementation issues.
• Drive the baselinedata assessment process for target ITIs and ensure findings feed into cluster-level planning and prioritization.
• Serve as the primary point of coordination with the Maharashtra state skills department and relevant government stakeholders.
• Coordinate with the Central PMU on strategy alignment, reporting requirements and cross-state learning.
• Build and maintain relationships with ecosystem and implementation partners to ensure coordinated delivery across pillars.
• Support ITI principals, faculty and administration in strengthening institutional processes under the Admin Strengthening and Faculty Development pillars.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder management

People leadership

Data-driven decision making

Field team management

Travel readiness

Problem solving

Education

Graduate/Postgraduate degree

Development studies background

Tools

Dashboards/MIS tools

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Project Lead - ITI Transformation Location: Maharashtra(base location Mumbai / Pune/Pimpri-Chinchwad cluster, with travel acrossassigned ITI clusters in the state

Travel: As per the project need

Position Overview:

Lend A Hand India is hiring a Project Lead toown the day-to-day leadership of ITI transformation operations across Lend AHand India's assigned ITI clusters in Maharashtra. This is a state-levelleadership role that sits at the heart of the State PMU: the Project Lead willcoordinate with the state skills department, manage cluster teams and theirdelivery of the 10-pillar playbook, coordinate ecosystem and technologypartners, track outcomes against milestones, and represent Lend A Hand India inengagements with the Central PMU. The role suits someone who can operatecomfortably across strategy, field execution, government liaison anddata-driven program management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the overallplanning, rollout and day-to-day management of ITI transformation operationsacross Lend A Hand India’s clusters in Maharashtra (e.g., Pimpri and otherassigned districts).
• Own delivery at thecluster level, from student mobilization and aspiration-building through topost-placement mentorship and tracking.
• Manage and mentorCluster Project Coordinators/field teams (approx. 15 ITIs per cluster), settingclear targets, reviewing progress and unblocking implementation issues.
• Drive the baselinedata assessment process for target ITIs and ensure findings feed intocluster-level planning and prioritization.

2.Government & Ecosystem Coordination

• Serve as the primarypoint of coordination with the Maharashtra state skills department and relevantgovernment stakeholders on ITI transformation matters.
• Coordinate with theCentral PMU on strategy alignment, reporting requirements and cross-statelearning.
• Build and maintainrelationships with ecosystem and implementation partners — industry bodies,other NGOs and technology partners — to ensure coordinated delivery acrosspillars.
• Support ITIprincipals, faculty and administration in strengthening institutional processesunder the Admin Strengthening and Faculty Development pillars.

3.Industry Engagement & Placements

• Lead local industryengagement efforts, particularly with employers in Maharashtra's manufacturingand industrial corridors, to strengthen demand-supply mapping and Dual Systemof Training (DST)-style partnerships.
• Oversee placementsupport and apprenticeship pipelines, working with industry to convert exposureand training into quality job or apprenticeship outcomes.
• Support design anddelivery of post-placement mentorship, monitoring and retention efforts, givenknown drop-off risk in the first year after placement.
• Ensure timely,accurate data reporting from cluster to State and Central PMU levels, and usedata to identify anomalies, delays and areas needing intervention.
• Track progressagainst the program roadmap and milestones (baseline assessment, pilotrollout, scale-up phases) and flag risks early.

5.Team & Stakeholder Management

• Build, lead anddevelop a high-performing state team, including hiring, coaching andperformance management of cluster staff.
• Represent Lend A HandIndia and the state program in reviews with the Central PMU, donors, andgovernment counterparts.
• Contribute to thecontinuous refinement of the ITI playbook and operating model based onon-ground learning.

Requirements

• 8-10+ years ofexperience in program/project management, with significant exposure toskilling, vocational training, education, or livelihoods program.
• Demonstratedexperience managing multi-stakeholder program involving governmentdepartments, NGOs/implementation partners, and industry.
• Prior experienceworking with or within the ITI/vocational training ecosystem (DGT, MSDE, StateSkill Development Missions) is strongly preferred.
• Experience managingfield teams and driving delivery across multiple sites/districtssimultaneously.

Educational Background:

Graduate/Postgraduatedegree in any discipline; a background in social work, development studies,education, engineering, or management is an advantage.

• Strong stakeholdermanagement and government liaison skills; comfortable engaging with statedepartment officials, ITI administration, and corporate partners.
• Data-driven program management — able to work with dashboards/MIS tools, interpret outcome data,and translate it into action.
• Strong peopleleadership: hiring, coaching and managing distributed field teams.
• Structuredproblem-solving and the ability to operate in an evolving, build-as-you-goprogram environment.
• Excellent written andverbal communication in English and Marathi/Hindi.
• Willingness to travelextensively within Maharashtra to ITI clusters and district offices.

Personal Attributes:

• Relationship - Oriented
• Proactive and Self - driven
• Adaptable and resilient
• Strong ownership and accountability

About Lend A Hand India:

Lend A HandIndia (LAHI) is a leadingnational Think Tank/NGO with over 20 years ofexperience in strengthening India's skill and vocationaleducation ecosystem. LAHI works closely with 20+ State and UTgovernments through long-term partnerships, providingtechnical advisory and Project Management Unit (PMU)support to drive systemic reforms. In Uttar Pradesh,LAHI partners with the Directorate of Training (DTE)and the State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT)to support large-scale improvements in ITIs, skilleducation curriculum, assessments, certification, andpolicy implementation .

Our Mission

EquipSchool Students to Maximise Their Potential Through SkillEducation

Our Approach

• Partnership withcentral-state governments to define, and scalepolicy
• Building of Centresof Excellence that act as lighthouses for innovation
• Resourceorganisation for the skilling ecosystem

OurKnowledge in Action

Through the design& execution of innovative models from trainingcentres, innovation hubs to mobile outreach initiatives,LAHI’s innovative knowledge resource drives bothgrassroots learning and systemic transformation acrossIndia. With 250+ LAHI staff embedded in state educationsystems across 20+ states, we provide technical andproject management support, enabling governments to translatepolicy into action.