Senior Manager, Circle U

The Circle India; Mumbai; On-site; INR 2,000,000 - 5,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The Circle India is seeking a Senior Manager, Circle U in Mumbai to lead the design and delivery of teacher-preparation and capacity-building initiatives across India. You will oversee training tracks, curriculum, and program projects, while coaching teachers and coaches through observations, workshops, and on-ground facilitation.

Collaborating with the Program Lead and Director, you will shape strategy, drive quality, and scale Circle U’s offerings in a fast-moving, mission-driven startup

Qualifications

• 4+ years of relevant experience preferred, including at least 2 years of classroom teaching in low-income communities.
• Proven experience in teacher training, facilitation, coaching, and instructional excellence.
• Experience working in low-income communities with a strong equity lens.
• Excellent program and project management skills for multi-phase initiatives.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder coordination skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively (about 40%).

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of training tracks, curriculum, and program projects; provide instructional support across sites.
• Work directly with teachers and coaches through classroom observations, coaching, training, and on-ground facilitation.
• Collaborate with Program Lead and Director on strategy and program design.
• Lead projects and workstreams within Circle U offerings, managing timelines and logistics.
• Build partnerships with educators, school leaders, and ecosystem partners to strengthen delivery and sustainability.
• Contribute to shaping Circle U’s leadership culture, values, and ways of working.

Skills

Teacher training

Coaching

Instructional excellence

Program management

Stakeholder coordination

Adaptability

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Summary

As Senior Manager, Circle U, you will play a central role in shaping and building Circle U—The Circle’s teacher-preparation and capacity-building vertical serving educators in low-income communities across India.

As Senior Manager, Circle U, you will play a central role in shaping and building Circle U—The Circle’s teacher-preparation and capacity-building vertical serving educators in low-income communities across India. By 2033, Circle U aims to become a reputable School of Education, preparing 3,000+ educators with the capabilities to reinvent learning. This role is a rare opportunity to help shape that institution at its founding stage. Circle U is entering Year 2 of operations. This is a build-from-the-ground-up phase: systems are still being shaped, quality benchmarks are being defined, and the long-term identity of the program is being forged. As part of the Circle U founding team, this role is for someone who is energised by the pace, complexity, and ambiguity of a start‑up environment within a mission‑driven organization - someone who is excited to strengthen, deliver, and scale a teacher education model that has the potential to reinvent teacher education in India. You will lead the design and delivery of training tracks, curriculum, and key program projects, while also providing instructional support across multiple school sites - working directly with teachers and coaches through classroom observations, coaching, training, and on‑ground facilitation. You will also work closely with the Program Lead and Director to contribute to Circle U’s strategy and program design.

Role

In the coming year, your work will play a critical role in shaping the learning experiences of 400 educators across India through:

• A one-year certification program serving 200 teachers and coaches, combining in-person residencies, school-based apprenticeships, virtual learning, site visits, and coaching
• A suite of short-stint hybrid courses serving 200 educators beyond The Circle Network

Responsibilities

Training, Coaching, and On‑Ground Support:

• Serve as lead faculty for the program, designing and facilitating sessions across in-person residencies, virtual electives, and learning touchpoints through the year.
• Design and lead grade‑specific learning experiences across program tracks (KG, Elementary, Middle School), ensuring content is contextualised and relevant for participants.
• Lead instructional support for multiple Circle U partner sites, including classroom observations, lesson modelling, workshop facilitation, and coaching teachers and coaches with clear, actionable feedback.
• Provide 1:1 coaching and mentorship to teachers and coaches, supporting growth in instructional practice and professional mindset.
• Model instructional excellence and reflective practice, serving as an example across the Circle U community.

Curriculum, Instructional Design & Quality

• Support the design and implementation of core instructional tools, including rubrics, assessment resources, and high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs).
• Contribute to the curriculum design for the one‑year and short‑stint programs, translating the learning arc into high‑impact learning experiences for teachers and coaches.
• Partner with expert faculty and institutions to co‑create tools, session designs, and learning experiences that are rigorous, relevant, and practice‑based.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of assessment data systems, to inform instruction, coaching, and program improvement across Circle U.

Program Operations, Partnerships, And Culture

• Lead projects and workstreams within Circle U offerings, managing timelines, logistics, and coordination for specific program components.
• Support cross‑functional collaboration across The Circle (Labs, Incubation, Ops, Tech, Finance) to enable smooth execution.
• Build relationships and partnerships with entrepreneurs, school leaders, faculty, and ecosystem partners to strengthen program delivery and long‑term sustainability.
• Contribute to shaping Circle U’s and The Circle’s leadership culture, values, and ways of working as the vertical grows.

Circle U Strategy And Design

• Contribute to Circle U’s annual strategic direction and planning, translating long term vision into annual priorities, operating models, and quality benchmarks.
• Support the refinement of program structures and learning arcs, sharing field insights to strengthen coherence, rigor, and progression.
• Support monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) processes, including data collection, reflection, and learning cycles to strengthen program quality.
• Use feedback and data from participants, sites, and faculty to inform continuous improvement across Circle U’s offerings.

Qualification & Experiences

• Bachelor’s degree with significant relevant experience (4+ years highly preferred), including at least 2 years of classroom teaching in a low‑income community
• Proven experience in teacher training, facilitation, coaching, and instructional excellence -Strong outcome orientation, with a demonstrated track record of driving measurable improvements in student learning and educator practice
• Experience working in low‑income communities, with a strong equity lens
• Excellent program and project management skills, with experience planning, organising, and delivering complex, multi‑phase initiatives -Strong openness to learning and feedback, with a willingness to reflect, adapt, and grow in a fast‑evolving program environment
• Excellent communication and stakeholder coordination skills
• Highly adaptable, comfortable with ambiguity, and eager to learn in a growing organization -Willingness to travel extensively (40% of your time)