Senior Program Lead - Strategy & Operations

The STEP Foundation; Delhi; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The STEP Foundation in New Delhi is seeking a Senior Program Lead – Strategy & Operations to oversee multiple programs, coordinate cross-functional teams, and ensure high-impact execution across India.

The role requires 8–10 years of experience in program management, policy, CSR, or related fields and frequent travel to project locations This high-agency leadership position reports to the Associate Director and focuses on translating strategy into measurable outcomes, building scalable systems,

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience in program management, consulting, public policy, CSR, philanthropy, or the social development sector.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple large-scale programs simultaneously.
• Experience leading and mentoring multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and execution frameworks.
• Proven experience working with government stakeholders, development partners, or large institutions.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio and Program Management: Lead the delivery of multiple strategic programs across sectors and geographies; develop roadmaps and execution frameworks; monitor timelines, budgets, risks, and dependencies.
• Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a team of Program Managers and Project Coordinators; allocate work and ensure quality of deliverables; foster ownership and accountability.
• Strategy to Execution: Translate priorities into actionable plans; break initiatives into workstreams; develop operating models and governance; scale initiatives across states and sectors.
• Government and Stakeholder Engagement: Build relationships with government departments, industry partners, CSR foundations, and ecosystem organizations; represent STEP in meetings and reviews.
• Quality Assurance and Knowledge Management: Review key deliverables; capture learnings and support strategic reviews and board updates.

Skills

Strategic thinking

People leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Mentoring

Analytical skills

Job description

Senior Program Lead – Strategy & Operations

Location: New Delhi (Frequent travel to Lucknow and other project locations across India)

Experience: 8–10 years

Reports to: Associate Director, STEP Foundation

About STEP Foundation

STEP Foundation is building the next generation of workforce development systems in India. We work with state governments, industry, philanthropy, and training institutions to design and implement large-scale solutions in skilling, employment, apprenticeships, workforce planning, and talent development.

Our work goes beyond program implementation—we help governments build institutional capacity, strengthen workforce ecosystems, and create scalable models that influence policy and practice.

As our portfolio expands across multiple states and strategic partnerships, we are looking for a high-agency leader who can drive execution, build high-performing teams, and translate strategy into measurable outcomes.

About the Role

This role sits at the intersection of strategy, program management, and operations.

The Senior Program Lead will oversee multiple projects simultaneously, manage cross-functional teams, coordinate with senior stakeholders, and ensure high-quality execution across STEP's portfolio.

This is not a traditional program management role. We are looking for someone who enjoys solving complex problems, building systems, leading people, and ensuring that ambitious ideas are translated into high-quality implementation.

The ideal candidate is equally comfortable reviewing a government presentation, facilitating a project review meeting, mentoring a Program Manager, troubleshooting delivery risks, and engaging with senior government officials or CSR partners.

Key Responsibilities

1. Portfolio and Program Management

• Lead the delivery of multiple strategic programs across sectors and geographies.
• Develop project plans, implementation roadmaps, and execution frameworks. Monitor timelines, milestones, budgets, risks, and dependencies across projects.
• Ensure timely delivery of high-quality outputs while maintaining strong execution standards.
• Identify implementation bottlenecks and proactively drive corrective action.

2. Team Leadership and People Management

• Lead and mentor a team of Program Managers, Associates, and Project Coordinators.
• Allocate work across teams based on priorities and capacity. Review project deliverables before submission to clients and leadership. Build a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Conduct regular project reviews, performance check-ins, and coaching conversations.

3. Strategy to Execution

• Translate organizational priorities into actionable implementation plans.
• Break complex initiatives into structured workstreams with clear ownership.
• Develop operating models, governance mechanisms, and review processes.
• Support leadership in scaling new initiatives and expanding into new states and sectors.
• Recommend process improvements to enhance delivery quality and operational efficiency.

4. Government and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with government departments, industry partners, CSR foundations, academic institutions, and ecosystem organizations.
• Represent STEP in high-level meetings, workshops, consultations, and review sessions.
• Coordinate with diverse stakeholders to ensure alignment and timely decision-making.
• Support proposal development, strategic partnerships, and donor engagement where required.

5. Quality Assurance and Knowledge Management

• Review presentations, reports, concept notes, implementation plans, and other key deliverables.
• Capture program learnings and contribute to organizational knowledge management.
• Support leadership with strategic reviews, executive presentations, and board updates.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking with strong execution capabilities.
• They are someone who naturally takes ownership, brings structure to ambiguity, and enables teams to perform at their best.
• They are equally comfortable working on the ground with implementation teams and engaging with senior leadership on strategic decisions.

Qualifications and Experience

• 8–10 years of experience in program management, consulting, public policy, CSR, philanthropy, or the social development sector.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple large-scale programs simultaneously.
• Experience leading and mentoring multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and execution frameworks.
• Proven experience working with government stakeholders, development partners, or large institutions.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills. Experience working in education, skilling, livelihoods, workforce development, employment, or public systems is highly desirable.

Travel

This role is based in New Delhi and requires frequent travel to Lucknow and other project locations across India, depending on program requirements. Candidates should be comfortable with regular travel and on-ground engagement with government and implementation partners.

What We're Looking For

We\'re looking for someone who doesn\'t simply manage tasks—they build systems, lead people, and drive outcomes. The ideal candidate is proactive, thrives in ambiguity, and enjoys solving complex challenges while keeping teams aligned and motivated. If you can move seamlessly between strategy discussions, project reviews, stakeholder meetings, and team coaching, you\'ll be a strong fit for this role.