Senior Program Manager – Women's Economic Empowerment, Bengaluru

Ground Zero; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Ground Zero in Bengaluru seeks a Senior Program Manager for Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) to lead high-impact initiatives, shaping strategies and partnerships to improve women’s livelihoods and economic participation.

You will steer multi-regional program design and execution, manage budgets and governance, and drive learning and policy-informed practice, traveling to project sites as needed.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree required across development, economics, policy, or social sciences.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership in gender, livelihoods, financial inclusion, market systems, or enterprise development.
• Proven track record with women entrepreneurs, FPOs/SHGs, market linkages, or inclusive supply chains.
• Experience collaborating with government officials, corporate leaders, philanthropic entities, and grassroots institutions.
• Direct experience hiring, managing, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
• Willingness to travel regularly to rural and semi-urban project sites.

Responsibilities

• Strategic problem solving and portfolio development to increase women's economic participation and incomes.
• Lead end-to-end design and delivery of multi-stakeholder WEE programs across regions.
• Build and manage strategic ecosystem partnerships with government, funders, and grassroots orgs.
• Direct and mentor a high-performing program team with clear goals and accountability.
• Manage relationships with funders, translate impact into proposals and reports, oversee budgets and compliance.
• Capture field insights and produce learning notes, policy briefs, to inform strategy.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Adaptability

Education

Postgraduate degree in Development Studies, Economics, Business Administration, Public Policy, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Management

Job description

Job Title: Senior Program Manager – Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE)
Location: Bengaluru
Experience: 10+ years
Salary : 18 - 20 LPA
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About the Role

This is a problem-solving and program leadership role focused on shaping and delivering high-impact initiatives in Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE). Rather than standard administration, the position demands a strong understanding of market ecosystems and the ability to translate knowledge into clear strategies, practical interventions, strategic partnerships, and measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Problem Solving & Portfolio Development (25%)

• Identify structural barriers, emerging opportunities, and practical pathways to increase women's economic participation, incomes, enterprise growth, and agency.
• Lead structured problem-solving around complex market challenges and translate sector insights into clear, evidence-informed program strategies.
• Develop hypotheses and operational frameworks that can be tested, refined, and scaled across diverse geographies.
• Independently own strategic workstreams from problem definition through to implementation, learning, and scale.

2. Program Design, Leadership & Execution (25%)

• Lead the end-to-end design and delivery of multi-stakeholder WEE programs across multiple regions.
• Establish work plans, milestones, budgets, governance structures, quality assurance, and risk management systems.
• Conduct regular program reviews using data and field insights to course-correct and ensure focus remains on measurable outcomes rather than outputs alone.
• Ensure execution discipline, timely delivery against commitments, and operational scalability.

3. Ecosystem Leadership & Partnerships (20%)

• Maintain deep expertise in WEE, women's entrepreneurship, livelihoods, market systems, financial inclusion, and producer collectives (FPOs/SHGs).
• Build and manage strategic relationships across government entities, funders, corporate partners, financial institutions, and grassroots organizations.
• Identify synergies among ecosystem actors to unlock capital, markets, technology, networks, and scale for women-led enterprises.
• Represent the organization in sector convenings, consultations, and strategic forums.

4. Team Management & People Leadership (15%)

• Direct, mentor, and build a high-performing program team with clear accountabilities and goals.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, psychological safety, and continuous learning.
• Delegate effectively while maintaining oversight of quality, timelines, and outcomes.
• Coach team members and build a strong second line of leadership capable of managing complex programs independently.

5. Funder & Resource Management (10%)

• Manage relationships with existing and potential funding partners, leading high-level external conversations.
• Translate program impact and strategy into compelling proposals, reports, and narratives.
• Oversee budget planning, financial compliance, contractual requirements, and resource allocation across programs.

6. Knowledge Management & Thought Leadership (5%)

• Capture field insights, document best practices, and produce learning notes, case studies, and policy briefs.
• Synthesize program evidence to inform internal strategies and broader industry practices.

Key Qualifications

• Education :Postgraduate degree in Development Studies, Economics, Business Administration, Public Policy, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Management, or a related field.
• Experience :10+ years of progressive experience in program leadership or complex program management roles within gender, livelihoods, financial inclusion, market systems, or enterprise development.
• Domain Depth :Proven track record working with women entrepreneurs, producer collectives (FPOs/SHGs), market linkages, or inclusive supply chains.
• Stakeholder Management :Demonstrated success working directly with government officials, corporate leaders, philanthropic entities, and grassroots institutions.
• Team Leadership:Direct experience hiring, managing, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
• Travel:Readiness to travel regularly to project sites, including rural and semi-urban locations.

Core Competencies & Traits

• Root-Cause Problem Solver: Able to break down complex, ambiguous problems into structured, actionable frameworks.
• Execution Rigor: Relentlessly focused on implementation quality, timeline adherence, and quantifiable impact.
• Influence Without Authority: Capable of aligning diverse stakeholders with varying interests toward shared goals.
• Adaptable: Comfortable making decisions in fast-paced environments with evolving contexts or incomplete data.

For any questions, ping us on WhatsApp chat: [phone]