Program Manager

About the Program

The Urban Employment Program (UEP) enables young adults with disabilities to access industry-aligned training (Retail, Hospitality, Office Assistance) and secure employment through both in-centre and partner-led models across Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Pune.

We (the company) have trained 500+ candidates and placed ~130 candidates with partners such as Amazon, Taj Hotels, Akshaya Patra, Iron Mountain, and others.

Our approach extends beyond placement—we ensure long-term workplace inclusion through structured post-placement support, mentoring, and regular employer check-ins to solve issues early and improve retention.

About the Role

The Program Manager will lead end-to-end program delivery, including redesigning a holistic and practical curriculum, strengthening job-readiness training, and guiding trainers/special educators to deliver inclusive, high-quality sessions.

This is a hands-on, implementation-focused, and people-oriented role, requiring creativity, experimentation, and the ability to convert theory into applied, real-world learning (e.g., exposure visits, workplace simulations, role plays).

The role also demands strong team leadership, multi-site coordination, adherence to compliance norms (RPwD Act), and continuous improvement in training quality to ensure that every learner becomes job-ready and remains employed.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Team Coordination

• Build, manage, and mentor a team of trainers/special educators; set KRAs, run 1:1s, and conduct performance reviews.
• Plan team workloads, travel, observations, and schedules; ensure smooth centre operations.
• Manage hiring and onboarding for training and placement roles.
• Maintain simple, clear trackers for schedules, deliverables, trainee progress, and cohort outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with organisational policies, safeguarding norms, and RPwD Act requirements.

Curriculum & Job Readiness

• Redesign and maintain a holistic, applied, inclusive vocational curriculum tailored for diverse disabilities.
• Integrate exposure visits, workplace simulations, roleplays, and real-world tasks into the curriculum.
• Lead curriculum testing, pilot implementation, and iterative improvements based on field feedback.
• Guide trainers to deliver job-readiness skills: communication, workplace behaviour, problem-solving, time management, and professional skills.
• Create new curriculum as needed—translating broad program goals and industry requirements into modular, practical training materials.
• Develop and maintain assessment tools (rubrics, job-task analysis, checklists).
• Support scheme linkages and partnerships related to skill development and employment for youth with disabilities.

Program Operations & Outcomes

• Own enrolment, training completion, and placement targets; track performance through MIS and dashboards.
• Manage program budgets, materials, vendor coordination, and logistics.
• Coordinate structured post-placement support, including mentoring, regular check-ins, and problem-solving at the workplace.
• Ensure documentation, reporting, and data accuracy across all locations.
• Facilitate scheme linkages (government/CSR/skill missions) and maintain required documentation for eligible candidates.

Partnerships & Stakeholder Management

• Engage employers to align the curriculum with job-role requirements.
• Source and manage exposure visits, guest sessions, OJTs, and job trials.
• Manage quality assurance and review of partner-led centres, ensuring consistent delivery standards.
• Represent UEP with government bodies, funders, NGOs, and ecosystem partners.

Quality, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Conduct field observations, audits, and evaluations across centres.
• Standardise lesson plans, job-task analyses, and assessment rubrics.
• Use feedback from learners, trainers, employers, and audits to strengthen training delivery.
• Document best practices and contribute to SOPs, playbooks, and scale frameworks.

Personal Traits (You)

• Creative, experimental, and deeply committed to inclusion.
• High ownership and bias for action; comfortable navigating ambiguity.
• Strong team builder with empathy, accountability, and a field-first mindset.
• Organised, detail-oriented, and proactive in problem-solving.
• Open to learning, flexible, and driven to raise quality standards.

Skills (You Can Demonstrate)

• Curriculum design, review, iteration, and quality assurance.
• Strong training delivery supervision: trainer observations, feedback, and coaching.
• Multi-site program coordination, planning, and monitoring.
• Data-driven decision-making and reporting.
• Partnership building with employers and training centres.
• Documentation, SOP creation, and process improvement.
• Ability to translate employer needs into job-readiness training.

Tools

• Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
• MIS/Project Management systems
• Willingness to learn and use AI tools
• Dashboards and basic data analysis tools

Experience Profile

• Hands-on experience in vocational/education training and curriculum design.
• Track record of managing multi-centre operations or multi-site cohorts.
• Experience in team leadership, performance management, and monitoring outcomes.
• Strong understanding of disability inclusion, adult learning, and employer-driven training.
• Ability to create SOPs, checklists, and structured systems that teams can follow.
• Experience resolving challenges in training, placements, or field settings with empathy and action.

Key Performance Indicators

• On-time delivery of program milestones ≥ 90%
• Curriculum modules completed/revised on timeline ≥ 95%
• Training delivery quality: 85% sessions observed, 80% feedback closed within 2 weeks
• Learner job-readiness pass rate ≥ 75%
• Placement conversion per cohort ≥ 40%
• 3-month post-placement retention ≥ 70%
• Reporting submissions 100% on time; data accuracy ≥ 95%
• Employer/partner satisfaction ≥ 4.2/5