Senior Project Manager- Implementation

Job Description   Sr. Project Manager Implementation - English Projects
October 2025 | Nagpur  

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER (ENGLISH PROJECTS)
Location: Nagpur No. of positions: 1 in Nagpur Reporting to: Vertical Head
About Centre for Learning Resources (CLR)  Centre for Learning Resources (CLR) is one of the oldest Indian non-profit educational institutions  of the Society for Educational Improvement and Innovation, based out of Pune, founded by India's  veteran educator couple John Kurrien & Zakiya Kurrien. We have been working in the domains  of early childhood care and development (ECCD), Foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) &  English as a second language (ESL) since 1984. We have supported various government organizations and NGOs across the country, including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,  Uttarakhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Offshore engagements  have included Indonesia & Nepal. 
CLR's vision is to assist in creating a more just and equitable society through the integrated  development of children from marginalized communities, such that they grow up in child-centred  environments that nurture their holistic growth and learning. Our mission is to build large-scale  capacities of the ICDS systems, which are charged with this responsibility, so they can deliver  effectively. This includes government machinery, civil society organizations, and NGOs. (For  more information log onto ) 
Background to CLR's work in the teaching of English  Most poor and lower-middle-class students and youth in urban and rural India have extremely  limited English skills, despite learning English as a second language for a considerable number of  years. CLR believes that a basic proficiency in English is empowering for disadvantaged  communities. At the same time, India is a country of diverse home languages, where the acquisition  of English skills is challenging and has to be placed in a multilingual context. Based on this  understanding, we have researched and developed content and training programs in audio, digital  and print formats, using bilingual pedagogical approaches to strengthen the spoken English and  literacy skills of students and the English proficiency of teachers in regional medium schools. We  have also launched similar initiatives for out-of-school youth and adult learners. Therefore, have  the potential to cause a large-scale societal transformation through the work they do by enabling a  more significant number of our underprivileged children to lead more fulfilling lives.  
Overview of the Position We are seeking a seasoned and strategic Sr. Project Manager to provide leadership, oversight, and direction for a portfolio of initiatives focused on strengthening English language teaching in government regional medium schools. This role involves managing and mentoring Project Managers, driving systemic change across multiple districts/regions, and ensuring alignment with CLR's overall strategic goals. The Sr. Project Manager will be a primary escalation point, a high-level strategic planner, and a key liaison with apex government and funding partners.
Key Roles and Responsibilities  The Sr. Project Manager will have the following roles and responsibilities: 
1. Strategic Program Leadership & Oversight (Weightage: 25%)

• Strategic Planning: Lead the development of the multi-year strategy, regional expansion plans, and annual operational goals for the English Projects vertical, consolidating input from Project Managers. 
• Execution Oversight: Provide high-level guidance, risk assessment, and complex decision-making support to Project Managers to ensure on-time, high-quality delivery across all projects and locations.
• Program Design Review: Review and approve significant program design adjustments and systemic intervention strategies suggested by Project Managers to ensure feasibility and maximize systemic impact.
• Quality Audits: Conduct high-stakes, periodic program quality and system-level validation audits across all project locations.

2. High-Level Stakeholder & Funder Management (Weightage: 20%)

• Apex Engagement: Cultivate and maintain strategic, high-level relationships with State-level government officials, major funders, and key national/international ecosystem partners. 
• Funder Reporting: Oversee and finalize the preparation and submission of all progress, financial, and utilization reports for submission to apex funders and state-level government bodies.
• High-Level Reviews: Lead and present in state-level steering committee meetings, annual strategy reviews with funders, and government joint review missions. 

3. Team Portfolio Management & Development (Weightage: 20%)

• Portfolio Leadership: Manage, mentor, and set overarching goals for a team that includes Project Managers and functional leads, ensuring efficient resource allocation and cross-project collaboration. .
• Talent Development: Drive senior-level capacity development, identify key talent, and establish a succession plan for critical program roles. 
• Accountability: Establish and enforce a robust performance management and accountability framework across all projects, ensuring outcomes are met on time and with quality.

4. Strategic Growth & Partnerships (Weightage: 10%)

• Growth Strategy: Develop and lead the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for the expansion and long-term sustainability of the ESL vertical.
• Business Development: Actively generate, nurture, and convert new leads for strategic partnerships (Government, Corporate/CSR, National/International NGOs, and Funders) to secure new projects and ensure the scaling of interventions.
• Proposal and Report Writing: Direct and lead the writing, budgeting, and submission of high-quality funding proposals and partnership documents.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation Support (Weightage: 15%)

• Strategic support to M&E: Lead the design and institutionalization of scalable M&E frameworks and tools in collaboration with the M&E team, focusing on measuring systemic change and long-term impact.
• Data-Driven Adjustments: Analyze consolidated M&E dashboards to identify systemic gaps and mandate strategic, data-driven course corrections across the project portfolio.
• Data Quality Oversight: Provide high-level oversight for the entire data pipeline, ensuring Project Managers adhere to robust data monitoring and validation standards.

6. Content & Training Support ( Weightage: 10%)

• Curriculum Strategy Input: Synthesize cumulative field insights and systemic challenges to provide evidence-based recommendations to the Content team on curriculum relevance, pedagogical approach, and design.
• System Capacity Building: Strategize and oversee high-level initiatives to build the capacity of senior government officials (e.g., at DIETs, SCERTs) to ensure the sustainable delivery and institutionalization of CLR's training models.
• Scalability & Feasibility Review: Review and approve new training and content approaches, assessing their feasibility for large-scale implementation within public education systems.
• Tech-Driven Content: Collaborate with the Content team to identify and integrate new technologies to transition traditional training into scalable, blended formats, enhancing delivery and reach.
• Feedback Loop Ownership: Ensure Project Managers implement a robust mechanism for collecting and channeling critical, actionable content and training feedback from the field to the Content team for continuous improvement.

Qualifications and Competencies
Necessary
Education: Master's degree in Education, Development Studies, Management, Social Work, English Language Teaching or a related field. Experience (Total): Minimum of 8 to 12 years of progressive experience in large-scale social/education sector program management. Experience (Leadership): Minimum of 3 years of experience specifically managing a portfolio of multiple projects OR directly supervising other Project Managers/functional leads. Sector Knowledge: Demonstrated expertise and understanding of the Indian public education system and its systemic challenges, particularly in rural or regional contexts. Stakeholder Acumen: Proven experience in building and managing strategic, high-level relationships with State-level government officials, large corporate/CSR funders, and apex NGOs.

Desirable  
Program Scale: Prior experience in leading or designing multi-district or multi-state educational interventions. Functional Expertise: Direct experience with designing or contributing to M&E frameworks and/or leading research/evaluation studies in the education sector. Language Skills: Professional fluency in Marathi and Hindi is highly preferred, given the operational context in Maharashtra/North India. Business Development: Documented success in securing funding (grant writing), leading strategic proposal development, or generating significant new partnerships. Technical Proficiency: Experience in deploying or utilizing educational technology (EdTech) or digital data platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Power BI) for program management.
Remuneration  CTC will be INR LPA depending upon experience and skills. 
Note:  CLR is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of  Any Kind. We do not discriminate on the basis of caste, race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity,  sexual orientation, or any other non-merit factor.  We heartily welcome new members to join us and work closely with the experienced and diverse  leadership team at CLR  _______________________________________________________________________________
Leadership Team
Chetan Bhangdia, Director Chetan Bhangdia has extensive experience spanning more than 25 years in conceptualizing, building and delivering data and technology capabilities spanning strategy, programs, products, services, team set up and operations. He is an Engineer with a postgraduate degree in management. He takes care of select program verticals, production, research, M&E and all the organisational development functions at CLR.
Anurata Tribhuvan, Head of Production & Media and English Programs Anurata comes with 18+ years of experience in the field of production and media communication. She has a double Master's in Communication Media for Children from SNDT University and in Psychology from Pune University. Apart from being a CLR veteran, she has worked with SFM Radio, Star Pravah TV, ICC for Kids & Natives Communications. Over the years she has produced 800+ modules in all formats of e-learning content modules and video productions.
Sufia Azmat, Head of Research and Monitoring Dr. Sufia Azmat has eighteen years of experience around Teaching, Curriculum Development, Research, and Policy Practice. After completing a Masters in Social Work from Aligarh Muslim University, she secured a Doctorate in Social Work and Child Care Practice from Jamia Millia Islamia. She has authored 10 papers around ECD concerns and participated in several international and national conferences. She has led 2 major projects funded by ICSSR and NHRC and many minor projects. The thrust areas of her research and practice remain Early Childhood Development, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, Maternal and Child Health, disaster and resilience, and Parenting using a Rights-Based Approach.
Kishore Jagtap, Program Lead Kishorkumar Jagtap is Program Lead at CLR, with over 14 years of experience in the education sector with a strong foundation and passion for impactful change. He specializes in organization development, stakeholder management, and strategic planning and implementation of educational programs. Throughout his career, he has successfully led initiatives that drive institutional growth and improve program outcomes. His expertise lies in aligning educational strategies with organizational goals, ensuring sustainable and scalable development. Known for his collaborative approach, he builds strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to foster innovation and continuous improvement. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering and brings a methodical, results-driven mindset to every project he leads.

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