Senior Manager - Schools of Excellence

About the Program

Schools of Excellence (SoE) is a transformative project launched in 2022 by the Tamil Nadu School Education Department. The initiative aims to transform 28 selected schools across Tamil Nadu’s key corporations and municipalities into excellent institutions of holistic education.
The Clubs Initiative aims to strengthen co-curricular activities in schools through structured activities and competitions, such as literary and quiz clubs. The program seeks to enhance critical thinking skills, enable reading as a habit, and promote holistic development, with the objective of ensuring participation of the last child. Bhumi works alongside the Tamil Nadu School Education Department in supporting its efforts to strengthen government schools across the state.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Manager/Sr. Manager Schools of Excellence will play a leadership role in driving  the success of Bhumi’s support to the Schools of Excellence and Clubs initiatives across districts in Tamil Nadu. The responsibilities will include:

• Program Design & Development: Own the vision, strategy and roadmap for SoE and Clubs by creating a comprehensive program plan integrating M&E frameworks, budgets and mitigation plans to anticipate gaps and risks using ground realities and evidence to course-correct.
  
• Reviews, Data & Reporting: Enable state leadership to make data-driven informed decisions by creating dashboards, policy briefs, positioning notes and communication packets aligned with key performance indicators.. Establish regular review meetings with state leadership, with structured progress reports against targets and crisp briefs for senior officials, so that reviews lead to decisions and follow-through. Create structured documentation and research-based reporting to communicate to diverse audiences
  
• Implementation & Program Delivery: Take complete ownership of program delivery across state, district, and school levels by ensuring clear communication of the program across levels, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities, and creating a clear plan of action.
  
• Stakeholder and Partnership Management: Be a reliable partner to the government and social sector ecosystem by building and sustaining strong relationships with leadership and navigating government processes and competing priorities, and manage difficult conversations while keeping the programme moving.
  
• Team Leadership & Management: Lead and develop a team of 4–5 people to set clear goals, give regular feedback, and manage performance, coaching the team to work independently
  

Required Education Qualification / Experience:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Public administration, Development studies, management or other related fields
  
• Sr. Manager: 6+ years of experience, including managing a team and owning a programme end to end
  
• Prior experience of working with district or state-level administration is essential
  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of data analysis: building trackers and dashboards and turning data into clear insights and recommendations.
  

Skills:

• Proficient in Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms)
  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Tamil and English, including formal communication with government officials
  
• Project management expertise to coordinate multiple initiatives and track deliverables
  

Other Information:

• Scope: Full-time
  
• Designation: Manager to Sr. Manager, Schools of Excellence
  
• Reporting to: Executive Director, Bhumi
  
• Remuneration:  Rs 10-12 LPA, negotiable based on the candidate’s profile
  
• Expected Joining Date: Immediate