Senior Program Manager - STEP Bihar

About Mantra4Change

Mantra4Change is a non-profit organisation working with governments to transform public education systems in India - so that millions of children can learn better, grow stronger, and thrive. We partner closely with state education departments to design and implement reforms at scale, strengthening leadership, governance, and classroom practice across public schools. Our work is grounded in the belief that lasting change happens when governments lead their own transformation.

Through long-term collaboration with institutions such as SCERTs and DIETs, Mantra4Change focuses on developing school leaders and system leaders, building collaborative school cultures, and engaging communities as partners in learning. By combining strong on-ground implementation with continuous learning, we help systems identify what works, scale it responsibly, and sustain improvement over time.

Our mission is to enable leaders at every level of the system to drive continuous improvement, creating a virtuous cycle in which strong leadership, collective ownership, and systemic reform deliver better learning and more equitable outcomes for every child.

Read more - www.mantra4change.org

About STEP Bihar:

We have been working closely with the education department of Bihar since 2021. Our approach to work in Bihar to strengthen education leadership at various levels through collective action by leveraging technology to drive school improvement, through the following interventions.

Work closely with SCERT and the Bihar Education Project Council office to design and implement a project-based learning program for grades 6-8 in all 38 districts in maths, science, and social subjects.

Work closely with SCERT and the Director of the Primary office to enable DIETs to design need-based TPD, leveraging the Micro-Improvement Project on DIKSHA.

Deeper Intervention in 2 districts - Lakhisarai and Gaya. The District Team strengthens PBL and FLN Implementation at the district level by providing governance and academic support to key stakeholders at the district, block, and complex levels.

About the role

The Senior Program Manager will lead the vision, strategy, and delivery of education transformation initiatives under STEP Bihar. The role involves anchoring state-level alignment and approvals, driving program design, managing government partnerships, and leading a cross-functional team of Program Leads and Senior Program Leads. The position requires deep familiarity with Bihar’s education ecosystem, strong stakeholder management skills, and the ability to drive systemic change at scale.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Program Design & Delivery (All Workstreams + Program Outcome)

• Anchor alignment and approvals of new initiatives with state leadership.
• Responsible for vision, strategy, and Annual Plan for the initiative running in the state and overall program delivery.
• Drive Partnership and Ecosystem-building (Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar) within the state for effective program delivery.
• Define program goals, success metrics, and milestones clearly for internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Invest in and engage the Administrative Secretary (Principal Secretary,SPD) departments to ensure effective workstream delivery.
• Conduct weekly/monthly reviews on workstreams with the Program Leads and Senior Program Leads.
• Set up a review cadence with the department on program delivery.
• Ensure quality review of content produced by PLs and SPLs towards effective workstream delivery.
• Plan and conduct field visits; incorporate insights into the program.

2. Team Member Development

• Conduct fortnightly 1-1 growth conversations with team members.
• Facilitate structured monthly sessions on culture and systems and career growth.

3. Drive Excellence in Org Culture & Operations

• Demonstrate and hold the team accountable on the org core values
• Role model and co-plan and co-conduct team-level and workstream-level capacity building and professional development sessions.
• Create spaces with teams for two-way feedback (360-degree, open forums)

4. Funder Management

• Anchor funder meetings and presentations and manage funder relations.
• Create proposals, reports, and presentations for funders.
• Plan and lead field visits and immersions with funders.

Skills & Qualifications Required:

• A master’s degree with 8-12 years of experience in leading programs, especially in government education systems like SCERT, DIETs, Samagra Shiksha, and state education departments, is preferred.
• Must have experience in managing different teams and handling large-scale programs.
• Should have a good understanding of Bihar’s education system and policies like NEP 2020, NCF-SE 2023, and Mission NIPUN Bihar.
• Must have basic knowledge of tools like Google Workspace (G-Suite), Canva, and some AI tools.
• Should have ability to work with and manage senior government officials like Secretaries, SPDs, and HODs.
• Strong speaking and writing skills in both Hindi and English are required.
• Must be willing to travel within Bihar and to other locations when required.

Why Mantra

• A trust-based work environment that encourages independent thinking, questioning, and building solutions.
• An open and collaborative culture where teams are accessible and diverse perspectives are valued.
• 24 paid leave and 12 calendar holidays.
• Health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 LPA for the employee and their dependents, along with accidental insurance coverage of ₹5 LPA for the employee.
• One menstrual leave each month for women employees.
• Rs. 5000 L&D fund to pursue job-related learning opportunities.

Remuneration: An annual CTC of INR 18 onwards (depending on competency and experience)

Location: Bihar, Patna (With travel to field as per the requirements)

Learn more about Mantra on our website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram

In case of any queries, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]