About Pratham
Pratham was founded in 1995, to provide preschool education to children in the slums of Mumbai. Over the last 30 years, Pratham has grown to be one of India’s largest NGOs working to provide quality education to underprivileged youth and children in over 25 states and union territories across the country, with a range of interventions.
Pratham is a widely recognized organization, having received notable awards such as the Lui Che Woo Prize, the WISE Prize for Innovation, Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the Henry R Kravis Prize in Leadership and the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year for Public Service. For more details, refer to www.pratham.org.
About Second Chance
The Second Chance Program provides a pathway for school dropouts, especially women and girls, to re-enter the education system and complete secondary schooling. Learners are supported academically to prepare for grade 10 examinations (through Open Schooling Institutions or State Boards) and also engage in life skills and co-scholastic modules to support their personal and professional growth. Launched in 2011, the program operates across 12 states and has supported over 50,000 women and girls till date. The program is managed by a central team and facilitated by state teams.
Position Summary
The Senior Program Associate role offers experienced professionals an opportunity to contribute significantly to Pratham’s Second Chance program. As the crucial link between state and program implementation teams, central teams and donors, the Senior Program Associate will work in mainly two areas:
- Operations: supporting state and program heads in planning and implementation, and
- Donor Management: managing partnerships with strategic donors and external collaborators.
This is a cross-functional and dynamic role, providing exposure to a wide spectrum of geographies, tasks, and experiences within Pratham.
Key Responsibilities
1. Programmatic Operations
- Support state/program heads in the year-long planning and execution of Second Chance, ensuring alignment with organizational strategy and donor commitments.
- Manage operations by liaising with state/program and central teams, addressing emerging needs, and enabling smooth processes through coordination, communication, documentation, and planning.
- Collaborate with relevant internal teams (content, measurement, finance, digital, Communications) to ensure timely and efficient implementation.
- Document and maintain a repository of key program matters, reports, and learnings.
- Analyze programmatic data to take informed decisions to address challenges and needs of the program.
- Liaise with government bodies, local administration, and stakeholders for smooth program implementation.
- Manage logistical needs of the program including training, visits, and external events.
2. Donor Management
- Serve as the primary organizational contact for assigned donors, ensuring regular communication, submission of progress reports, and alignment on future planning.
- Track program progress against plans, ensuring financial management is aligned with budgets and deviations are addressed.
- Facilitate donor visits to program sites and manage associated donor needs.
- Fundraising: lead proposal development, grant writing, research and prospect mapping with market analysis.
Desired Qualifications and Experience
- 4+ years of relevant work experience in the non-profit sector via Foundations, NGOs or private sector firms, with substantive field work. Experience in community-led projects and work in rural India are preferred.
- An interest in education policy and program implementation.
- Work experience in planning, program management, donor reporting, and financial oversight.
- Strong written and oral communication skills in English.
- Ability to communicate in Hindi; with written and oral fluency in 1–2 south-Indian languages preferred (Kannada, Telugu, Tamil)
- Willingness to travel extensively to rural parts of India with limited amenities.
- Working knowledge and experience with MS Office with strong quantitative, analytical, and presentation skills.
- Team-oriented, adaptable to dynamic contexts, with the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently.
Location
- Candidates must be based out of Delhi or Bangalore, or be willing to relocate.
Application Procedure
To apply, fill out the Google form link here (https://forms.gle/GdGAhftfcDiQTayN8) and upload the latest CV.
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for three subsequent rounds: telephonic/online interview, written assignments, and final interview.
Note: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to provide individual responses to every applicant. We will reach out only to shortlisted candidates. We appreciate your understanding and patience.
