GM/Head – Adolescent Operations

ABOUT MAGIC BUS

Founded in Mumbai in 1999, Magic Bus India Foundation is one of India’s top five NGOs in the education and skilling space, with a pan-India presence. The organisation works with young people living in poverty, supporting their journey from a childhood full of challenges to a future with meaningful livelihoods. By engaging with their parents, peers, communities and local institutions, Magic Bus builds a supportive ecosystem that enables young people to realise their potential.

Our vision is a world where young people break out of poverty, lead fulfilling and rewarding lives, and contribute positively to their communities. Our mission is to equip vulnerable young people with life skills that enable them to thrive in the transition to adulthood.

Through our programmes focused on school to work transition - life skills education, employability and future skills, education enhancement and connecting youth to gainful livelihood. We work towards two key outcomes: enabling adolescents successfully transition from school to work and fulfilling lives as well as equipping youth with skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

Our approach is guided by five core values: Passion, Integrity, Respect, Innovation and Collaboration. Through these values and our partnerships with families, communities, the government and other institutions and related stakeholders, we strive to create sustainable pathways for young people to move from childhood to livelihood and thrive in that journey.

ABOUT THE ROLE The role holder will work closely with the Chief of Programmes to conceptualise, develop and drive strategic initiatives projects (ongoing and new), and facilitate actions to roll out the overarching five-year strategy to enable school to work transition for 5 million adolescents. In light of this, the role involves working with Chief of Programmes towards strengthening the pillars of the adolescent programme that is delivered through system led government partnerships as well as direct staff led interventions, while contributing to programme design, positioning for critical funding opportunities, building credible knowledge and evidence for internal programme strengthening and external amplification. Overall, the role will focus on translating organisational priorities and programme needs into actionable project plans, developing proposals and programme frameworks, analysing programme data, preparing high-quality reports and identifying opportunities to strengthen programme design, quality and impact, aligned to the strategy.

The ideal candidate will have a sound understanding of the education space, the adolescent stakeholder group, programme operations and management, strategic oversight and about new initiatives and growth spaces for this work in development sector in general. This is not a core programme operations role; rather, it requires an individual who can bring strategic thinking, structured problem-solving, analytical rigour and strong project management skills to new initiatives and ongoing programme improvement. In that sense, it is an orchestrator role that enables connecting the dots, including cross -functional collaboration that a large programme requires to be efficient, effective and agile.

The role will work closely with Programme Operations, Impact, Programme Design and Curriculum, Training, Fundraising, Communications, Finance and other internal stakeholders to ensure alignment with adolescent programme strategy, plans, budgets, outcomes and future growth opportunities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Development & New Initiatives

- Work with the Chief of Programme to conceptualise, design and develop new projects, programme initiatives and pilots aligned with organisational priorities.
- Translate programme needs and strategic priorities into project concepts, implementation frameworks, work plans, milestones and measurable outcomes.
- Develop programme proposals, concept notes, project plans and presentations for internal decision-making and stakeholder discussions.
- Research emerging practices, models and approaches in adolescent education,



life skills and overall adolescent well-being and development to inform programme innovation as well as outreach to disadvantaged groups especially children and adolescents
- Assess the feasibility of new initiatives in consultation with Programme Operations, Curriculum, Training, Impact and other relevant teams.
- Support the planning, coordination and review of pilots and special projects, documenting learnings and recommendations for future scale-up.

2. Adolescent Programme Management & Strategic Coordination

- Build a sound understanding of programme implementation, regional priorities and operational challenges to inform programme-level planning and decision-making.
- Facilitate coordination between regional teams and central functions to address cross-functional dependencies, resolve challenges and support the achievement of programme objectives.
- Review programme-level resource requirements, budgets and priorities in consultation with relevant teams, identifying gaps and areas requiring management attention.
- Strengthen alignment across Programme Operations, Curriculum, Training, M&E;/Impact and other functions to improve programme quality and consistency.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen programme processes, systems and ways of working, and recommend improvements based on field insights and organisational priorities

3. Project Analysis, Reporting & Insights

- Analyse data, performance trends, field feedback and monitoring reports for specific projects and initiatives to identify gaps, risks and opportunities for improvement.
- Prepare project-specific reports, management dashboards, review presentations and periodic updates for the Chief of Programs and other stakeholders.
- Consolidate project information from regional teams and internal functions to develop evidence-based insights and recommendations.
- Work with the M&E;/Impact team to assess project outcomes and incorporate findings and learnings into programme development and future initiatives.
- Develop and maintain appropriate project-level reporting formats and tracking tools to ensure accurate, consistent and timely reporting.
- Monitor key indicators, milestones and outcomes for selected projects, highlighting deviations and recommending corrective actions.

4. Programme Quality & Continuous Improvement

- Develop a sound understanding of Magic Bus’s Adolescent Programme, including its objectives, programme model, curriculum, delivery approach and implementation realities.
- Work with Programme Operations and regional teams to understand field-level challenges and identify opportunities to improve programme effectiveness and quality.
- Review existing programme processes, tools and practices to identify gaps and recommend practical improvements.
- Identify opportunities to leverage technology, data and automation to improve programme planning, tracking and decision-making.
- Document good practices, lessons learnt and implementation insights to inform future programme design and organisational learning.

5. Stakeholder Engagement & Resource Alignment

- Build effective working relationships with regional teams and central functions to ensure that new initiatives are informed by operational realities and organisational priorities and ongoing ones, stay true to their purpose
- Work with the Fundraising and Sustainability teams to understand donor commitments, project objectives, reporting requirements and deliverables for adolescent projects supported by CSR, institutional donors and employee giving.
- Continue to revisit programme positioning, locate opportunities for innovation, growth and interventions that can improve depth, quality and outreach to those farthest behind
- Prepare programme-related inputs for internal and external stakeholder discussions, donor reviews and management presentations, as required.
- Undertake periodic, yet extensive and quality focused field visits to understand programme implementation,



engage with teams and gather insights to inform project development and improvement and create a feedback loop for different functional teams to strengthen interventions.

6. Special Projects & Strategic Priorities

- Lead special projects and strategic initiatives assigned by the Chief of Programmes.
- Undertake research, analysis and structured problem-solving on emerging programme priorities, recent areas of work related to adolescent well-being an development and organisational challenges.
- Develop recommendations and action plans based on data, stakeholder inputs and field insights, and propose ways in which these insights can be positioned externally, leveraged for collective knowledge-building or towards research and thought leadership
- Track the progress and outcomes of strategic initiatives and communicate key learnings and recommendations to leadership.

Reporting Structure

Reports to: Chief of Programmes

Key Internal Stakeholders: Programme Operations, Regional Directors, Curriculum, Training, M&E;/Impact, Government partnerships team, Marketing/Communications, Fundraising/CRM, Sustainability, IT, Finance, HR and Administration.

Desired Competencies

- Programme Understanding: Sound understanding of adolescent education and development programmes
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to understand organisational priorities, identify opportunities and translate ideas into actionable projects and initiatives. Strong problem-solving, application of mind, foresight and big-picture perspective desirable.
- Project Management: Strong skills in planning, coordinating and tracking multiple projects, including timelines, deliverables, budgets, risks and outcomes.
- Research & Analytical Skills: Ability to interpret programme data, synthesise information, identify patterns and develop evidence-based recommendations. Further knowledge building and thought leadership
- Report Writing & Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication, including the preparation of reports, concept notes, proposals, presentations and management updates.
- Problem-Solving: Ability to approach complex issues with structured thinking, sound judgement and practical recommendations.
- Stakeholder Management: Ability to work collaboratively across teams, engage with senior stakeholders and work field team with equal acumen and build alignment across functions.
- Process Orientation: Strong attention to detail and the ability to develop frameworks, systems, tools and standardised processes.
- Technology Orientation: Comfortable using digital tools, data systems and technology to improve project management, analysis and reporting.
- Ownership & Accountability: Self-driven, organised and capable of managing multiple priorities in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment.
- Adaptability & Resilience: Comfortable working through ambiguity, managing change and responding to evolving organisational priorities.
- Field Orientated: Field-insight driven and grounded in decision-making that is informed by implementation realities

Qualifications & Experience

- Graduate or postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline such as Social Sciences, Education, Development Studies, Management or a related field.
- Approximately 14–17 years of relevant experience in programme development, strategic initiatives, project management, programme quality, research or related roles.
- Experience working in a large social sector organisation or development-focused institution is preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in developing projects or programme initiatives, preparing reports and presentations, analysing data, and coordinating cross-functional stakeholders.
- Prior exposure to adolescent education, life skills, foundational learning or adolescent development programmes focused on school to work transition is highly desirable.
- Experience in programme operations or implementation is useful, provided the candidate can apply that understanding to programme design, strategic projects and organisational improvement.
- Experience leveraging technology, data and structured processes to improve programme effectiveness will be an advantage.

Travel Requirements: To be informed by field insights across tasks related to the role by undertaking regular travel to field locations across India

📌 General Manager / Head - Adolescent Operations (Navi Mumbai)
🏢 Magic Bus India Foundation
📍 Navi Mumbai