Travel: As per the project need
Position Overview:
Lend A Hand India is hiring a Project Lead to own the day-to-day leadership of ITI transformation operations across Lend A Hand India's assigned ITI clusters in Maharashtra. This is a state-level leadership role that sits at the heart of the State PMU: the Project Lead will coordinate with the state skills department, manage cluster teams and their delivery of the 10-pillar playbook, coordinate ecosystem and technology partners, track outcomes against milestones, and represent Lend A Hand India in engagements with the Central PMU. The role suits someone who can operate comfortably across strategy, field execution, government liaison and data-driven program management.
Key Responsibilities:
1. State & Cluster Program Leadership
- Lead the overall planning, rollout and day-to-day management of ITI transformation operations across Lend A Hand India’s clusters in Maharashtra (e.g., Pimpri and other assigned districts).
- Own delivery at the cluster level, from student mobilization and aspiration-building through to post-placement mentorship and tracking.
- Manage and mentor Cluster Project Coordinators/field teams (approx. 15 ITIs per cluster), setting clear targets, reviewing progress and unblocking implementation issues.
Drive the baseline data assessment process for target ITIs and ensure findings feed into cluster-level planning and prioritization.
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2. Government & Ecosystem Coordination
- Serve as the primary point of coordination with the Maharashtra state skills department and relevant government stakeholders on ITI transformation matters.
- Coordinate with the Central PMU on strategy alignment, reporting requirements and cross-state learning.
- Build and maintain relationships with ecosystem and implementation partners — industry bodies, other NGOs and technology partners — to ensure coordinated delivery across pillars.
Support ITI principals, faculty and administration in strengthening institutional processes under the Admin Strengthening and Faculty Development pillars.
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3. Industry Engagement & Placements
- Lead local industry engagement efforts, particularly with employers in Maharashtra’s manufacturing and industrial corridors, to strengthen demand-supply mapping and Dual System of Training (DST)-style partnerships.
- Oversee placement support and apprenticeship pipelines, working with industry to convert exposure and training into quality job or apprenticeship outcomes.
Support design and delivery of post-placement mentorship, monitoring and retention efforts, given known drop-off risk in the first year after placement.
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4. Data, Technology & Monitoring
- Ensure timely, accurate data reporting from cluster to State and Central PMU levels, and use data to identify anomalies, delays and areas needing intervention.
Track progress against the program roadmap and milestones (baseline assessment, pilot rollout, scale-up phases) and flag risks early.
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5. Team & Stakeholder Management
- Build, lead and develop a high-performing state team, including hiring, coaching and performance management of cluster staff.
- Represent Lend A Hand India and the state program in reviews with the Central PMU, donors, and government counterparts.
Contribute to the continuous refinement of the ITI playbook and operating model based on on-ground learning.
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Minimum Experience:
- 8–10+ years of experience in program/project management, with significant exposure to skilling, vocational training, education, or livelihoods program.
- Demonstrated experience managing multi-stakeholder program involving government departments, NGOs/implementation partners, and industry.
- Prior experience working with or within the ITI/vocational training ecosystem (DGT, MSDE, State Skill Development Missions) is strongly preferred.
- Experience managing field teams and driving delivery across multiple sites/districts simultaneously.
Educational Background:
Graduate/Postgraduate degree in any discipline; a background in social work, development studies, education, engineering, or management is an advantage.
Skills & Competencies:
- Strong stakeholder management and government liaison skills; comfortable engaging with state department officials, ITI administration, and corporate partners.
- Data-driven program management — able to work with dashboards/MIS tools, interpret outcome data, and translate it into action.
- Strong people leadership: hiring, coaching and managing distributed field teams.
- Structured problem-solving and the ability to operate in an evolving, build-as-you-go program environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication in English and Marathi/Hindi.
- Willingness to travel extensively within Maharashtra to ITI clusters and district offices.
Personal Attributes:
- Relationship - Oriented
- Proactive and Self - driven
- Adaptable and resilient
Strong ownership and accountability
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About Lend A Hand India : Lend A Hand India (LAHI) is a leading national Think Tank/NGO with over 20 years of experience in strengthening India’s skill and vocational education ecosystem. LAHI works closely with 20+ State and UT governments through long-term partnerships, providing technical advisory and Project Management Unit (PMU) support to drive systemic reforms. In Uttar Pradesh, LAHI partners with the Directorate of Training (DTE) and the State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT) to support large-scale improvements in ITIs, skill education curriculum, assessments, certification, and policy implementation .
Our Mission
Equip School Students to Maximise Their Potential Through Skill Education
Our Approach
- Direct implementation in schools
- Partnership with central-state governments to define, and scale policy
- Building of Centres of Excellence that act as lighthouses for innovation
- Resource organisation for the skilling ecosystem
Our Knowledge in Action
Through the design & execution of innovative models from training centres, innovation hubs to mobile outreach initiatives, LAHI’s innovative knowledge resource drives both grassroots learning and systemic transformation across India. With 250+ LAHI staff embedded in state education systems across 20+ states, we provide technical and project management support, enabling governments to translate policy into action.
Our Reach
LAHI’s current scale of work includes -
- 20+ States and UTs
- 15000+ Schools
- 15 Lakh+ Students
- 250+ Team Members
