City Program Manager India School Leadership Institute (ISLI)

ISLI Background

School leaders have a large impact on the outcomes of their students and yet many school leaders in India
do not have the training or support they require to do their jobs well. Little is known about how to train
leaders in India to improve outcomes for students. The India School Leadership Institute (ISLI) is
developing the knowledge base and implementation proficiency required to develop and support all of
Indias urban school leaders headmasters, principals, head teachers, and school management from the
government, private, and civil sectors - who serve students from underprivileged backgrounds. It will then
use this know-how to influence policy and create systemic change. The mission of ISLI is to develop
school leaders who drive high-performing schools that commit to academic achievement and character
development of children from underserved communities. ISLI develops multi-year, on-the-job fellowship
programs for existing school leaders throughout country and aims to establish the gold standard
benchmark for school leadership development in India. Over the past two years, ISLI has grown from an
organization employing one full-time staff working with six principals to employing thirty full-time staff
working with 200 principals across four cities. Through its work with the leaders, ISLI now impacts more
than 8,000 teachers and 100,000 students. Over the next three years, ISLI will grow to 1,000 schools
across seven cities who serve nearly half a million students.

As a Program Manager, the individual will be responsible for providing expert level support to a
designated group of fellows and develop activities that will help fellows become effective leaders.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Serve as coach for ten to fifteen ISLI principal/owners which involves regular schools visits,
phone calls, and communication via email
Support implementation of the monthly workshops and high-performing school visits
Provide instructional and operation support to the ISLI City Head
Provide strategic input on the on-going development of the City Fellowship in your city
Daily travel within your City and approximately quarterly travel outside your city for ISLI
events is expected

Success in the role looks like, but is not limited to:

Supports school leaders achievement of goals by using coaching and support strategies that
gradually release responsibility for implementing school improvement practices
Consistently analyzes fellow practice through classroom observations/teacher feedback
sessions, data analysis, and school and works with the fellows on areas of improvement
Provides clear and direct feedback to fellows based on analysis of practice and reflective
dialogue
Tracks school progress to assess the effectiveness of support
Assists in developing on-site support protocols, tools, and materials tailored to the specific
needs of the fellows
Builds relationships with designated fellows and fosters collaboration to ensure support is
effective


Qualifications

Required and preferred education/ experience is:

Bachelors or equivalent degree required, preferably a masters degree

Minimum of 4 years of work experience, at least two years in the education sector required
Proficiency in the use of technology (MS Word, Google Drive), Hindi, and English required;
For Mumbai/Pune working knowledge of Marathi preferred, for Hyderabad working
knowledge of Telugu is preferred

Successful teaching experience is highly preferred

Key skills, mindsets,and knowledge to be successful in the role include:

Belief that all students can achieve at the highest levels

Conviction that all school leaders can change and dramatically improve their schools
Basic understanding of educational pedagogy and best practices in teaching and learning
Awareness of fundamental principles of effective schools and school leadership
Experience facilitating sessions, being a part of teams, and supporting results oriented goals
Experience presenting to and working with adults
Ability and desire to motivate adult learners to improve professional practice

The ideal candidate possesses the following qualities.

Self-starter, entrepreneurial spirit

Desire to learn about how to support leadership in schools in India
Persistence and determination
Self-awareness, self-reflection, and empathy
High level of integrity
Willingness and ability to give tough feedback

Work Location and Remuneration

The candidate will be based in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad or Delhi. Candidate must be comfortable with
extensive travel within the city, and to other cities in which ISLI is represented.

Pay is competitive with Indian NGO scales.

Interested candidates may write to Harmik Wilkho at harmik@indiaschoolleaders.org with a resume and
cover letter.