Manager, Program Operations: Nagaland

About Saturday Art Class (SArC):
At Saturday Art Class (SArC), we believe that every child deserves the tools to imagine, express, and grow. As a non-profit educational initiative, we embed visual arts and social-emotional learning (SEL) into the classrooms of India’s government and low-income schools—helping children discover their voices and build the skills they need to thrive in life. Since 2016, SArC has co-created safe and creative spaces with over 90 partners across 13 states , enabling students to engage in art-based learning that nurtures empathy, resilience, and self-awareness. Our digital resources have empowered 1.12 million+ users across 7 countries , reinforcing our commitment to equitable access to creativity and emotional wellbeing. SArC’s journey has been powered by educators, artists, learners, and changemakers who believe in the transformative power of art. Join us as we continue to make creativity a right, not a privilege- for every child, everywhere.
About Manager, Program Operations [Nagaland]:
As the Manager – State Programs (Nagaland) , you will lead SArC’s efforts to strengthen and institutionalise Arts within Nagaland’s education system . You will lead government partnerships, state-level advocacy, and program implementation to build greater government ownership and sustainable scale. You will develop and drive the state strategy, build strategic relationships and alliances, lead the Nagaland team, and use evidence and contextual insights to strengthen programs, influence government priorities, and inform organisational strategy. This role requires a strategic and execution-oriented leader who can navigate complex government systems, influence senior stakeholders, develop teams, and translate program learning into pathways for long-term institutional change.

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Government Partnerships & State Leadership

- Lead strategic engagement with the Directorate of School Education SCERT, Samagra Shiksha, District Education Offices, and other key government stakeholders, building trusted and sustained relationships.
- Represent SArC in government reviews, consultations, planning meetings, and relevant state forums, ensuring effective follow-through on commitments and decisions.
- Understand government priorities, systems, decision-making processes, and leadership changes to strengthen partnership continuity and identify strategic opportunities.
- Serve as the primary bridge between the Nagaland government ecosystem, the state team, and SArC’s central team.

2. State Strategy, Advocacy & Institutionalisation

- Set the state-level strategic direction for strengthening the role of Arts within Nagaland’s education system, identifying priorities, opportunities, and pathways for long-term change.
- Lead advocacy and influence efforts to build the case for Arts and shape how government stakeholders understand and prioritise its role within education.
- Drive the transition from SArC-led programs to sustainable government ownership, identifying opportunities to embed Arts within existing policies, programmes, curricula, teacher development, and systems.
- Anticipate changes and risks in the state ecosystem and adapt the strategy to protect and advance long-term institutionalisation.

3. Program Leadership, Monitoring, Learning & Knowledge Building

- Provide overall leadership for SArC’s programs across Nagaland, ensuring quality, consistency, timely delivery, and alignment with the state strategy.
- Oversee implementation across educator training, schools, exhibitions, and district and state-level engagements, using field visits to assess quality and understand on-ground realities.
- Work with M&E to analyse implementation data, stakeholder feedback, and field insights and translate these into program and strategic improvements.
- Ensure key implementation learnings, evidence, case studies, and partnership insights are documented and used to strengthen future programming, advocacy, and scale.

4. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Set clear priorities and delegate effectively, enabling the team to take increasing ownership of implementation and stakeholder engagement.
- Work closely with Curriculum, Training, Partnerships, M&E, Finance, Operations, and Communications to align state priorities with organisational capabilities.
- Bring state-level insights and learning into wider organisational strategy and decision-making.
Qualifications & Experience:
- 5–7 years of experience in program management, government partnerships, education programs, or development sector implementation.
- Strong understanding of Nagaland's education ecosystem and government systems is highly desirable.
- Graduate or postgraduate degree in Education, Public Policy, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Management, or a related field.
- Proven ability to independently manage multiple projects, stakeholders, and competing priorities.
Skills and Mindset:
- Strategic Leadership & Execution: Ability to translate vision into strategy and effective implementation, with strong planning, prioritisation, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
- Government & Stakeholder Leadership: Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the confidence to engage, influence, and build trust with senior government and institutional stakeholders.
- People Leadership & Collaboration: Strong people management skills with the ability to develop high-performing teams, delegate effectively, foster ownership, and collaborate across functions.
- Adaptability & Ownership: High ownership, resilience, and adaptability, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, anticipate risks, respond to changing contexts, and continuously improve. Willingness to travel extensively across Nagaland.
Other Details: Location: Kohima, Nagaland, India Compensation: 6 to 7 LPA Reporting Manager: Chief Operations Officer.