Associate Director, State Programs at LLF

Location: New Delhi (Kalkaji), Delhi
Experience: 15+ years in large-scale education or social sector program management, with FLN experience
Compensation: Competitive

Language and Learning Foundation

Language and Learning Foundation (LLF) is a New Delhi-based non-profit that works to improve learning outcomes for children across India. Over 8 years, LLF has strengthened foundational literacy and language skills for 8,50,000+ children and supported 2,50,000+ teachers across 8 states through teacher training, knowledge building, and close partnership with state governments.

Role

The Associate Director, State Programs will be a key leader supporting the design, delivery, and scale-up of large education programs across multiple states. Working closely with the Director of State Programs, this role connects government systems, donor partners, and internal teams to ensure high-quality outcomes for children on the ground.

Responsibilities

Help plan and run education programs across multiple states and districts, keeping them in line with LLF's goals
Track program budgets, review spending, and flag issues early with the Director and Finance team
Set clear targets for each program, check progress regularly, and use data to fix what is not working
Build tools and systems to track how programs are doing, and support field teams in collecting and using data
Write clear reports for donors and leadership, and make sure all reporting deadlines are met
Keep government reports up to date and submitted on time at both district and state levels
Maintain good working relationships with government officials, donors, and program partners
Lead exercises to understand how government systems work at different levels and where support is needed
Help build the skills and capacity of mid-level government teams who oversee program delivery, hire the right program staff by clearly defining what each role needs
Support the expansion of programs into new states or districts by setting up systems that can grow
Record what is working, what is not, and share these learnings through case studies and program notes
Spot risks early and work with the team to find practical solutions before they become bigger problems
Support programs funded by donors like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and make sure they stay on track
Contribute to working groups focused on gender and other important themes across the organisation

Requirements

Master's degree in Education, Social Sciences, Management, or a related field
At least 15 years of experience running large education or social sector programs, with hands-on work in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN)
Experience working directly with state government education departments and senior officials
Proven ability to lead and coordinate teams spread across multiple states and districts
Good understanding of how to track, measure, and improve program outcomes using data
Experience managing donor-funded programs, including preparing reports and meeting compliance requirements
Comfortable working with budgets and financial data alongside a finance team
Strong written and spoken English; working knowledge of Hindi is a plus
Good at building relationships and keeping different stakeholders on the same page
Able to handle many tasks at once, stay calm under pressure, and find practical solutions quickly