Job Title: Senior Manager – Internship & Skill Mitra

Location: Pune

Travel: As per the project need.

Position Overview

Lend A Hand India envisions Internship for All — ensuring that every high school student has access to meaningful, safe, and high-quality workplace exposure that builds career awareness, employability skills, and confidence.

Senior Manager – Program (Internship & Skill Mitra): Leads the design and implementation of school-to-work initiative (Internship) and the Skill Mitra program, enabling students to gain practical exposure and career readiness skills. Drives partnerships with schools, industry, and state stakeholders while ensuring quality delivery, scale, and impact across regions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership – Internship for All
Lead the national strategy for scaling student internship programs aligned with the Internship for All vision.
Strengthen the Skill Mitra model as a critical last-mile support system for school-level implementation.
Develop scalable and sustainable internship frameworks integrated with vocational education and national education policies.
Identify opportunities to expand industry exposure and experiential learning pathways for students.
Program Implementation & Quality Assurance
Oversee planning, rollout, and strengthening of student internship programs across states.
Ensure effective implementation of the Skill Mitra initiative to support schools, students, and local ecosystem engagement.
Develop and refine program guidelines, SOPs, training frameworks, and implementation toolkits.
Establish quality benchmarks and ensure safe, inclusive, and meaningful student internship experiences.
Drive continuous improvement through field feedback and implementation learning.
Government & Industry Partnerships
Work closely with state and district education departments to institutionalize internship and Skill Mitra programs.
Build and manage partnerships with micro, small, medium, and large enterprises to expand internship opportunities.
Support policy advocacy and representation in government consultations, working groups, and sector forums.
Strengthen local ecosystem partnerships to improve student access to workplace learning.
Team Leadership & Capacity Building
Lead and mentor national and state-level program teams.
Strengthen recruitment, onboarding, training, and mentoring of Skill Mitras.
Build capacity of field teams, teachers, and school leaders for effective program implementation.
Foster strong cross-functional coordination with curriculum, training, partnerships, and M&E teams.
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
Develop and strengthen monitoring systems to track internship quality, student participation, and learning outcomes.
Use data insights to improve program design and implementation.
Lead program reviews and documentation of best practices and impact stories.
Prepare reports and presentations for organizational leadership, government stakeholders, and funders.
Innovation & Program Development
Explore and pilot innovative models for workplace exposure, experiential learning, and school-to-work transitions.
Integrate digital and blended approaches to strengthen program reach and monitoring.
Track emerging industry trends to keep internship programs relevant and future-ready

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.

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

Requirements

Minimum Experience:

Master's degree in Education, Public Policy, Social Work, Management, or related fields.
12-15 years of experience in education, skill development, youth employability, or livelihood programs.
Experience working with government systems and large-scale multi-state programs is preferred.
Prior experience in internship, apprenticeship, or school-to-work transition programs will be an advantage.
Willingness to travel extensively across program states.
Commitment to working with underserved youth and strengthening public education systems

Skills & Competencies

Strategic thinking and program design
Strong stakeholder and partnership management
Team leadership and mentoring
Understanding of India's vocational education and skill ecosystem
Data-driven decision making
Strong communication and representation skills
Ability to manage multi-state programs in dynamic environments

Personal Attributes

Strategic Mindset
Collaborative
Operational Excellence
Empathetic & Inclusive Leadership
Resilience & Adaptability
Excellent Communication

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