TeachForIndiaHiring for Manager, Government Relations at Bengaluru, Karnataka Full Time

Directly Managing: Associate, Government Relations

As Teach For India enters Phase 4 of its growth, the Bangalore team is looking to expand and strengthen its public sector partnerships. The GR Manager will lead Teach For India’s regional advocacy efforts, develop and execute a GR roadmap for the city, launch innovative pilot programs, and collaborate on projects with the government. The role involves working closely with representatives at different levels in the city and state government, relevant social organizations in the region, and other decision-makers/stakeholders. The Manager in Bangalore Government Relations team will help strengthen the foundation for the vertical and will be responsible for executing the following activities:

As a Strategist for the Region [50%]

Secure Government approvals and adherence agreements from school officials for all conditions needed to ensure programmatic success for the Fellowship (e.g. MoU’s for schools, instructional time commitments, use of TFI’s pedagogical tools, etc.)

Work with SMRM and GR vertical to identify high-impact initiatives for the region that require partnering and/or collaborating with the government

Take complete ownership of designing and executing 2-3 regional pilot programs

Respond to all inbound requests for collaborative projects from the government; identify high-impact projects and work with city and state government bodies to assess the feasibility

Identify ed-related challenges in the region and work with the Government and/or partners to design new initiatives that address these challenges

Research and monitor local government activities that could affect and/or aid Teach For India’s vision and mission

Develop clear and concise factsheets, talking points, testimonies of impact, legislative summaries, etc, as and when required

As a Relationship Builder [40%]

Internal

Act as a thought partner to the City Director, ; provide inputs to regional roadmaps and co-design operational plans for each pilot in the region

Collaborate with other verticals to implement cross-vertical initiatives and share region-relevant stakeholder priorities

Work with the School and Community Relations (SCR) Associate to address critical issues related to the Fellowship, Fellows, and/or our operations in TFI partner schools; collaboratively ‘problem solve’ solutions with SCR Associate to build their capacity

External

Develop and implement a strategy for strengthening government relationships across educational institutions (e.g. SCERT, DIET) and across all levels within each institution

Establish channels to build new relationships with regional government officials, educational experts, and other decision-makers

Understand regional requirements and support individual government stakeholders in designing effective initiatives to advance common goals and regional strategies

When necessary, forge new coalitions with the Government, Alumni, and/or other ed-focused organizations to support current or future needs

Ensure results from pilot programs are documented, communicated, and proactively discussed with government decision-makers; help design and scale successful initiatives

Schedule regular touchpoints with regional decision-makers; co-create agenda and co-lead senior government meetings

As a Team Leader [10%]

Hire, train, and develop new members on the team when required

Lead feedback sessions, reflections, team stepbacks, and check-ins with team members to get a pulse on the team health

As a People Manager

Building a robust pipeline of talent to lead the organization

Driving engagement, growth, and retention of team members

Engineering and overseeing a monitoring and evaluation system, coupled with strategic direction, to guide our abilities to continuously improve

As a Manager at Teach For India

Contributing to the team goals and priorities beyond individual goals and priorities

Serving as an ambassador of the Teach For India brand and an advocate for our work and for educational equity in our country through both internal and external communication after committing time in our classrooms to understand our work more deeply

Supporting with key organizational areas such as Recruitment, Selection, Fundraising, Volunteering, Movement Building

Minimum Qualifications, Experiences and Expectations

2-5 years of professional experience in external-facing roles (e.g. public relations, government relations, consulting) or ex-TFI Fellow with relevant/comparable experience

Ability to quickly build relationships and influence others without authority

Strong problem solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills to solve complex programmatic challenges

Written and oral fluency in Kannad

Clear and structured verbal and written communication skills

Ability to motivate a team and develop individuals over time

Experience in driving operations in high pressure, goal-driven environments

Experience of having collaborated effectively with a broad range of individuals and groups

Experience in starting new initiatives and taking complete ownership of projects