Educational Initiatives
ABOUT US
Educational Initiatives (Ei) has spent over two decades asking one question : how do we help children actually understand what they're learning, not just memorize it? We've built two things that work at scale : assessments that reveal where students truly struggle (not just test scores), and Mindspark—a personalized learning platform that meets each child exactly where they are. We've reached millions of students across India, working primarily with government schools and underserved communities.
Ei Shiksha is our social impact vertical. We partner exclusively with state governments, multilateral organizations, CSR teams, foundations, and NGOs to transform learning in low-income schools. Think : 350,000+ students using Mindspark across 10 states, assessment reforms in places like Haryana and Nagaland that actually change what happens in classrooms, and research partnerships with J-PAL and Oxford that help others learn from what works.
Current scale : $10M+ portfolio, 100+ team members, 17 states, partnerships with everyone from World Bank to small local NGOs doing exceptional work.
THE ROLE
This isn't a program management job. It's the leadership position for the entire Ei Shiksha vertical—strategy, growth, delivery, people, money, everything.
You'll spend roughly :
- 30-35% on fundraising and partnership development—building relationships with CSR heads, foundation program officers, government secretaries, multilateral donors
- 25% on government relations—you're the face of Ei to state education departments, the person who makes partnerships actually work
- 20% on program strategy and delivery—ensuring quality at scale, solving complex operational problems
- 15% on team leadership—building capability in a 100-person distributed team
- 10% on thought leadership, policy influence, and representing Ei in the sector
What success looks like :
Growing the portfolio from ~$10M to $25M+ over 3-4 years through a mix of government contracts, CSR partnerships, and foundation grantsExpanding proven programs (Mindspark, assessment reforms) to new states while maintaining qualityBuilding a funding model that's sustainable—not overly dependent on any single sourceCreating systems so we can scale without everything breakingDeveloping a leadership team that can eventually run programs independentlyWHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY DO
Fundraising & Partnership Development
You'll build and manage relationships that fund our work. This means :
Sitting across the table from CSR heads at companies like Cognizant, P&G, or Titan, understanding their priorities, and showing them how partnership with us achieves their goalsNavigating foundation landscapes—knowing who funds what, building relationships with program officers, writing (or overseeing) compelling proposalsStructuring multi-year government partnerships worth ₹10-50 crores, managing everything from initial conversations to MoU negotiations to budget approvalsExploring innovative funding—Development Impact Bonds, blended finance, whatever unlocks resources for impactBeing comfortable in both worlds : presenting to boards in Bangalore and meeting with education secretaries in state capitalsMost of our funding comes from a mix of sources. You need to be equally comfortable talking to a foundation program officer about learning outcomes data, a CSR lead about employee engagement opportunities, and a government official about budget lines and administrative procedures.
Government Relations & Systems Change
State education departments are our most important partners. You need to understand how government actually works—not the org chart version, but the reality of who decides what, how budgets move, what motivates different stakeholders.
You'll :
Build genuine relationships with secretaries, mission directors, and district officials across multiple statesNavigate the political economy of education reform (what sounds good vs. what's actually possible)Represent Ei on Ministry of Education committeesManage complex partnerships where success requires coordinating across education department, NIC, procurement, and district administrationProgram Strategy & Delivery
We're implementing in 2,400+ schools across diverse contexts—tribal areas in Rajasthan, urban slums in Maharashtra, inaccessible districts in Himachal Pradesh. You ensure these programs actually deliver learning gains, don't just look good on paper.
This means :
Designing implementation models that can scale without diluting qualityMaking tough calls about when to slow down vs. when to push forwardBuilding feedback loops so we actually learn from what's happening on the groundManaging a $10M+ budget where you're accountable for both impact and efficiencyTeam Leadership
You're building and leading a 100+ person team across states—program managers, field coordinators, M&E specialists, partnership leads. Many are young, most are incredibly dedicated, some need development.
What matters :
Creating clarity about what we're trying to achieve and whyBuilding systems so people aren't constantly firefightingDeveloping talent—your program managers should be capable of running state-level operations independentlyMaking hard decisions about performance while treating people with dignityBridging between field realities and organizational expectationsWHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Must-haves : Experience :
15-20 years in education / development / corporate sector, with at least 8-10 years in senior leadershipProven fundraising / sales / managing P&L track record—you've raised ₹25+ crores in your career from diverse sources (government, corporates, foundations)Direct experience managing government partnerships, preferably with state education departmentsLed large-scale programs (₹10+ crore budgets, multiple geographies, complex delivery)Built and managed teams of 50+ peopleCapabilities :
You can walk into a meeting with a state secretary and build credibility in 15 minutesYou can look at a complex implementation challenge and figure out what's actually causing the problemYou write proposals and partnership pitches that win—not just technically sound, but compellingYou can read a P&L and make strategic resource allocation decisionsYou're comfortable being the face of the organization—speaking at conferences, representing Ei in policy forumsAttributes :
Genuine commitment to education equity—this work requires conviction during tough stretchesIntellectual honesty—can look at data showing we're not working and say "we need to change"Comfort with complexity and ambiguity—most problems we tackle don't have obvious solutionsResilience—government partnerships move slowly, funding environments shift, you need persistenceCultural intelligence—ability to work effectively from Delhi board rooms to rural schools in BiharStrongly preferred :
Female candidates strongly encouraged to applyUnderstanding of EdTech / personalized learning (you don't need to be technical, but should understand why it matters)Existing relationships with CSR leaders, foundation program officers, or government officialsExperience with multilateral organizations (World Bank, USAID, FCDO)Published work, speaking engagements, or sector thought leadershipWorking knowledge of Hindi plus one regional languageWhat probably won't work :
You're great at delivery but uncomfortable with fundraising and relationship-based workYou prefer depth in one state over managing complexity across multiple geographiesYou need clarity and structure—this role requires navigating ambiguity constantlyYou're not willing to travel 40-50% (this is non-negotiable given the work)WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS
Near-term : We're at an inflection point. Government interest in learning outcomes is higher than ever (NIPUN Bharat, NEP 2020). EdTech is moving from experiments to mainstream. CSR teams have budgets and want partners who can deliver. The opportunity to scale is real.Long-term : We have evidence—multiple RCTs, rigorous evaluations—showing significant learning gains from our work. The question isn't whether our approach works, it's whether we can reach enough children to change the trajectory of Indian education. That requires the kind of leadership this role represents.Personal : You'll influence learning outcomes for hundreds of thousands of children. Shape education policy through MoE committees. Build a team doing some of the best work in the sector. Work with partners from village schools to Oxford University. Have bad days where nothing seems to work and incredible moments when you see a child finally understand something they've struggled with for years.COMPENSATION & LOGISTICS
Package : Competitive with senior leadership roles in education / social sector. We'll be transparent about range once we understand your experience level.Location : Bangalore.Travel : 40-50% to partner states. This is real—not aspirational, not flexible.Start date : Within 2-3 months of offer.A final note :
We're looking for someone who can grow this from a $10M operation to something significantly larger while making it better, not just bigger. Someone who sees fundraising not as a necessary evil but as strategic relationship-building. Someone who can hold space for both the ambitious vision (quality education for every child) and the messy reality (implementation is hard). If that's you, we'd love to talk.
