National Lead – Vocational Education

About the Company

IPE Global is a leading international development consulting firm with over two decades of experience in delivering impactful solutions across emerging markets. With operations spanning Asia, Africa, and beyond, we work at the intersection of policy, technology, and innovation to address complex development challenges. Our multidisciplinary team of experts collaborates with governments, multilateral agencies, foundations, and private sector partners to design and implement evidence-based programs that create sustainable change.

Role Overview

IPE Global’s Social and Economic Empowerment practice works towards building girl capital, empowering women and nurturing resilient communities by creating inclusive and sustainable solutions, including but not limited to policy development, capacity building, adaptive management, community mobilization, behavioural change communication, deepening social safety nets, beneficiary feedback analysis, poverty assessment, and evidence-based monitoring.

We seek a dynamic and strategic leader to spearhead an innovative program to support the delivery of vocational education in the schools in select States of India. The Team Lead will be responsible for identifying key barriers and designing interventions to expand vocational pathways within secondary education with a core goal of reducing school dropout rates and increasing student retention. The role ensures alignment with the national education policy and vocational skilling ecosystem. It involves extensive stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and program management to promote aspirational courses, hands-on skills, employability, and entrepreneurship among students.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Strategy and Planning and Execution

• Develop a national roadmap for vocational education expansion in schools, aligned with NEP 2020 and national skills ecosystem reforms.
• Lead the development of guidelines, frameworks, and operational manuals on curriculum, assessment, training delivery, teacher/VT deployment, and industry engagement.
• Advise on new program design elements including multi-disciplinary pathways, work-based learning models, credit frameworks, and school-to-work transition mechanisms.
• Support State teams in strategic planning and implementation of vocational education courses in secondary schools across select states in alignment with NEP, NSQF and industry standards.
• Analyse regional educational needs and student aspirations to design targeted, evidence-based interventions that encourage continued schooling.
• Facilitate effective coordination with States, including review meetings, and knowledge exchange.
• Promote adoption of technology-enabled instruction, digital content, and MIS systems to improve monitoring and accountability.
• Strengthen quality assurance processes—including industry validation, school readiness protocols, and program monitoring frameworks.
• Establish monitoring and evaluation systems to track enrolment, retention, skill development, and employment outcomes, adapting strategies as needed.
• Manage resources, budgets, and timelines to ensure effective and timely program delivery with measurable impact.

Strategic Engagement and Partnership Management

• Build and sustain strong partnerships with government agencies at national and State levels.
• Leverage education schemes such as Samagra Shiksha, PM SHRI, and allied schemes to showcase results of vocational education in reducing dropout rates and improving retention of girls in secondary education
• Coordinate with the relevant government departments and bodies to align school vocational initiatives with national skill missions.
• Collaborate with private sector partners, NGOs, and development agencies to mobilize resources and strengthen vocational education infrastructure.

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Provide technical mentorship and build team capacity for effectively delivering programme objectives.
• Support in evidence generation: pilots, cost analyses, and documentation of best practices.
• Prepare high-quality reports, briefs, and research papers to support efforts and contribute to public discourse on skill-based education leading to education continuity and girls’ empowerment.
• Represent the programme at national and international forums, sharing knowledge and steering a case for investing in actions to combat early marriages.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the Leader may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above tasks as determined by the senior leadership.

Qualification & Experience

Educational Background

Master’s degree or higher in Education, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or a related field.

Work Experience and Expertise:

• Atleast 15 years of experience leading multi-state or national-level programmes related to education and/or skilling and promoting student retention.
• Proven experience working with government education departments, skill development ministries, civil society, and community stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of NEP 2020, NSQF, and national and state frameworks guiding vocational education in schools.
• Experience in designing gender-responsive, large-scale in-school programmes that enhance vocational skills, employability, and life skills for adolescents.
• Strong understanding of the socio-cultural, economic, and policy factors influencing school dropout rates and school based vocational education, including poverty, gender discrimination, social norms, and systemic barriers within the education system.
• Deep commitment to advancing youth empowerment, gender equality, and inclusive education, with a particular focus on enabling girls’ access to in-school vocational pathways and lifelong skills.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Strategic Leadership:

  Demonstrated capacity to lead complex, multi-stakeholder programmes at scale.

• Analytical Thinking:

  Strong data interpretation skills, academic content decoding, and evidence-based decision-making.

• Communication and Negotiation:

  Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; ability to engage and persuade diverse stakeholders.

• Team Building:

  Ability to lead and inspire a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.