Senior Lead -Ecosystem Development

Role & responsibilities

Purpose of the job

As the Senior Lead- Ecosystem Development, you will be reporting to the Head, Ecosystem Development, Shikshagraha and will be responsible for identifying and nurturing a strong network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to drive systemic change in education. Your role will focus on building partnerships, enabling collaboration, and enabling collective action within the Shikshagraha ecosystem. You will work with diverse stakeholders to strengthen the education movement, ensuring strategic engagement, co-learning opportunities, and sustained collaboration to amplify impact at various levels.

Roles and responsibilities:

The responsibilities would involve but are not limited to:

1. Identifying & Engaging Potential Partners

• Build relationships with key ecosystem players through strategic outreach, events, and convenings.
• Develop and refine selection criteria to onboard mission-aligned partners.
• Facilitate engagement opportunities by connecting CSOs through movement platforms such as Shiksha Samvaad, InvokED, and Shikshagraha Awards.

2. Building Partner Readiness and Capability

• Enable partners to grow into their district or state-level roles through tailored capacity-building engagements.
• Support development of leadership, systems thinking, contextual problem-solving, and institutional engagement capabilities.
• Offer partners tools and strategic support to unlock their potential as catalysts for local change.
• Continuously refine the enablement approach based on field feedback and partner evolution.
  

3. Strengthening the Collective through Peer Learning

• Anchor thematic exchanges, learning spaces, and field immersions to build peer trust and shared problem-solving.
• Curate and share innovations, micro-improvements, and contextual insights across the ecosystem.
• Embed a culture of distributed leadership and continuous improvement across partners.

Preferred candidate profile

• 7+ years of experience in capacity building, incubation, organisational development, or education leadership.
• Strong experience working with grassroots CSOs, networks, or leadership development programs.
• Exposure to systems thinking, collective action frameworks, or ecosystem approaches.
• Strong facilitation, program design, and documentation capabilities.
• Ability to work independently and in collaboration with multiple teams.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Familiarity with state/district-level education systems is a plus.
• Excellent research, verbal & written communication and interpersonal skills
• 7+ years of experience in capacity building, incubation, organisational development, or education leadership.
• Strong experience working with grassroots CSOs, networks, or leadership development programs.
• Exposure to systems thinking, collective action frameworks, or ecosystem approaches.
• Strong facilitation, program design, and documentation capabilities.
• Ability to work independently and in collaboration with multiple teams.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Familiarity with state/district-level education systems is a plus.
• Excellent research, verbal & written communication and interpersonal skills