Associate Director (North) - Government Partnerships, Policy Integration & Programme Implementation

We Want To Change The World. We Believe It Starts With Education.

In India, 100 million children from low-income communities grow up without access to the 21st-century skills they need to thrive — from emotional intelligence and digital literacy to everyday money management. This gap leads to a lifetime of limited opportunity, intergenerational poverty, and rising mental health concerns.

What Are We Doing?

At The Apprentice Project (TAP), we're building India's boldest bet on education equity — an AI-powered learning buddy that helps thousands of government school students unlock 21st-century skills. We don't just teach coding or financial literacy — we spark self-confidence, creativity, and lifelong curiosity in children who've been told to "stay in their lane."

We're not looking for employees. We're looking for co-builders — people who want to create generational change, one student at a time.

The Opportunity

What if an approach to learning could move beyond individual schools and become part of how India educates an entire generation?

TAP builds 21st-century skills among children through project-based learning, technology, and personalised learning. We aim to reach 10 million children by 2030 by building programmes that can scale through government systems and become sustainable over time. To make this possible, we work with state governments to integrate our approach into education systems and strengthen their ability to deliver better learning outcomes.

We're looking for a leader who can help embed TAP's approach into state education priorities, policies, and programmes — and enable its transition into a government-led initiative across North India.

About The Role

Location: North India, with travel across assigned states

Compensation: ₹22 LPA onwards, based on experience and fit

Reports to: Director, Government Partnerships

Type: Full-time

What You'll Do

Integrate TAP into State Priorities & Policies

• •Build relationships with senior state-level decision-makers — including Principal Secretaries, Directors, and key education officials — to identify opportunities to integrate TAP into state education priorities.
• •Work with government departments as a strategic thought partner to shape solutions that address state priorities and strengthen 21st-century skills among children.
• •Drive the transition from partnership discussions to formal adoption, with a clear pathway for TAP's approach to become part of state programmes, policies, and implementation structures.

Build Government Partnerships & Champion Support

• •Identify and convert influential government champions who can advocate for TAP's approach and drive its adoption within state education systems.
• •Lead strategic discussions, negotiations, and partnership development — securing the commitments required for programme adoption and expansion.
• •Build sustained relationships with senior officials and departmental teams to strengthen government ownership and long-term continuity.

Shape Programme, Content & Curriculum Integration

• •Partner with state education departments to explore how TAP's approach can be integrated into existing curricula, academic priorities, teacher development, and school-level practices.
• •Work with government stakeholders and TAP's internal teams to adapt programme content and delivery models to state needs while preserving the core approach.
• •Position TAP as a long-term content and curriculum partner, supporting departments in translating education priorities into practical, scalable learning programmes.

Enable Government-Led Implementation & Outcomes

• •Work with government departments to design implementation strategies, roles, review mechanisms, and accountability structures that enable effective programme delivery.
• •Enable department-led efforts to strengthen implementation, address bottlenecks, and achieve targets for school onboarding, student activation on TAP Buddy, engagement, and project completion.
• •Support the adoption of TAP Buddy and other technology as part of the state's programme delivery model, in partnership with TAP's Product and Technology teams.

Drive Regional Strategy & Lead State Teams

• •Translate organisational priorities into state-level strategies, measurable targets, and implementation plans across North India.
• •Hire, build, mentor, and lead State Leads and teams across the northern states — ensuring the right talent, clear ownership, and accountability for results.
• •Review state performance, identify gaps and opportunities, and drive strategic course correction to achieve regional targets.

Align Teams & Build Sustainable Government Ownership

• •Work with Programme, Product, Technology, Curriculum, Fundraising, and M&E teams to develop solutions that meet state needs and can be implemented at scale.
• •Align team capacity, budgets, and resources with regional priorities, government commitments, and expected outcomes.
• •Help embed TAP's approach into government systems, processes, and structures so departments can increasingly lead implementation, allocate resources, and sustain the programme over time.

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who has operated at the intersection of ambition and execution within government education systems — someone who knows what it takes to convert a senior official into a genuine champion, and who has done it before in at least one state. You think like a strategist and work like a builder. You're comfortable designing the partnership framework in a government secretariat on Monday and reviewing field implementation data on Friday. You bring the credibility to sit across from a Principal Secretary and the operational discipline to ensure what gets committed actually gets delivered. Whether you've built this track record inside education or in a different sector — if you've moved governments to adopt and own a programme at scale, we want to hear from you.

Who You Are

• •7–10 years of experience in government partnerships, education, or large-scale social impact programmes.
• •Experience leading government partnerships in at least one or two states — with a track record of converting senior officials into champions who enable programme adoption.
• •Ability to work with state governments to integrate a programme into their education priorities, systems, or curriculum.
• •Experience building and leading teams across multiple geographies — hiring, developing, and holding people accountable for results.
• •Strong strategic thinking combined with hands-on execution — you can move between high-level partnership discussions and ground-level implementation without losing effectiveness.
• •A founder or founding team member who has built an organisation or programme and managed implementation across a cluster of regions or states is equally welcome to apply.

Skills You Bring

• •Government Partnerships: Deep experience building relationships with senior state education officials and converting those relationships into formal programme adoption and government ownership.
• •Policy & Programme Integration: Ability to navigate state education priorities and embed a programme's approach into existing curricula, teacher development, and implementation structures.
• •Regional Leadership: Track record of hiring, building, and leading distributed state teams — with clear goal-setting, performance management, and accountability systems.
• •Strategic Execution: Ability to translate organisational goals into state-level strategies and ensure those strategies get implemented with rigour and pace.
• •Cross-Functional Alignment: Comfortable working across product, curriculum, technology, fundraising, and M&E teams to develop solutions that are practical, scalable, and aligned with government needs.

What Success Looks Like

• •TAP's approach is incorporated into state education priorities, programmes, or relevant policy and curriculum frameworks.
• •Senior officials champion TAP's approach and actively dr