Senior Manager, Partnerships & Operations

About Saturday Art Class (SArC):

At Saturday Art Class (SArC), we believe that every child deserves the tools to imagine, express, and grow. Saturday Art Class is a non-profit organisation that provides visual arts and social-emotional learning (SEL) education to children from low-income communities in India. By creating safe spaces for students to express themselves, we help them build essential skills to thrive during their formative years.

Since 2016, our programs have directly impacted 190000+ students to date. SArC’s journey has been powered by educators, artists, learners, and changemakers who believe in the transformative power of art. Join us as we continue to make creativity a right, not a privilege, for every child, everywhere.

About Senior Manager, Partnerships and Operations:

This is a strategic role focused on building and expanding SArC’s government partnerships to integrate arts education into public education systems. The Senior Manager will identify opportunities, build stakeholder networks, scope projects, and oversee their implementation in collaboration with government officials and internal teams. The role also involves tracking government priorities and policy developments to identify opportunities for scale and working with the Fundraising team to explore funding opportunities linked to government partnerships.

Roles and Responsibilities:

1. Government Partnership Strategy and Development

• •Develop and implement a government partnership strategy aligned with SArC’s goals and priorities.
• •Identify opportunities to establish new partnerships, strengthen existing relationships, and expand SArC’s work across states.
• •Track government policies, education priorities, schemes, and budget cycles to identify relevant opportunities.
• •Understand the education landscape in each state and identify where SArC’s work can address government priorities and become part of the public education system.

2. Government Engagement and Networking

• •Build and maintain relationships with central and state government bodies, including NCERT, SCERTs, state education departments, DIETs and other relevant institutions.
• •Build relationships with government officials, education leaders and other organisations working in the education sector.
• •Travel to existing and prospective partner states to meet stakeholders, understand state priorities and explore opportunities for collaboration.
• •Maintain regular contact with government stakeholders and follow up on discussions to move potential partnerships forward.

3. Project Scoping and Development

• •Identify and develop projects based on government priorities, state needs and opportunities for SArC’s work.
• •Work with government stakeholders to understand their requirements and develop project proposals in consultation with state teams.
• •Work with state teams to scope projects, assess requirements, prepare budgets and plan the resources needed for implementation.
• •Prepare concept notes, proposals, presentations and other documents required for government engagement.
• •Identify and respond to relevant government opportunities, including Expressions of Interest (EOIs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and tenders.
• •Coordinate with organisational leadership and Finance and Legal teams to finalise project scope, budgets, MoUs, approvals and other formal requirements.

4. Project Implementation and Expansion

• •Work with state teams to take projects from planning to implementation and ensure that agreed timelines, deliverables and commitments are met.
• •Stay informed about project progress, identify challenges and work with the relevant teams to resolve them.
• •Maintain regular engagement with government partners during implementation and address concerns or changing requirements in consultation with state teams.
• •Identify opportunities to expand successful projects, increase program coverage and strengthen government ownership.
• •Work towards integrating SArC’s programs into government systems so that they can continue and expand over time.

5. Funding Opportunities

• •Identify funding opportunities linked to government partnerships, including government schemes, CSR initiatives, grants and co-funding arrangements.
• •Share relevant opportunities with the Fundraising team and work together on proposals and funding plans.
• •Provide information on prospective projects, government priorities, budgets and funding requirements to support fundraising efforts.
• •Coordinate with the Fundraising team when engaging with shared stakeholders to avoid duplication and ensure consistent communication.

6. Partnership Tracking and Reporting

• •Maintain a tracker of government partnerships and potential projects, including stakeholder details, discussions, next steps, approvals, timelines and renewals.
• •Keep records of key meetings, decisions, commitments and follow-up actions.
• •Share regular updates with organisational leadership on partnership progress, new opportunities, project implementation and challenges.
• •Ensure that reporting requirements, agreed commitments and relevant legal and financial procedures are followed.

7. Team Coordination and Leadership

• •Work closely with state teams and other internal teams to develop partnerships and take projects forward.
• •Support state teams in engaging government stakeholders, scoping new projects and addressing partnership-related challenges.
• •Where applicable, manage and support team members, set clear expectations and review progress against agreed goals.
• •Share learnings from state engagements to help improve SArC’s approach to government partnerships.

8. Advocacy and Outreach

• •Represent SArC in government forums, education consultations, conferences, and relevant sector platforms to strengthen its engagement with education systems.
• •Identify and apply to relevant fellowships, learning cohorts, and funding opportunities in the education or social impact space, and encourage the team to engage in similar opportunities.
• •Identify relevant government initiatives, policy discussions and platforms where SArC can contribute to advancing arts education in public schools, and share insights with internal teams to inform partnership strategy.
• •Develop policy briefs, position notes and case studies drawn from SArC’s state partnerships to advocate for arts education within public education systems.

What Success in This Role Looks Like:

• •Strong and sustained relationships with government departments and education institutions across existing and prospective states.
• •A well-developed pipeline of government partnerships and projects, with clear priorities and progress against opportunities.
• •Projects that are well-scoped, aligned with government priorities, and feasible for SArC and state teams to implement.
• •Effective coordination between government stakeholders, state teams and internal functions, with clear ownership of project deliverables and timelines.
• •Timely project implementation and fulfilment of commitments made to government partners.
• •Expansion of existing partnerships and increased government ownership of SArC’s programmes within public education systems.
• •Identification and development of funding opportunities arising from government engagements, in coordination with the Fundraising team.

Qualifications & Experience:

• •Bachelor’s degree required; master's preferred (Education, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Management, Arts, or a related field).
• •7–10 years of progressive experience in partnerships or program management, preferably in education or the development sector.
• •Prior experience working directly with government bodies such as NCERT, SCERTs, state governments, or education departments is required.
• •Proven track record of securing and sustaining partnerships with government, corporates, foundations and institutions.
• •Experience preparing proposals and partner or donor reports.

Preferred Competencies

Strong understanding of how