Program Lead - STEP Bihar (State)

About Mantra4Change

Mantra4Change is a non‐profit organisation working with governments to transform public education systems in India, so that millions of children can learn better, grow stronger, and thrive. We partner closely with state education departments to design and implement reforms at scale, strengthening leadership, governance, and classroom practice across public schools. Our work is grounded in the belief that lasting change happens when governments lead their own transformation.

Through long‐term collaboration with institutions such as SCERTs and DIETs, Mantra4Change focuses on developing school leaders and system leaders, building collaborative school cultures, and engaging communities as partners in learning. By combining strong on‐ground implementation with continuous learning, we help systems identify what works, scale it responsibly, and sustain improvement over time.Our mission is to enable leaders at every level of the system to drive continuous improvement, creating a virtuous cycle in which strong leadership, collective ownership, and systemic reform deliver better learning and more equitable outcomes for every child.

About STEP Bihar

We have been working closely with the education department of Bihar since 2021 to strengthen education leadership at various levels through collective action, leveraging technology to drive school improvement. Our current work in the state includes:

Support SCERT, the Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC), and the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) to design and implement the Project‐Based Learning (PBL) programme for Grades 6 to 8 across all 38 districts in maths, science, and social subjects.

Support DPE, SCERT, and DIETs to operationalise the Margdarshak academic‐mentoring cadre/CRCC for Grades 1 to 8, a government cadre of about 4,200 mentors (one per two panchayats) working through a three‐tier SCERT and State Resource Group to District Resource Group to complex and panchayat structure, aligned to the National Mission for Mentoring.

Enable DIETs to design need‐based teacher professional development, leveraging the Micro‐Improvement Project on DIKSHA, and support data‐driven review through the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK).

Deeper intervention in 2 districts, Lakhisarai and Gaya, strengthening PBL and FLN implementation by providing governance and academic support to key stakeholders at the district, block, and complex levels.

The Role

The State Program Lead will support the design, implementation, and monitoring of two connected state workstreams: the Project‐Based Learning programme for Grades 6 to 8, and the Margdarshak academic‐mentoring cadre for Grades 1 to 8, in partnership with SCERT, DPE, BEPC, and DIETs. The role involves coordinating internal teams and government stakeholders to ensure field‐level execution, documentation, and review. The position requires strong organisational skills and the ability to work with guidance from the Senior Program Lead and the Program Manager.

• Must have a master's degree with 2–6 years of experience in leading educational design projects, preferably with SCERT and DIETs.
• Familiarity with Project‐Based Learning (PBL) and academic mentoring or teacher professional development structures is an advantage.
• Prior experience in the education or consulting sector is preferred.
• Must have an understanding of Bihar's education system and key policies/frameworks such as NEP 2020, NCF‐SE 2023, PARAKH, and Mission NIPUN Bihar.
• Must have functional knowledge of G‐Suite tools, Canva, DIKSHA, data dashboards, and basic AI‐based tools.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Hindi and English.
• Must have the ability to negotiate and work effectively with government stakeholders.
• Must be willing and able to travel within and outside the assigned districts as required.