1. POSITION VACANT: Senior Technical Specialist – Gender & Adolescent Agency, Transform Schools, People For Action, New Delhi

2. ORGANISATION BACKGROUND:

Transform Schools is an Indian NGO and started in 2019 to provide evidence-driven and impactful educational solutions to bridge the learning gap in India’s secondary schools. It works to ensure that every child realises their full potential in school and beyond. Anchored in India’s national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4, 5, and 10), its mission is to improve learning outcomes, promote gender equity, and expand life opportunities for secondary-grade students aged 13–18.

The organisation co-designs and implements evidence-based education programmes with State governments, with a focus on strengthening foundational learning, building equitable learning environments, and preparing students for transitions beyond school. Its work combines pedagogical innovation, teacher development, data-driven instruction, and systemic reform to ensure every adolescent—especially those from underserved communities—can thrive. As co-convenors of the State of Secondary Education (SOSE) global collaborative, the organisation is also shaping a global agenda to position secondary education as a societal minimum standard—mobilising research, investment, and practice across the Global South.

A key part of the organisation’s work is the Learning Equaliser Programme, an integrated learning, gender, and life skills initiative for students in Classes 8 and 9. The programme combines targeted academic instruction with gender-transformative education and life skills development to address both learning gaps and the social barriers that affect adolescents’ agency, aspirations, and well-being. Through structured instruction, participatory learning methods, and engagement with teachers, parents, and communities, the programme aims to create supportive ecosystems that enable adolescents of all genders to exercise voice, confidence, and leadership.

The organisation’s work spans two institutional vehicles: People For Action, a charitable society that delivers CSR and grant-funded programmes, and The Transform Trust, which leads outcomes-linked engagements.

With a strong footprint across multiple States (definite plans for expansion and deepening of its work) and a commitment to scale, the organisation aims to reach 30 million children by 2030, building a future where quality secondary education is a reality for all.

For more information about Transform Schools, please visit: https://www.transformschools.in/

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Adolescence is a critical stage in which gender norms, identities, and aspirations become deeply embedded. While education systems have made significant progress in expanding access to schooling, they often do little to address the social norms and power dynamics that shape adolescents’ life opportunities and life trajectories.

Transform Schools is developing the Learning Equaliser (LE) approach, a school-based programme that seeks to enable adolescents to question restrictive norms, build agency, and engage in more equitable relationships with peers, teachers, and families.

Reporting to the Director- Programmes, the Senior Technical Specialist – Gender and Adolescent Agency (STS-GAA) will provide strategic and technical leadership to strengthen the above work. The role will focus on refining the conceptual foundations of the Learning Equaliser approach, embedding gender-transformative practices into teaching and school processes, generating rigorous evidence on its impact, and translating programme insights into scalable models that can be adopted by education systems.

The position combines programme design, research leadership, instructional collaboration, and systems engagement to advance gender-transformative approaches within secondary education.

Key Job Responsibilities:

A. Strategic Leadership on Gender, Inclusion, and Adolescence:

(1) Serve as the organisation’s technical authority on gender, providing strategic direction across programmes, partnerships, research, and internal systems;
(2) Lead the development and evolution of the organisation’s gender, inclusion, and adolescent empowerment strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities, programme theory of change, and long-term system goals;
(3) Advise the CEO and senior leadership on strategic risks, opportunities, investments, and research priorities related to gender equity, adolescent empowerment, and inclusive education;
(4) Identify structural, institutional, and social barriers affecting gender equality, agency, participation, aspirations, and learning outcomes among adolescents in schools;
(5) Provide strategic guidance to programme teams to ensure interventions move beyond gender inclusion toward gender-transformative approaches;
(6) Establish institutional standards, frameworks, and operating guidance for gender-responsive and gender-transformative programming to ensure consistency across States and initiatives.

B. Strengthening and Scaling the Learning Equaliser Approach:

(1) Provide technical leadership to strengthen the design, Theory Of Change, and implementation architecture of the Learning Equaliser programme;
(2) Identify and articulate the core programme components that drive change in gender norms, agency, participation, aspirations, student voice, and peer relationships among adolescents;
(3) Distil field and implementation insights into a coherent framework for gender-transformative schooling;
(4) Support the development of scalable models, toolkits, implementation guidance, and teacher training frameworks that can be integrated into government education systems and replicated across contexts;
(5) Ensure that the Learning Equaliser programme reflects gender-responsive and gender-transformative principles in its design, implementation, and monitoring;

C. Gender Integration in Programme Design, Teaching and Learning:

(1) Lead the integration of gender equity, diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality across programme design, implementation, and monitoring, particularly within the Learning Equaliser programme;
(2) Work closely with the Teaching and Learning team to ensure classroom practice supports gender transformation;
(3) Integrate gender-responsive and gender-transformative pedagogical practices into 2

learning activities, classroom processes, and programme design;
(4) Support classroom approaches that promote equitable participation, dialogue, student voice, identity exploration, and safe discussion on norms, relationships, and inclusion;
(5) Review teaching, learning, and training materials to identify and address implicit gender bias, exclusion, and inequitable representation;
(6) Ensure alignment of programme design and implementation with National and State-level gender, education, girls’ education, and inclusion policies and frameworks, including relevant initiatives such as the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme.

D. Collaboration on Instructional Design and Programme Architecture:

(1) Work with Instructional Design, Teaching and Learning, and Programme teams to embed gender transformation into programme architecture and learning experiences;

(2) Translate gender and adolescent development frameworks into structured, age-appropriate learning experiences for adolescents;

(3) Design and strengthen learning journeys that build awareness, reflection, voice, agency, participation, and leadership among students;

(4) Contribute to the design of Learning Equaliser session structures, engagement models, facilitation approaches, and implementation frameworks.

E. Teacher Professional Development and Capacity Building:

(1) Design and deliver gender training and capacity-building programmes for project staff, teachers, partners, government stakeholders, and other collaborators;
(2) Work with Teacher Capacity Building teams to equip educators to facilitate gender-transformative and inclusive learning environments;
(3) Develop teacher training modules on gender-responsive and gender-transformative pedagogy;
(4) Support teachers in facilitating classroom discussions on norms, identity, relationships, participation, and inclusion in safe and developmentally appropriate ways;

(5) Integrate gender perspectives into teacher coaching and capacity-building frameworks; (6) Develop teacher reflection tools that help educators identify bias, strengthen inclusive practice, and build gender-sensitive facilitation skills;
(7) Mentor programme, instructional, and technical teams to deepen analytical and implementation capacity on gender, inclusion, and adolescent empowerment;
(8) Support partners in adopting and applying gender equity and inclusion principles in their work.

F. School Culture, Community Engagement, and Inclusive Environments:

(1) Support programme teams to ensure that gender transformation is reflected not only in curriculum and classroom practice, but also in school culture and student engagement;

(2) Promote student voice, peer dialogue, leadership opportunities, and participation structures that strengthen agency and inclusion;

(3) Help schools examine and improve practices that affect gender equity, student participation, safety, leadership opportunities, and belonging;

(4) Support the creation of safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environments in schools;

(5) Strengthen community participation and engagement with government, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to support gender-responsive and gender-transformative implementation.

G. Systems Engagement, Government Partnerships, and Policy Influence:

(1) Collaborate with Systems and Government Partnerships teams to translate programme insights into system-level change;

(2) Identify opportunities to integrate gender-transformative approaches into teacher training systems, school leadership development, school improvement processes, and broader education system reform;

(3) Support adoption of gender-responsive and gender-transformative school improvement models within government systems;

(4) Contribute to policy dialogue on gender, adolescent empowerment, secondary education, and inclusive schooling at national and state levels;

(5) Represent the organisation in engagements with National and State governments, funding agencies, partners, and local and international donors, articulating the organisation’s experience, evidence, and policy perspectives.

H. Research, Evidence, Measurement, and Learning:

(1) Collaborate with programme, research, and monitoring teams to track gender-related and adolescent-related outcomes and strengthen programme quality;

(2) Lead the development of measurement frameworks for gender and adolescent outcomes, including agency, aspirations, attitudes, participation, peer relationships, and inclusive learning experiences;

(3) Support research, evaluation, and longitudinal documentation emerging from the Learning Equaliser programme;

(4) Work with research and impact partners to ensure rigorous evaluation, learning, and evidence generation;

(5) Analyse programme data, research findings, and field insights to generate evidence that informs programme improvement, strategic decision-making, and policy dialogue;

(6) Contribute to internal and external documentation, learning, and reporting on gender equity, adolescent empowerment, and inclusion outcomes, implementation lessons, and best practices.

I. Thought Leadership and Knowledge Creation:

(1) Contribute to new knowledge and thought leadership on gender-transformative and inclusive secondary education;

(2) Position Transform Schools as a thought leader on gender-transformative education;

(3) Produce and publish knowledge products such as technical notes, policy briefs, research summaries, practitioner guides, reports, and articles that highlight programme learnings, innovations, and impact;

(4) Leverage compelling evidence and field insights to shape discourse on gender-responsive and gender-transformative education, adolescence, and inclusion;

(5) Participate in and represent the organisation at global, national, and state-level forums on gender, adolescence, equity, and inclusive education;

(6) Establish and maintain strategic relationships with research and impact organisations, academic institutions, technical experts, and knowledge partners within and outside the country to strengthen collaboration and learning;

(7) Stay abreast of developments across the education, gender, adolescence, equity, and inclusion sectors by engaging with technical experts, policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations, and donors.

J. Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Integration:

(1) Lead the integration of gender, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles across programmes, tools, systems, and implementation strategies to ensure equitable access, participation, and learning outcomes for all students;

(2) Provide strategic guidance to programme and technology teams to ensure that digital tools, data systems, and learning resources are gender-responsive, inclusive, and sensitive to diverse learner needs;

(3) Support the development and implementation of organisational frameworks, guidelines, and monitoring mechanisms that promote inclusive, safe, and equitable learning environments;

(4) Promote organisational values of neutrality, responsiveness, transparency, equity, equality, and diversity across programme implementation, internal systems, and stakeholder engagement

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualifications:
(1) Master's degree or higher in Gender Studies, Education, Sociology, Development Studies, or related fields;
(2) A combination of relevant education and experience may be considered.

Experience:
(1) 8-12 years of proven experience working on gender equality, adolescent development, or education programmes;

(2) Strong understanding of gender issues, including gender-based violence, gender norms, and intersectionality;

(3) Experience designing or implementing gender-transformative interventions;
(4) Experience in research, programme evaluation, or evidence generation;
(5) Experience in designing and delivering training programmes and workshops on gender equality and related topics;.

Skills & Competencies
(1) Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders;
(2) Ability to work independently, priorities tasks, and manage multiple projects simultaneously;

(3) Demonstrated ability to successfully work with a range of stakeholders, including government agencies, community leaders, donors and NGOs on issued-based advocacy initiatives;

(4) Strong management and leadership qualities, including the ability to innovate;

(5) Excellent organisational and planning skills, ability to work in a fast-paced work environment and meet deadlines consistently;

(6) Strong analytical, writing, and facilitation skills;
(7) Expertise in gender norms and adolescent development;

(8) Instructional and programme design;

(9) Systems thinking and programme scale;

(10) Research and evidence generation;

(11) Strategic partnerships and policy engagement;

(12) Capacity building and mentoring.

Technical Skill Requirements

(1) Strong grounding in feminist principles and approaches to gender equality;
(2) Skills in using participatory engagement techniques to involve marginalised and vulnerable groups effectively;

(3) Ability to conduct and apply intersectional analysis in programme planning and evaluation;

(4) Proficiency in conducting gender analysis, developing and implementing gender-responsive pedagogy, and creating monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress and impact;

(5) Experience in addressing and integrating non-binary and diverse gender identities into program design and implementation.

Success in the Role Will Mean

(1) The Learning Equaliser approach is articulated as a scalable model of gender-transformative schooling;

(2) Gender-transformative principles are embedded in teaching practice, teacher development, and school processes;

(3) Evidence informs policy and systems adoption;

(4) Transform Schools becomes a recognised voice on gender transformation in secondary education.

Desirable Requirements
(1) A passion for creative problem-solving and enthusiasm;

(2) Experience in writing education resources/research papers including implementation, training, teaching and learning resources;

(3) Alignment with Transform Schools priorities with a sense of humour and patience.

5. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

The gross compensation budgeted for the position ranges from Rs. 16.5 to 22.4 lacs per annum. The offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience, and salary history.

6. LOCATION: New Delhi

7. DURATION: Two-year fixed term contract (Renewable)

8. REFERENCE- STS-GAA-TS-PFA

9. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS
Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar 
New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025
Phone Nos.: 011- 4081 9900; 4081 9926

10. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in this position are requested to apply online at <<>> by or before April 30, 2026.

Transform Schools, People For Action is an equal opportunity organisation. The organisation welcomes and encourages applications from all communities, including underrepresented groups, marginalised communities, and individuals from diverse backgrounds, regardless of race, caste, religion, gender, disability, or social status.