Role: Project Director - Education Technology & Standards | Education / Public Impact

Location: Delhi / Chennai (Hybrid)

Experience: 15+ years

Reporting to: Principal Investigator / Institutional Leadership

Team: 4 people

About the Organisation:

- Our client is a nationally recognised institution working at the intersection of education, technology, research, standards and public policy.

- The organisation is building a research-backed platform designed to enable evidence-based and quality-led adoption of education technology across India and, over time, globally.

- Working closely with governments, investors, philanthropies, education institutions and technology companies, the platform seeks to shape how quality, evidence and standards inform EdTech adoption.

- As the platform enters its next phase, it is looking to deepen its academic credibility, expand its ecosystem influence, strengthen its role in education technology quality and standards, and evolve into a durable institution.

- It is a confidential mandate; further details will be disclosed during the process.

The Opportunity:

- We are looking for a Project Director to serve as the executive leader and institution-building head of a high-potential education technology and quality platform.

- This is not a conventional project management role. The mandate requires a rare combination of strategic leadership, operating discipline, ecosystem credibility and public-good orientation.

- The successful candidate will translate the platform's academic and strategic vision into a high-functioning, respected and scalable institutional platform.

- The role sits at the intersection of education, technology, research, standards, policy and ecosystem adoption, with significant engagement across government, academia, philanthropy, industry and other ecosystem stakeholders.

What You Will Own:

- Strategy & Institution Building: Lead the platform's strategy, positioning and execution; build a durable institution with a clear roadmap, annual priorities, operating model and long-term institutionalisation plan.

- Ecosystem Influence & Adoption: Drive salience and adoption as trusted quality infrastructure for EdTech decision-making, expanding uptake across public systems, procurement, investment and the broader education ecosystem.

- Government & Strategic Partnerships: Build high-value relationships with national and state education departments, public institutions, investors, philanthropies, schools, technology organisations, incubators and accelerators to drive partnerships, pilots and capacity-building.

- Standards, Research & Quality: Shape the evolution of quality standards, frameworks and evaluation pathways; establish robust governance and quality-assurance mechanisms while safeguarding research rigour, neutrality and public-interest credibility.

- External Leadership: Represent the platform with credibility across government, academia, philanthropy, industry, multilaterals, civil society and peer institutions; shape its communication, influence and thought-leadership agenda.

- Stakeholder & Governance Management: Serve as a strategic thought partner to institutional leadership, governance bodies, funders and anchor stakeholders, balancing academic integrity, institutional processes, funder expectations and public-good objectives.

- Organisation & Execution: Build and lead a high-caliber interdisciplinary team; establish strong operating systems, workflows, management rhythms and accountability mechanisms across research, evaluations, partnerships, pilots and ecosystem initiatives.

- Financial & Organisational Sustainability: Lead financial stewardship, diversified fundraising and long-term sustainability, while developing the capabilities and partnerships required to scale the institution.

- Future-Ready Leadership: Shape the platform's evolving role in AI-ready EdTech quality and public systems, balancing emerging technology opportunities and risks with evidence, academic rigour and real-world adoption.

The ideal candidate:

- 15+ years of leadership experience across education, EdTech, public policy, research translation, institution-building, social impact, standards, innovation ecosystems or related fields.

- Proven ability to lead complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives with strong strategic judgement and execution capability, balancing vision, partnerships, systems-building and delivery.

- Comfortable operating across academia, practice, technology and the public sector.

- Experience in EdTech, school education, digital public goods, education research, quality assurance, standards, evaluation frameworks, evidence generation, public systems or policy-linked initiatives will be strongly preferred.

- Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior academics, funders, boards, government stakeholders and ecosystem leaders, with the credibility and maturity to represent a public-interest platform.

- Experience building or leading institutions, platforms, centres or mission-driven ventures, particularly in early-stage or transitional environments, will be strongly preferred.

- Understanding of AI-related opportunities and risks in education, with the ability to operate across academia, practice, technology and the public sector, will be highly desirable.

- Strong communication, people leadership and team-building skills.

This role will suit you if:

- You are an institution builder who can take an emerging platform from vision to a durable, credible and scalable organisation.

- You are comfortable operating across government, academia, philanthropy, industry and the broader education ecosystem.

- You can balance academic rigour and evidence with practical execution and real-world adoption.

- You are equally comfortable shaping strategy with senior stakeholders and building the operating systems, partnerships and team required to deliver it.

What's in it for you:

- Opportunity to build and lead a high-potential institution at the intersection of education, technology, research and public policy.

- Significant influence over the platform's strategy, positioning, partnerships and long-term institutionalisation.

- Opportunity to work closely with senior academic, government, philanthropic and ecosystem stakeholders.

- Scope to shape the evolution of education technology quality, standards and adoption.

- Opportunity to build and lead a high-caliber interdisciplinary team.

- A mandate combining institution-building, public impact, ecosystem influence and strategic leadership.

Confidentiality:

- This is a confidential executive search mandate.

- Additional details about the organisation and mandate will be shared with relevant candidates during the process.

Contact:

- Suitable and interested candidates may reach out directly at rohit.vohra@nativeworld.com with your updated resume and subject line "Project Director_Education Technology_[Candidate Name]"

Note:

- Due to the high volume of applications received, I will be reaching out selectively to candidates whose experience and profile are most closely aligned with the mandate.