Director-Programs

About Milaan

Milaan is a girl-centered nonprofit working to enable young people, especially adolescent girls, to shape their own lives and communities. Through our flagship program, the Girl Icon, we have empowered over 100,000 adolescent girls to become leaders driving gender justice and systemic change. As we embark on the next phase, we are designing a scalable, systems-based model to reach 2 million girls across India by 2030 through direct engagement, innovation, and government partnerships.

Position Summary

The Director of Programming will serve as a key member of Milaans senior leadership team and lead the strategic visioning, design, and implementation of its program. This role will be responsible for driving excellence across three key programmatic verticals:

1.System Strengthening Deep engagement with government systems (ICDS, education, health) for scale and sustainability

2.Direct Programming & Innovation Lab Piloting new interventions and developing scalable models grounded in community insights

3.Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Building evidence to validate impact, inform scale, and influence policy

This is a leadership role requiring someone who is not only a strong program strategist and systems thinker but also a thought leader with a deep commitment to gender justice and adolescent girls empowerment.

Key Responsibilities

1.Program Strategy & Leadership

Lead the overall strategy and execution of the Girl Icon Program 3.0, ensuring alignment with Milaans mission and 2030 vision

Guide the design of scalable models that integrate girl-centered programming with government platforms.

Work closely with the Country Director, and other senior leaders to drive long-term impact and innovation.

Manage/oversee program budgets, including donor compliance and financial reporting.

Contribute to donor proposal development and participate in funding pitch meetings as required.

2.Systems Strengthening

Lead the design and implementation of Milaans government engagement strategy across health, education, and child development systems

Build partnerships with key ministries, state and district governments, and technical partners to co-create solutions for adolescent girls.

Support the design of capacity-building programs for Anganwadi workers, frontline staff, and district officials.

3.Innovation Lab & Direct Programming

Oversee the piloting of new interventions and learning labs in selected geographies.

Facilitate design sprints and cross-team ideation to evolve adaptive program models

Use insights from pilots to inform scale pathways, partnerships, and implementation frameworks.

4.Monitoring, Evaluation & Research

Build a robust MEL framework to measure social norm change, girl agency, and systems impact

Partner with academic institutions and research firms for longitudinal studies and impact evaluations

Ensuredata-drivendecision-makingacrossallprogrammatic interventions

5.People & Team Leadership

Lead and mentor a cross-functional team of program managers, research specialists, and implementation staff

Build a culture of collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning

Drive performance management, capacity building, and cross-team alignment

Qualifications & Experience

15+ years of progressive experience in nonprofit or social impact programming, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.

Proven experience in designing and scaling gender-focused programs, especially for adolescent girls

Deep understanding of systems thinking, social norm change, and government engagement models

Track record of managing multi-layered teams and cross-sector partnerships

Experience working with monitoring, evaluation, and research frameworks both quantitative and qualitative

Postgraduate degree in Social Work, Public Policy, Development Studies, or a related field

Desired Attributes

Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into scalable program design

Deeplyalignedwithfeministvaluesandgroundedinintersectional, community-based approaches

Strong communication and storytelling skills both internal and external

Adaptive leader comfortable working in complex, fast-paced environments

Passionate about centering girls voices and lived experiences in all aspects of programming

What We Offer

Opportunity to lead one of Indias most ambitious girl-centered system change initiatives

Collaborative and values-driven work culture

Competitive compensation and benefits

Platform to engage with global thought leaders and practitioners in gender equity

To Apply: