Qualification & Experiences
We are looking for someone to co-run and build the Circle U vertical - someone who is highly skilled, deeply strategic, instructionally excellent, and a strong culture and people leader, and who is excited to scale a high-impact teacher education model from the ground up.
-Bachelor’s degree with significant relevant experience (6+ years highly preferred), including at least 2 years of classroom teaching in a low-income community
-Deep expertise in strategy, program design, and instructional leadership
-Proven experience in teacher training, coaching, and curriculum design
-Strong outcome orientation, with a demonstrated track record of driving measurable results in student learning and educator practice
-Experience working in and with low-income communities, with a strong equity
lens
-Excellent program and project management skills with experience planning, organizing, and delivering complex, multi-phase initiatives
-Proven people manager, with experience building and leading high-performing teams
-Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, across internal and external partners
-Strong openness to learning and feedback, with a willingness to reflect, adapt, and grow alongside the team and program
-Highly adaptable, comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by building from scratch
-Willingness to travel extensively (40% of your time)
Responsibilities
Training, Coaching, and On-Ground Support:
-Co-lead the design and execution of two flagship in-person residencies, overseeing curriculum, faculty, logistics, learner experience, and outcomes.
-Serve as lead faculty for the program, designing and facilitating sessions across in-person residencies, virtual electives, and learning touchpoints through the year.
-Design and lead grade-specific learning experiences across program tracks (KG, Elementary, Middle School), ensuring content is contextualised and relevant for participants.
-Lead instructional support for multiple Circle U partner sites, including classroom observations, lesson modeling, workshop facilitation, and coaching teachers and coaches with clear, actionable feedback.
-Provide 1:1 coaching and mentorship to teachers and coaches across the year, supporting growth in instructional practice and professional mindset.
Curriculum, Instructional Design and Quality:
-Design, procure, and lead the implementation of core instructional tools, including rubrics, assessment resources, and high-quality instructional materials (HQIMs).
-Lead curriculum design for the one-year and short-stint programs, translating the learning arc into high-impact learning experiences for teachers and coaches.
-Partner with expert faculty and institutions to co-create tools, session designs, and learning experiences that are rigorous, relevant, and practice-based.
Circle U Strategy and Design:
-Co-lead Circle U’s strategic direction and operating model, translating long- term vision into clear annual priorities, program structures, and quality benchmarks across all offerings.
-Co-design the annual learning arc and curriculum for teacher and coach tracks, short-stint programs, and key program offerings - ensuring coherence, rigor, and a strong learning progression across the year.
-Co-design and own Circle U’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems across program layers to assess quality, and continuously strengthen Circle U’s model.
Program Operations, Partnerships & Execution:
-Lead the project planning and execution process for key Circle U offerings, including timelines, logistics, faculty coordination, and on-ground readiness.
-Build relationships and partnerships with entrepreneurs, school leaders, faculty, and ecosystem partners to strengthen program delivery and long-term sustainability.
-Collaborate cross-functionally across The Circle (Labs, Incubation, Ops, Tech, Finance) to ensure alignment and seamless execution.
Team Leadership & Culture:
-Manage and develop 2 Circle U team members, setting clear goals, building capability, and supporting their growth as leaders.
-Create a culture of ownership, learning, and excellence, where team members feel accountable for impact and supported to grow.
-Contribute to shaping Circle U’s and The Circle’s leadership culture, values, and ways of working as the vertical grows.
Lead, Circle U
Circle U
Summary
As Program Lead, Circle U, you will play a central role in shaping and building Circle U - The Circle’s teacher-preparation and capacity-building vertical serving educators in low-income communities across India.
By 2033, Circle U aims to become a reputable School of Education, preparing 3,000+ educators with the capabilities to reinvent learning. This role is a rare opportunity to help shape that institution at its founding stage.
Circle U is entering Year 2 of operations. This is a build-from-the-ground-up phase: systems are still being shaped, quality benchmarks are being defined, and the long-term identity of the program is being forged. As part of the Circle U founding team, this role is for someone who is energised by the pace, complexity, and ambiguity of a start-up environment within a mission-driven organization - someone who is excited to build, test, strengthen, and scale a teacher education model that has the potential to reinvent teacher education in India.
In close partnership with the Director, you will co-own Circle U’s strategy, program design, and quality standards, and translate these into powerful learning experiences for educators across the country. You will lead the design and delivery of training tracks, curriculum, and key program projects, while also providing
instructional support across multiple school sites - working directly with teachers and coaches through classroom observations, coaching, training, and on-ground facilitation.
In the coming year, your leadership will directly shape the learning experiences of 400 educators across India through:
-A one-year certification program serving 200 teachers and coaches, combining
in-person residencies, school-based apprenticeships, virtual learning, site visits,
and coaching
-A suite of short-stint hybrid courses serving 200 educators beyond The Circle
Network