Company Description

Xcelevate Skills Foundation is a nation-building initiative aimed at empowering underprivileged youth with industry-ready skills and creating sustainable talent pipelines. Founded by Umang Doctor on India’s Independence Day, August 15, 2024, Xcelevate draws on years of experience in education, mentorship, and corporate leadership. The foundation partners with nonprofits to identify and uplift hidden talent across the country, ensuring that excellence and opportunity are fostered hand-in-hand. With a strong commitment to providing education, employment opportunities, and purpose-driven leadership, Xcelevate aims to build a better future for society collectively.

Why this role exists

At Xcelevate, we believe excellence can come from anywhere. Even from the underprivileged. So when everyone is searching endlessly for “job-ready” talent, we build it patiently with a deep respect for human ingenuity and potential. This role exists to ensure that belief turns into repeatable, ethical, high-quality outcomes at scale.

As the Program Manager, you will own the entire student journey before, during, and after training, across multiple programs. You will not just run programs. You will build the systems and playbooks that allow Xcelevate to scale nationally without compromising integrity or outcomes.

This is not a desk role

This is a ground-heavy role. You will work closely with:

First-generation learners navigating a completely new world

Trainers and mentors delivering intensive programs

Corporate partners trusting us with hiring commitments

Internal teams coordinating admissions, training, placement, and alumni

If you are energized by being close to execution, not removed from it, you will thrive here.

What you will own (end-to-end)1. Student lifecycle ownership

You will manage all aspects of a student’s journey, including:

Admissions and onboarding

Training oversight and learner progress

Attendance, discipline, motivation, and engagement

Mentorship coordination and interventions

Placement and contract-to-hire programs

Post-placement follow-through and alumni engagement

You will balance deep empathy with the ability to take tough, fair decisions when required.

2. Program execution across multiple initiatives

You will independently manage multiple programs, ensuring:

Daily delivery runs smoothly

Trainers, coordinators, and staff are aligned

Learners are supported, challenged, and accountable

Bottlenecks are identified early and resolved permanently

This role requires calm execution in complex, human situations.

3. Systems, playbooks & scale

A key measure of success in this role is what continues to work even when you’re not present.

You will:

Create SOPs and playbooks for all recurring activities

Continuously refine processes to eliminate repeat issues

Ensure programs can be replicated efficiently across geographies

Build systems that protect quality as scale increases

4. People & leadership

You will manage:

Trainers

Program coordinators (direct reports)

Students and mentors

Cross-functional internal stakeholders

You will influence with clarity, fairness, and credibility, not hierarchy.

5. Budgets, reporting & accountability

You will:

Own and manage allocated program budgets

Treat budgets like OKRs with clear outcomes, disciplined execution

Maintain strong reporting on progress, outcomes, and risks

Communicate clearly with leadership and partners

6. External representation & corporate interaction

You will:

Work closely with corporate partners on hiring and placements

Prepare learners for professional environments

Represent Xcelevate in selected meetings and reviews

Strong English communication skills are non-negotiable.

What success looks like

Programs run smoothly, on schedule, time, budget and improve continuously

Learners stay engaged, grow in confidence, and succeed at work

Corporate partners trust Xcelevate’s outcomes

Clear playbooks exist for every major activity

Xcelevate can scale faster without losing quality or values

Who this role is for

This role is for someone who:

Is genuinely passionate about social impact, not just the sector

Believes systems matter because people matter

Enjoys responsibility and ownership

Is comfortable being accountable for human outcomes, not just plans

Cares about doing things right, not just fast

This role will test you if…

You avoid difficult conversations

You need constant structure and certainty

You prefer clean spreadsheets over messy human realities

You are motivated primarily by compensation or titles

This role will fulfil you deeply if you care about impact that lasts.

Experience & requirements

5+ years managing and scaling complex programs

Experience working with youth from underrepresented communities (strong plus)

Proven ability to manage people, processes, and ambiguity

Excellent spoken and written English

Willingness to relocate to Ahmedabad

NGO experience is a plus, but not mandatory.

We welcome those returning to work.

Growth & future

As Xcelevate grows nationally, this role can naturally evolve into:

Head of Programs

National program leadership

Strategic program design and partnerships

Growth here comes from responsibility earned, not titles given. What it offers instead is the opportunity to build something meaningful, ethical, and scalable and to see lives change because you did your job well.

How to apply

Along with your resume, please answer the following:

Why does this work matter to you personally? And how do you feel you will make a difference to this role.

(300 words)

We care deeply about why you want to do this work. Please do not demean yourself by using AI to write this. If you are the right person, we believe that AI can never do justice for your work.

Interested Candidates Mail Us on: 

hi@xcelevate.org