The General Manager - Zone will lead the strategic, operational, and administrative functions across a defined geographical zone within The Citizens Foundation (TCF). This role ensures effective implementation of educational initiatives, people development, operational excellence, and strong stakeholder relationships. The GM will serve as the key liaison for both internal (regional teams, area teams, operations excellence) and external stakeholders (government bodies, foundations, and communities).

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the GM will manage and align regional and area strategies to organizational goals, with a strong emphasis on educational quality, cost efficiency, process adherence, and land acquisition protocols.

Strategy and Leadership

• Drive the zonal strategy aligned with TCF’s mission and national operations vision.
• Establish and strengthen regional and area frameworks for effective execution.
• Guide the zone in exploring new clusters and completing district coverage targets.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and manage relationships with key external stakeholders including government entities and foundations.
• Represent the organization in strategic forums to identify collaborative opportunities.
• Ensure timely reporting and communication with external partners.

People Management and Culture

• Build capacity and leadership within Area and Regional teams.
• Drive a performance-oriented and values-driven culture.
• Develop leadership pipelines through training and mentorship of AEMs and REMs.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee implementation and adherence to SOPs, SLAs, and operational systems.
• Collaborate with Ops Excellence on tools, dashboards, and analytic reporting.
• Monitor effective running of day-to-day operations (BAU) and support execution across clusters.

Quality of Education

• Ensure implementation of educational policies through REMs.
• Provide ground-level feedback to the design and Operation Excellence teams.
• Support capacity building initiatives for continuous improvement in academic outcomes.

Financial Management

• Ensure cost efficiency at the zonal and area level; monitor monthly cost per child (CpC).
• Lead the budget preparation process including assumptions, approvals, and DFA devolutions.
• Ensure budgetary discipline and track financial performance across areas.

Land Acquisition and Documentation

• Supervise end-to-end processes of land acquisition and transfer with support from ACMs.
• Ensure digitization of land records, survey approvals, and documentation readiness for DS/Finance.

• Proven leadership and people management abilities.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management.
• Budget planning, financial oversight, and cost control expertise.
• Knowledge of education systems and quality assurance practices.
• Operational process development and monitoring (SOPs, SLAs, analytics).
• Experience with land acquisition and documentation processes is preferred.
• Excellent strategic thinking, execution focus, and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with regional dynamics and field-based program implementation.

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Education, Public Administration, Management, or related field.

10+ years of leadership experience in education, operations, or large-scale program management, preferably in mission-driven or multi-location organizations.