Location: Rajasthan, India
Reports to: School Leadership / Principal
Employment Type: Full-time
Role: Senior Leadership / Strategic Program Lead
About the Role
We are seeking an exceptional and passionate Head of Sustainability & Experiential Learning to develop and lead an ambitious, school-wide sustainability and experiential learning program.
The school is situated on an approximately 25-bigha campus and currently serves around 450 students, with an ambition to grow to approximately 1,000 students.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to build something distinctive: a campus that functions as a living laboratory for learning, where students engage directly with nature, food, water, energy, biodiversity, technology and the environment.
This is not a conventional environmental-education role. The successful candidate will be expected to shape the vision, strategy, physical campus, curriculum, student experiences and partnerships that together establish sustainability as a defining characteristic of the school.
Key Responsibilities
1. Sustainability Vision & Strategy
• Develop a comprehensive 3–5 year Sustainability & Experiential Learning Master Plan for the school.
• Establish measurable goals and indicators across energy, water, waste, biodiversity, food, landscape and student engagement.
• Develop the school’s sustainability philosophy and ensure it is embedded into the wider educational vision.
• Benchmark the school against leading sustainable schools and international best practices.
• Identify opportunities for certifications, awards, competitions and external recognition where appropriate.
2. Transform the Campus into a Living Laboratory
Lead the development of the school’s physical campus as an experiential learning environment, potentially including:
• Greenhouses and protected cultivation
• School farm and kitchen gardens
• Hydroponics / aquaponics
• Composting and food-waste systems
• Rainwater harvesting and water-reuse systems
• Solar energy and energy-monitoring systems
• Native forests and biodiversity zones
• Butterfly and pollinator gardens
• Bird habitats
• Soil and water testing facilities
• Weather and environmental monitoring stations
• Outdoor classrooms
• Nature trails and ecological study areas
• Sustainable landscaping
• Waste segregation and circular-economy infrastructure
The candidate will work with architects, landscape designers, engineers, agricultural specialists and other external experts to ensure these initiatives are integrated into a coherent campus strategy.
3. Experiential Learning & Curriculum
• Develop age-appropriate sustainability and experiential-learning experiences from primary through senior school.
• Work closely with teachers to integrate campus-based learning into science, mathematics, geography, social sciences, technology, design and other subjects.
• Develop student projects based on real campus data and challenges.
• Establish opportunities for independent research and student-led initiatives.
• Develop interdisciplinary projects around climate, food, water, energy and biodiversity.
• Encourage students to move from learning about sustainability to actively solving problems.
4. Student Leadership
Create a strong student sustainability culture through:
• Sustainability clubs and student leadership teams
• Student-led campus audits
• Environmental research projects
• Biodiversity surveys
• Energy and water monitoring
• School farming and gardening programs
• Sustainability challenges and competitions
• Student presentations and exhibitions
• Partnerships with universities and external institutions
The goal should be for students to become owners of the sustainability program, rather than passive participants.
5. Partnerships & External Network
Develop and manage relationships with:
• Environmental organizations
• Universities and research institutions
• Sustainability experts
• Agricultural and horticultural specialists
• Renewable-energy companies
• Water and waste-management specialists
• Environmental educators
• NGOs
• Government and local community organizations
• Schools and international sustainability networks
The candidate will identify opportunities for students and teachers to participate in external programs, research and competitions.
6. Measurement & Impact
Develop a system for measuring and communicating the school’s sustainability performance.
Potential indicators include:
• Energy consumption and renewable-energy generation
• Water consumption and rainwater harvesting
• Waste generation and diversion
• Compost production
• Food grown on campus
• Biodiversity indicators
• Tree and native-plant coverage
• Student participation
• Number and quality of student projects
• Teacher participation
• Sustainability learning outcomes
Create accessible dashboards and visualizations that allow students, teachers and visitors to understand the school’s environmental performance.
7. Teacher Development
• Train and support teachers in experiential and sustainability-based learning.
• Develop teaching resources and project frameworks.
• Organize workshops with external experts.
• Build a network of teacher champions across different departments.
• Help teachers incorporate the campus into regular classroom teaching.
8. Community & Parent Engagement
Develop ways to involve the wider school community through:
• Parent workshops
• Sustainability exhibitions
• Student showcases
• Campus open days
• Community farming/gardening initiatives
• Environmental campaigns
• Sustainability reports and communications
Help make the school’s sustainability program a visible and meaningful part of its identity.
9. Program & Project Management
• Develop annual budgets and implementation plans.
• Prioritize projects based on educational impact, environmental benefit and cost.
• Manage external consultants and vendors.
• Establish timelines, milestones and accountability.
• Monitor implementation and ensure projects are maintained after completion.
• Develop operating procedures for sustainability infrastructure and student programs.
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for someone who combines intellectual curiosity, environmental expertise, educational thinking and exceptional execution ability.
The ideal candidate may come from backgrounds such as:
• Environmental science
• Sustainability
• Ecology / biodiversity
• Environmental engineering
• Agriculture / horticulture
• Sustainability education
• Experiential education
• Architecture / landscape architecture with a sustainability focus
• STEM education
• Development-sector environmental programs
A formal degree in one of these areas is desirable, but demonstrated ability to build and lead meaningful sustainability programs is equally important.
Essential Attributes
• Strong understanding of sustainability and environmental systems
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work effectively with children and teachers
• Strong project-management capability
• Ability to translate complex ideas into engaging student experiences
• Comfortable working across academic and operational teams
• Ability to manage external consultants and vendors
• Strong initiative and entrepreneurial mindset
• Data-driven approach to measuring impact
• Passion for education and the environment
• Ability to build partnerships and networks
Particularly Valuable Experience
Candidates with experience in one or more of the following will be strongly considered:
• Building sustainability programs in schools
• Designing or operating school farms/greenhouses
• Renewable-energy projects
• Water conservation and harvesting
• Biodiversity restoration
• Environmental education
• Outdoor / experiential education
• STEM or maker-based learning
• Sustainability certifications
• Student environmental competitions
• University/research partnerships
• Working with large institutional campuses
What Success Looks Like
Within the first 12 months, the successful candidate should have:
• Developed the school’s sustainability master plan
• Established baseline measurements for energy, water, waste and biodiversity
• Identified and prioritized major campus projects
• Launched flagship student sustainability programs
• Established a student sustainability leadership structure
• Initiated teacher training
• Developed key external partnerships
• Started at least one major campus-based sustainability project
Within 3–5 years, the ambition is for the school to be recognized as a leading experiential and sustainability-focused school in India, with the campus itself serving as a model for hands-on environmental learning.
Why This Role Is Special
This is an opportunity to build something from the ground up.
Rather than inheriting an existing sustainability department, the successful candidate will help define what sustainability means for an entire school and create a model that connects:
Campus → Curriculum → Students → Community → Environment
The role offers significant autonomy and the opportunity to work directly with school leadership on a long-term transformation of the campus and educational experience.
We are looking for a builder, not simply a program manager.