Job Opportunity for Project Manager, State FLN Reform at Central Square Foundation in Ahmedabad

Founded in 2012, Central Square Foundation (CSF) is a non-profit philanthropic foundation working on the vision of ensuring quality school education for all children in India. We are driven by our mission to transform the school education system with a focus on improving the learning outcomes of children, especially from low-income communities.  

CSF is one of the portfolio organizations under the umbrella of The Convergence Foundation (TCF), a grant-making organization run by Ashish Dhawan that builds and scales new foundations in key areas of India’s development sector. TCF aims to build 20+ new foundations in the next 15 years that will create impact at scale in the sectors they operate in.

Position Summary:

The team works in collaboration with State Education Departments to bring reform by implementing large-scale system-led projects with the goal of improving student learning outcomes. Our team supports the State to design and implement an integrated program as part of NIPUN (National FLN mission) which encompasses multiple critical aspects of a reform process ranging from building effective classroom pedagogy to working with the state to build salience and necessary state capacity to deliver FLN at scale, while also strengthening governance and other key enablers that are critical for the reform. CSF has partnered with the State Education Department of Gujarat on a long-term engagement for system reform and has set up Project Management Units (PMUs) in the state to deliver it.

CSF is looking for a Project Manager who would be based in Gandhinagar for the duration of 2 years (minimum). S/he will support the PMU Lead in developing relationships with the State government and the various departments and support the development and rollout of a holistic foundational learning program. The role will report to the Project Lead, State Reform. The role requires day-to-day interaction and working with senior government officials at the state government. S/he will join a high-caliber leadership team with a collective experience of over 100 years working in both corporate and development sector organizations like BCG, IFMR, J-PAL and NITI Aayog.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Take ownership of 3-5 workstreams and manage them end-to-end
• Conduct diagnosis, design solutions, and facilitate implementation through problem solving
• Support the State Government and members of the Education Department to design, implement, monitor, and track the initiatives planned under the roadmap
• Prepare strategic roadmaps and implementation plans with goals and milestones
• Set up project management processes and guidelines and ensure that all activities are driving towards the defined goals
• Create internal alignment between different interventions and partners
• Coordinate with external stakeholders (NGOs, experts, other States). Facilitate conversations, setup and manage partnerships to leverage the best support for the State government
• Work closely with senior bureaucrats at the State level and members of the Education Department

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree required, from a reputed university with a strong record of academic performance; Master’s degree in management or public policy or related field preferred
• 2 to 6 years of work experience, demonstrating project delivery and stakeholder management
• Good problem-solving and strategic thinking skills, ability to analyze data, craft possible solutions, and recommend actions
• Good writing and presentation skills (ability to communicate complex ideas in a meaningful way)
• Ability to build and maintain positive and collaborative relationships both within and outside the organization
• Ability to work independently and proactively, without support staff and with little supervision
• Strong planning and organizational skills, and an ability to be able to set priorities, plan timelines and meet deadlines
• Prior exposure to either the education sector, public sector, development sector, or consulting is desirable
• Ability to interact with stakeholders, including senior state officials
• High level of spoken and written fluency in English and Hindi. Fluency in Gujarati would be an advantage 

Desired Qualities:

• Hardworking, determined and action-biased
• Mission driven, optimistic and enthusiastic, must believe in achieving transformational change
• Ability to handle multiple tasks at once and prioritize as required
• High ability to collaborate and actively listen, understand and value team members’ views 

Compensation: Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and will depend upon the candidate’s experience levels.