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

Designation: Project Manager

Location: Bhopal

About the team:

The State Reform Team (SRT) at CSF works with the State Education Departments to reform education by implementing large-scale system-led projects with the goal of improving student learning outcomes. It along with its partners is currently supporting various states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Haryana to design and implement their state FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) Missions as part of the national NIPUN Bharat Mission. In Madhya Pradesh (MP), CSF through its State Project Management Unit (SPMU), is supporting the state government in the design, launch, and implementation of the Madhya Pradesh NIPUN Bharat Fellowship program. The fellowship aims to deploy India’s highly skilled youth across the 52 districts in MP to achieve the foundational learning goals of the state by 2026-27. CSF is looking for an excellent Project Manager (PM) who would be part of the SPMU based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Day-to-day management of the fellows assigned to the PM including timely on-ground issue resolution, fellow projects guidance, provide relevant and timely feedback for course correction, on the job professional development
• Provide clear and timely communication to the fellows on key fellowship-specific KPIs. Ensure that these KPIs are met relentlessly.
• Identify and resolve key challenges arising in the district(s) for the fellows in a timely manner by liaising with the district/state administration.
• Regularly conduct travel visits to various districts where fellows are placed for periodic reviews, conducting learning circles and fellow support.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with the district administration officials including the DMs, CEO Zilla Parishads (also called CDOs), and other senior bureaucrats in both the state and district education department.
• Support professional development through organizing the induction, quarterly meetings, other trainings
• Support the Project Leads by taking ownership of 2-3 workstreams and delivering on the pre-agreed KPIs.
• Ensure that the established project management processes and guidelines are followed relentlessly.
• Facilitate implementation of the overall fellowship objectives through first principles problem-solving.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree is required, from a reputed university; a Master’s degree would be preferred.
• 2-6 years of post-qualification work experience, excellent project delivery and management skills; experience of working with the government preferred.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage a variety of tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to identify and resolve issues quickly.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with the government and other stakeholders such as knowledge partners, partner nonprofits, etc.
• Action-biased and strong planning skills, ability to set priorities, plan & meet timelines.
• Prior exposure to the public/development sector, or consulting will be preferred. People with corporate experience and interest in the public/development sector are encouraged to apply.
• Mission and value-driven, optimistic and enthusiastic about large-scale change.
• Excellent spoken and written fluency in English and Hindi is a must.
• Comfortable relocating to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh for the next 1-3 years