Senior Project Manager - Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives

About Central Square Foundation (CSF)

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 learning outcomes of children, especially from low-income communities.

We believe that ensuring Universal, Early, Conceptual and Procedural Mastery of Foundational Skills is absolutely essential for the overall success of the education system. In order to achieve this, we partner with individuals and social impact organizations to bring innovative solutions in education, as well as work with the government to drive systemic impact. We collaborate with the ecosystem to leverage knowledge, build evidence and create proven tools around critical issues such as early learning, EdTech, classroom instruction methods and governance.

We also support exceptional social entrepreneurs with powerful ideas, undertake application-oriented research, provide a platform for sharing of innovation, and collaborate with other stakeholders in the ecosystem to find policy solutions - all towards enabling sustained change in Indias educational system.

CSFs team members bring a deep sense of commitment and passion towards our collective vision that every child deserves quality education. We strive for excellence in everything we do and collaborate to create an impact as we move closer to achieving our mission. We encourage an entrepreneurial outlook that evokes new and bold ideas along with taking smart risks. CSF provides a dynamic, learning and positive environment that is driven by our strong sense of values.

About Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives Team

At CSF, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives Team supports multiple central government agencies to plan, design and implement large scale education reform initiatives. This involves the co-creation and implementation of comprehensive project plans, providing technical support in the areas of project planning, and coordinating with other agencies involved in the implementation of a program. This demands efficient management of multiple, ambiguous work-streams with tight deadlines, and consistent engagement with government officials at various levels of seniority.

Position Summary

CSF has started a new workstream focused on identifying and nurturing high-potential students (students who demonstrate academic promise) from underserved communities. These students often do not receive the support or opportunities they need to realize their full potential. Our aim is to bridge that gap by creating a targeted support model that helps them thrive. To achieve this, CSF will run an accelerator in partnership with organizations working in STEM and life skills, evaluate their impact, and scale those demonstrating strong outcomes within government school systems.

Based out of New Delhi, the Senior Project Manager (SPM) will play an important role in ensuring that ambitious reform initiatives are implemented in an efficient and effective manner. The SPM is expected to thrive in dynamic and ambiguous environments, effectively responding to evolving government and stakeholder needs. The role is implementation-heavy and involves school-facing, requiring strong and strategic coordination skills, a consistent field presence, and regular engagement with government officials and technical partners.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to

• Build and manage relationships with diverse stakeholders, including central government representatives, corporate partners, educational nonprofits and community leaders.

• Planning, design, and execution of key strategic initiatives to strengthen stakeholder relationships and outcomes.

• Coordinate capacity-building workshops, research projects, stakeholder convenings, and other activities.

• Manage timelines, budgets, and deliverables to ensure initiatives are on track and aligned with organisational objectives.

• Plan and execute convenings to foster partnerships, collaboration, and co-innovation within the education ecosystem.

• Conduct research and ensure insights are translated into actionable strategies and interventions.

• Identify gaps in innovation opportunities and design approaches to address them through evidence-based solutions.

• Develop and implement tracking and evaluation frameworks to measure the success and outcomes of projects and initiatives.

• Prepare high-quality reports / presentation decks for funders, stakeholders, and leadership that communicate impact, progress, and opportunities.

• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure strategic alignment and smooth project delivery.

• Support administrative functions such as budget monitoring, scheduling, and vendor management, as needed.

• Engage and onboard existing and new CSF vendors for seamless and efficient execution of project priorities

• Providing regular updates to CSF management on progress, insights, opportunities and areas for course correction

Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelors or Masters degree

• 4 to 7 

  years of relevant work experience

• Candidates with experience in high functioning consulting environment and project management, preferably with experience in strategic initiatives or multi-stakeholder partnerships

• Comfort and experience with project management tools (e.g., Google Sheets, Asana, Trello or similar) to track progress, manage workflows, and ensure accountability

• Experience engaging with governments, corporate partners, NGOs, and/or other key education system actors

• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, including budgeting, scheduling, and stakeholder engagement

• Fluency in English and Hindi is preferred

• Willingness to travel frequently for field visits, reviews, and coordination meetings

Desired Qualities

• Entrepreneurial spirit and can-do attitude

• Critical thinking and analytical skills

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills

• Collaborative with strong coordination skills

• Outcome-oriented and thrives in a team environment

• Ability to adapt to emerging situations and multitask efficiently

• Manage professional relationships with people from diverse backgrounds

• Excellent management skills including attention to detail, ability to organize/present information and ability to multitask

Compensation

Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and will depend upon the candidates experience levels.