Job Description:
About The Convergence Foundation
The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is an Indian philanthropic foundation dedicated to catalysing rapid and sustained economic growth to enhance the lives of all Indians. Established by Ashish and Manisha Dhawan in April 2021, TCF builds on their legacy of impactful philanthropy, including the founding of transformative institutions like Ashoka University and the Central Square Foundation.
Our mission is clear: to transform the lives of all Indians through rapid, sustained, and inclusive economic growth. To achieve this, we focus on seven key program areas that influence job creation, human capital development through education and skilling, and strengthening state capacity to deliver outcomes.
In each area, TCF works on:
- Building pioneering institutions to address India's most complex socio-economic challenges.
- Shaping the larger ecosystem and sharing knowledge, insights and learning with other philanthropists, governments and key stakeholders
- We believe that the government is the key actor for system change, and the role of philanthropy is to strategically support the government.
The TCF Network includes 16+ organisations, each committed to addressing specific areas of India's socio-economic development, from school education and governance to women's economic empowerment and export competitiveness.
Position Summary
We are looking to hire exceptional Program Managers (PM) to anchor our efforts in the area of Human Capital Development by providing strategic and operational support to various projects.
This would involve working with the senior leadership of The Convergence Foundation in diagnosing opportunities and developing hypotheses. The PM would also work with external stakeholders to drive these projects to completion with a strong sense of urgency and ownership. The role may also include providing support to organisations or projects in particular issue areas.
This is a great opportunity for those who enjoy working in a start-up environment, thrive with minimal hand-holding and care deeply about the importance of economic growth and human capital development in solving key development challenges in India.
Key Responsibilities
- Hypothesis Building: Develop well-researched perspectives and produce high-quality collateral on leverage points in the human capital continuum (from Early Childhood till Employability) that have potential to create systemic impact
- Organization Sourcing: Identify high-potential System Support Organizations and entrepreneurs in TCFs areas of interest and explore formal partnerships
- Grant Support: Provide support to leadership of portfolio organizations in achieving their strategic goals
- Enabling Collaboration: Identify opportunities for different portfolio organizations to collaborate and convene their leaders for cross-learning
- Government Engagement: Provide support for government stakeholders in systemic priorities in Human Capital (policy design, technical support, project management, etc.)
- Narrative Building: Support convenings and salience-building efforts (op-eds, videos, etc.) to establish TCF as a thought leader and create a surround sound for Human Capital priorities
Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities
- Undergraduate or masters degrees from top tier institutions. While there is no preference for a particular major or specialisation, we expect to see a high degree of intellectual curiosity and sophistication. Familiarity with school education or skill development landscape in India will be a plus
- 2 to 5 years of work experience in a consulting or challenging/ high growth environment.
- Excellent analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Solid planning and organisational skills with high attention to detail, accuracy, protocol and deadline.
- Excellent writing ability that is clear, concise and analytic in style.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder-facing skills including solid presentation and facilitation skills.
- High level of flexibility and responsiveness with the ability to shift priorities quickly and as organisational demands require.
Desired Qualities
- High level of discretion in maintaining confidentiality of sensitive materials and issues.
- Ability to take initiative and develop solutions quickly and effectively.
- Ability to understand and consider organisational culture and change.
- Ability to function and interact in a professional level capacity to sustain the mission, culture and best interests of the respective organisations.
- Ability to adapt and exhibit confidence in a highly evolving, agile, and fast paced work environment.
- Ability to do research and distil important concepts in a structured, concise, yet comprehensive manner.
- Broad and strategic mindset, creative aptitude and effective use of independent judgement.
- Operating style suited to working in a small-organisation setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued.
Compensation
Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and will depend upon the candidates experience.
Location
New Delhi, India