Project Manager - Foundational Learning - TG (SPMU), Academics

Job Title: Project Manager - Academics, Foundational Learning

Organization: Central Square Foundation

Team: Foundational Learning

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Years of Experience: 2 to 5 years

Central Square Foundation:

Founded in 2012, Central Square Foundation (CSF) is a non-profit philanthropic organization working with the vision of ensuring quality school education for all children in India. We believe that effective foundational learning is essential for better learning outcomes for all children in school. The development of foundational literacy and numeracy skills by Class 3 can help children progress to higher levels of learning and is an essential building block in a child's life.

We are driven by our mission to enable the school education system to adopt solutions that are scalable, sustainable, and effective so that all children get equal access to opportunities needed for leading a better life.

Read more about our work here: www.centralsquarefoundation.org

About Foundational Learning at CSF

The Foundational Learning (FL) team drives CSF's mission to ensure that all children in India achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by Grade 3.

We collaborate with state and district governments to:

• Support the design and implementation of comprehensive 

  Foundational Learning Missions aligned with NIPUN Bharat.
• Strengthen teacher capacity, academic design, and monitoring systems to improve classroom practice.
• Build district and state delivery capacity through Project Management Units (PMUs).
• Leverage data and technology for evidence-based decision-making and targeted interventions.
• Drive EdTech adoption and innovation for in-class and at-home learning.

Our teams work across multiple states, supporting governments to translate strategy into execution and ensuring that every reform results in tangible learning gains for children.

CSF's work in Telangana:

CSF has been actively working with the Department of School Education (SCERT, Samagra Shiksha), Telangana, on its FLN mission, ensuring that all children in pre-primary (PP) & primary grades (1-5) receive quality education and achieve the desired FLN outcomes. To bring fidelity in the implementation of the mission, CSF has taken proactive steps to provide strategic support to select districts/regions. These interventions serve as demonstrative models to showcase how targeted strategies and coordinated efforts can lead to significant improvements in FLN outcomes within the specified timeline.

CSF's interventions extend beyond mere support, encompassing strategic planning, capacity building, and continuous monitoring of the implementation process. By closely working with State and District Officials in SCERT, Samagra Shiksha, grassroots NGOs, and local elected bodies, CSF aims to address implementation challenges, identify gaps, and prioritise areas that can drive significant improvements in FLN outcomes. These interventions serve as catalysts for change and provide valuable insights into effective implementation strategies that can be scaled up across the state.

Position Summary

CSF is seeking a Project Manager to join the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) in Hyderabad to support the design and implementation of a comprehensive foundational learning programme across pre-primary (PP) and primary grades (1–5). This role focuses on critical academic workstreams—Teaching-Learning Materials, Assessments, Teacher capacity building, and Classroom Observations—and involves close day-to-day collaboration with Government Stakeholders, Academicians, and other Organisations. Beyond designing academic interventions with internal CSF teams, the Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring their effective implementation by navigating complex stakeholder landscapes, building consensus across diverse and often critical voices, and driving coordinated action to move work forward at scale.

The core areas of contribution are:

1. Create and review the academic materials created in-house/through partners, and share qualitative feedback

   1. Develop academic materials aligned with pedagogical 

      approaches and NCF-FS & NCF-SE
   2. Collaborate with partners/Innovation and Design team in CSF to refine content based on feedback, ensuring error-free materials
   3. Develop training frameworks, training plans and sessions to ensure effective cascade training. The role may also occasionally involve training of Master trainers or teachers.

1. Project Management and Development of the academic products for state-level FLN & ECE implementation and district projects in collaboration with internal teams, govt. stakeholders and partners
   1. Create and manage project timelines for timely deliverables; foresee and mitigate potential roadblocks, defining product specifications. Hold team members and partners accountable, resolve bottlenecks
   2. Conduct user testing and action research on materials, analyze findings, and share them with stakeholders
   3. Develop sharp presentations and reports in Google Docs/PPT format to be presented to relevant stakeholders
   4. Deepen understanding of FLN & ECE curriculum and pedagogy, identify credible research sources, and summarize findings for stakeholders

3. Government Engagement and Stakeholder Management

1. Build and maintain strong working relationships with 

   government officials across the state and district, including senior education department functionaries.
2. Serve as a key CSF interface with government officials; facilitate alignment on programme priorities and review expectations.
3. Escalate accountability gaps or implementation challenges to the appropriate government level with clear evidence and specific asks.
4. Collaborate with partners and Central CSF teams supporting the program; manage relationships and deliverables where relevant.

4. Process Improvement and Knowledge Sharing

1. Identify opportunities to improve implementation processes 

   and team operating systems.
2. Document key learnings and field insights to inform scale-up and replication.
3. Support a culture of honest reflection and continuous improvement within the team.

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities:

We are looking for a young professional who brings

• 2–5 years of hands-on experience in education product 

  development in curriculum, training, and assessment, with end-to-end ownership of the project.
• Strong academic background from a reputed institute (experience in FLN & ECE curriculum and/or a fellowship in education would be a plus). Candidates with a specialized degree/diploma in Education, particularly early childhood education, may also apply)
• Strong action-bias& communication skills - ability to synthesize technical insights into actionable program agendas, facilitate conflicting points of view, drive collective decision-making
• Excellent people and project delivery skills, including the ability to create project plans, drive execution, manage multiple projects at a time, and the maturity to influence multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Entrepreneurial spirit and 'can-do' attitude & hands-on operating style suited to working in a small organization setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued
• Willingness to adapt to the dynamic nature of work and travel to project locations

• Proficiency in Telugu and English (spoken and written).

• Skilled in stakeholder management, problem-solving, and 

  analytical thinking

• Ability to thrive in ambiguous and evolving environments

Additional Details

• Start Date: As soon as possible

How to Apply

Fill out the application form and upload your resume (File Name: Firstname_Lastname_Resume).

Central Square Foundation is an Equal Opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.