SPL - DPMU(UP)

Job Title: Senior Project Lead - District Project Management Units (DPMUs), Uttar Pradesh

Organization: Central Square Foundation

Department: District Project Management Units

Location: New Delhi/ Lucknow (with 30% time spent on field)

Central Square Foundation:

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 children's learning outcomes, especially in low-income communities.

Learn more about CSF by visiting our Website.

About the team:

Central Square Foundation assists the States in designing and implementing the respective state FLN missions to ensure FLN learning outcomes for children. With key FLN mission building blocks established and rolled out at the state level, CSF is now working to strengthen the Implementation Capacity at District level by setting up District Project Management Units (DPMUs) in select states. These DPMUs are designed to strengthen the on-ground implementation of state-designed interventions, ensuring effective execution at the district level and accelerating progress toward improved learning outcomes. Currently, Uttar Pradesh DPMUs teams are established in six districts across the state, working closely with the district education departments to drive effective FLN implementation.

About the position:

The Senior Project Lead (SPL) will be key to designing and implementing CSFs district focused theory of change. SPL will drive district‐level education reform by leading a DPMU portfolio (35 districts) to strengthen foundational literacy & numeracy (FLN) outcomes. You will translate policy into practice, shape strategy, coach field teams, and partner closely with senior government officials to create a data‐driven, high‐accountability and support implementation culture.

Goal: The success of this position will be measured by key reforms initiated and stabilized in the district, implementation capacity built in the system, and the growth in Student Learning Outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Direction & Planning

a. Co-design goals, implementation plan, and performance metrics for DPMU team

b. Craft annual & quarterly roadmaps anchored in the NIPUN Bharat mission design

c. Align priorities across central, district & block tiers and ensure effective implementation

2. Build and Manage High Performing Field teams

a. Support hiring, onboarding and induction processes for the DPMU teams to increase team preparedness

b. Build capacity through structured support mechanisms, create culture of support, learning, and accountability

c. Setting performance benchmarks, proactively identify gaps, and implementing plans to address them.

3. Setting district level strategy and roadmaps

a. Work closely with District Leads to design and rollout FLN initiatives in districts

b. Conducting regular field visits to gain insights on progress, opportunities, and bottlenecks in implementation and resolving them

c. Setting success metrics on inputs and outputs, and periodically evaluating the progress.

4. Data-Driven Decision-Making:

a. Enhance data collection processes, ensure data reliability, and promote its effective use for decision-making.

b. Engage with district and state level stakeholders to generate actionable insights.

5. Strengthening District-State Coordination for Effective FLN Implementation:

a. Engage regularly with District Magistrates (DMs), Chief Development Officers (CDOs), and Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (BSAs) to share updates, progress and ways to improve student learning

b. Collaborate with the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) to align district efforts with state design.

c. Lead pilot projects to address specific district challenges or test innovative approaches.

6. Documentation & Reporting:

a. Ensure timely and accurate reporting on goals, progress, and outcomes, across districts.

b. Document quantitative and qualitative impacts of district-level interventions.

c. Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among district teams to enhance outcomes.

Required Qualifications, and experience

a. Bachelors degree is required. Masters degree preferred (education, development studies, public policy, social sciences, MBA).

b. At least 9 years of experience, demonstrating team management, project delivery and stakeholder management.

c. Prior experience with managing field teams, state, and district-level Governments is highly desirable.

Core Competencies & Mindsets

a. Systems Thinking: sees connections from classroom to policy; designs interventions that respect local nuance

b. Bias for Action & Ownership: moves quickly from insight to implementation; holds self and others accountable

c. Coaching Orientation: develops people through constructive feedback and stretch assignments

d. Data‐Driven Rigor: insists on evidence before judgment; comfortable challenging assumptions with facts

e. Inclusive Leadership: fosters psychological safety, values diverse voices, and champions equity

f. Collaboration : Being able to drive coordination within and outside CSF teams. Actively engage with multiple government departments to align and implement the mission workstreams

g. Setting-up team : Being able to set up a high performing team, set structures for learning and growth, and manage performance

h. Entrepreneurial : Being able to ideate solutions independently, ensure effective utilization of bandwidth and resources, and persist towards generating outcomes.

Compensation:

Remuneration for the position starts at 24 lpa and will vary based on the candidates experience levels.

How to Apply:

Fill out the application form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and applicants are advised to apply at the earliest.