About the job Project Lead - High Potential Students Workstream
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 India’s educational system.
CSF’s 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.
Read more about our work here: www.centralsquarefoundation.org
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’s High Potential Students 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 intends to design and implement programs 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 Project Lead (PL) will play an important role in ensuring that ambitious reform initiatives are implemented in an efficient and effective manner. The PL 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:
1. Stakeholder & Partnership Management
Build, manage, and deepen relationships with senior government stakeholders, ecosystem partners, funders, corporate partners, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations to advance strategic priorities and drive collective impact.
Develop and manage partnerships with implementation agencies, research organizations, technical experts, and vendors to ensure high-quality and timely delivery of program objectives.
Drive stakeholder engagement strategies, including consultations, workshops, convenings, and cross-sector collaborations, to strengthen partnerships and foster innovation within the education ecosystem.
Represent the organization in external forums, partner meetings, government engagements, and sector convenings, strengthening organizational credibility, influence, and thought leadership.
2. Strategic Planning & Program Leadership
Lead the design, planning, and execution of high-impact HPS initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and stakeholder expectations.
Identify systemic gaps, emerging opportunities, and areas for innovation, and develop evidence-based solutions to address key educational challenges.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to drive organizational alignment, leverage internal expertise, and ensure seamless execution of strategic priorities.
Provide strategic recommendations and course-correction measures based on implementation learnings, stakeholder feedback, and emerging priorities.
3. Research, Data & Evidence Generation
Lead the commissioning, synthesis, and application of research, data, and evidence to inform program design, policy recommendations, and strategic decision-making.
Establish robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks to track progress, assess impact, generate insights, and support continuous improvement.
Translate complex data, research findings, and program outcomes into actionable insights and strategic recommendations for internal and external stakeholders.
Drive knowledge generation and dissemination through reports, presentations, briefs, and other thought-leadership outputs.
4. Project & Operational Management
Oversee project planning and execution, including management of timelines, budgets, risks, resources, and deliverables, ensuring high standards of quality and accountability.
Ensure effective governance, tracking mechanisms, and review processes to monitor progress and drive timely decision-making.
Manage multiple concurrent workstreams and stakeholders while maintaining focus on outcomes and organizational priorities.
Provide regular updates to organizational leadership on progress, key risks, opportunities, and implementation challenges.
5. Team Leadership & People Management
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of project managers, associates and consultants, fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, high performance, and continuous learning.
Build team capability and strengthen systems and processes to support sustainable program delivery and organizational growth.
Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities
Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree (background in business, economics, education, or public policy preferred)
7 to 9 years of relevant work experience in in program leadership, systems strengthening, stakeholder management, advocacy, or implementation roles in the social sector
Demonstrated experience managing teams and multi-stakeholder programs
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
Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills
Outcome-oriented and thrives in a team environment
Ability to navigate complex public systems and ambiguity
Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities
Comfort with using data to inform decisions
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
Entrepreneurial spirit and ‘can-do’ attitude
Critical thinking and analytical skills
Compensation
Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and will depend upon the candidate’s experience levels.