Job Description:
Job Title: Evidence & Policy Lead - Foundational Learning Collaborative (FLC)
About The Convergence Foundation and TCF Network:
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 20 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.
About the Foundational Learning Collaborative (FLC)
Over the past decade, foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) has become a national priority in India. Alongside leading education SSOs, researchers, and government champions, The Convergence Foundation (TCF) has played a catalytic role—shifting the focus from inputs to learning outcomes, expanding access to early learning, contributing to NEP 2020, and supporting large-scale implementation through ASER-based measurement. India is now witnessing strong momentum in foundational learning, demonstrated by a fourfold improvement in Grade 3 reading levels in Uttar Pradesh—from 7% in 2016 to 28% today—alongside high-level political recognition and strong political and financial commitment, including ₹13,000 crore in Ministry of Education funding through the NIPUN Bharat mission.
Yet 56% of late-primary children still face learning poverty. Progress remains fragile—and to sustain it beyond 2027, the sector must double down on aligned efforts across government, NGOs, funders, and—critically—political leaders. To sustain and accelerate impact, TCF is launching the Foundational Learning Collaborative (FLC)—a hub to strengthen technical capacity, funding, and political alignment—with the ambitious goal of halving learning poverty in India by 2032. This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to lock in gains and build a resilient FLN architecture—by doubling down on technical capacity, funding, and political will.
Below is the same content, restructured to match the standard TCF JD format (clear sections, concise bullets, execution-oriented language), while retaining the broader multi-workstream nature of the role.
Role Overview
The Program Lead – Evidence & Policy will anchor FLCs analytical, research, and policy agenda, working closely with the Executive Director. The role will synthesise implementation evidence across states, commission targeted research, and shape data-driven policy recommendations to strengthen foundational learning systems.
This is a rigorous analytical role requiring strong research capability, comfort with data and evidence, and the ability to translate findings into actionable system-level recommendations.
Key Responsibilities
1. Build State-Level Implementation Intelligence
- Develop a rigorous comparative understanding of how FLN reforms are implemented across states under NIPUN Bharat.
- Track variations in delivery architecture (SPMUs, DPMUs, coaching models, assessments, monitoring structures).
- Synthesise findings into structured briefs and actionable recommendations for SSOs and funders.
- Build a common monitoring & evaluation framework and KPIs dashboard across states, for use of donors, SSOs, and government leadership.
2. Drive Evidence Creation
- Commission targeted research, diagnostics, and case studies to address critical knowledge gaps.
- Drive the creation of public goods and knowledge products (e.g., best practices, tools, assessments and implementation frameworks).
- Support the design of learning forums and technical exchanges grounded in evidence.
3. Shape Policy Strategy
- Support the Executive Director in shaping next-generation FLN priorities.
- Draft policy briefs, position papers, and technical notes to inform government and philanthropic decision-making.
- Engage with SSOs, research partners and technical experts to conceptualise NIPUN 2.0 implementation.
Candidate Profile
Experience
- 6–10+ years of experience in education research, impact evaluation, public policy analysis, or government advisory roles.
- Strong understanding of Indias school education ecosystem, particularly foundational learning.
- Experience designing, analysing, or interpreting quantitative and qualitative research preferred.
Skills
- Strong analytical and research design capability.
- Ability to synthesise complex data into clear, policy-relevant insights.
- Excellent writing skills, particularly for policy briefs and analytical notes.
- Comfort engaging with researchers, technical experts, and government officials.
- Detail-oriented and rigorous in approach to evidence.
Attributes
- Deep commitment to improving learning outcomes and system reform.
- Intellectual curiosity and analytical discipline.
- High standards of rigor and credibility.
- Willingness to travel to states as required.