Project Manager

Established in 2012, Central Square Foundation (CSF) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to enhancing the learning outcomes of all schoolgoing children across India through system-led reforms. Our initiatives span innovation and policy to practice and focus on learning impact at scale. At the heart of CSFs mission is our strategic focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), which drives our collaborative efforts with 11 state governments to design and execute statewide FLN Missions. Additionally, we prioritise EdTech integration, aiming to deploy digital solutions for in-class and at-home learning and establish evidence-based practices while harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to augment learning outcomes. CSF is deeply committed to Early Childhood Education (ECE) reforms, recognising the critical role it plays in laying a strong groundwork for childrens learning journey, thereby augmenting FLN outcomes. CSF also works in the area of School Governance, extending its system-level approach to children in both private and government schools, to strengthen the countrys education landscape.

As an organization, we aim to reduce learning poverty in India by working towards improving the outcomes of children in foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN). This involves working with:

To learn more about us and our work, please visit our website at .

"FLN State Reform" in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh:

Central Square Foundation has developed a comprehensive playbook to support state governments in undertaking large-scale reform initiatives. This playbook involves close collaboration with the State Project Directors offices and the development of a 5 to 7-year roadmap to fundamentally transform critical workstreams. You can find more information on this initiative by following the link provided here - .

We have been working closely with the education departments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana since 2019. A version of our initial playbook in these states has also been adopted by the Ministry of Education when they launched the NIPUN Bharat mission. As of March 2023, we have achieved the following in all three states:

We strongly believe that significant progress has been made in all three states, as all major inputs have been implemented with strong reforms known to work for our typical multigraded classrooms where teachers are often burdened with administrative tasks. We also have tremendous support from political and state education leadership to genuinely improve FLN delivery capacity in a more permanent manner.

For the next three years, Central Square Foundation is committed to raising resources and operating in these states with a focus on stabilizing the aforementioned inputs and then guiding all districts towards a situation where the majority of students achieve FLN competence by the time they cross grade 3. This would involve the following initiatives:

Project Manager Role

The FLN reforms in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Madhya Pradesh (MP), and Haryana are managed by a "State Reform Team" within the Central Square Foundation. This team operates from Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, and Panchkula. As we progress further into the NIPUN Bharat mission in these states, we will also undertake assignments and projects based in districts.

A project manager works under a project lead and collaborates with other project managers to execute workstreams. These workstreams typically span multiple years and consist of sub-projects that require engagement with government stakeholders at the state, district, and block levels. In some cases, coordination with partner organizations in the coalition is also necessary. As a project manager, you may work on one of the following workstreams:

1.FLN Academic Materials and School-based Assessments: This workstream involves close collaboration with academic partners and state-level academic bodies to design a comprehensive package of materials for FLN grades. These materials will be used in classrooms across the state. Responsibilities of the project manager include:

2.Teacher Professional Development : This workstream focuses on rolling out FLN training to all teachers in the state. Training is offered through face-to-face sessions and digital training on Diksha. The project managers responsibilities include:

3.Mentoring Programs for Teachers: This workstream involves identifying and training mentors who will provide regular support to teachers through monthly school visits. The project manager is responsible for:

4.System Assessment of FLN Outcomes: This workstream involves conducting an annual district-level baseline assessment of student learning outcomes related to FLN goals. The project managers responsibilities include:

5.FLN Monitoring System: This workstream focuses on creating tech tools for collecting critical key performance indicators (KPIs) for the FLN mission and developing a dashboard to visualize the data for decision-making. The project managers responsibilities include:

6.Managing FLN Fellows Projects: This workstream involves supporting 7-10 FLN Fellows placed at the district level to execute project modules aimed at improving mission implementation. The project managers responsibilities include:

7.Delivering CSF-led District Accelerator Programs: In certain districts, CSF has established a direct District Project Management Unit (DPMU) to accelerate implementation fidelity in the state. The project manager in this role will be responsible for:

8.Delivering Central Team Projects to Support State Teams: The State Reform Team has a small central team to support the performance of all state teams. This includes executing central monitoring exercises, generating insights for advisory boards, donors, and state teams, and providing performance management support. The project managers responsibilities include:

What would make you a good fit for the role:

The Project Manager role in the State Reform Team offers a perfect opportunity to understand how large-scale educational reform takes shape and gain hands-on experience in taking a workstream from framework to large-scale implementation. This role is demanding and requires close collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including government officials, district/bloc officials, and teachers. The following skills are necessary for individuals to possess: