Position: Senior Project Lead, Governance Team

Location: Delhi

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Position Summary:

• The Governance team at CSF focuses on improving learning outcomes in the public and private schooling system by focusing on systemic levers of change. The public governance team’s work involves working with state governments to co-create and implement pilots and scale governance interventions in areas like data reliability and behaviour change. The work involves efficient management of multiple projects, ambiguous work-streams with tight deadlines, application of mixed research methods, and consistent engagement with government officials at various levels of seniority.
• The private governance team is working to improve the quality of education in private schools by testing evidence-based solutions for the market failures that are hampering these schools from achieving better learning outcomes. These may include unreliable information on school quality, adoption of inappropriate education technology and lack of access to credit, among others.
• Private schools are a severely under-researched sector, so we are also engaging with reputed academics and experts to undertake research projects that will help us better understand how private schools can be improved. Simultaneously, we are working to create increased knowledge around best practices in the regulation of private schools.
• The Senior Project Lead, Governance Team is a dynamic opportunity that involves driving CSF’s strategy to improve learning quality in both public and private schooling systems. It also involves building and managing relationships with policymakers, influencers and ecosystem to further the cause of driving quality education for every child in India while managing a team of motivated, passionate team members.
• This role directly reports to the Associate Director, Governance.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
● Conceptualize and lead initiatives to develop and test high-potential hypotheses to improve learning outcomes in the public and private sector

● Set up on the field implementation of pilots and projects and ensure successful execution on the ground ● Provide implementation and project management support to the government department and officials for implementing key strategic initiatives

● Conceptualise initiatives to build an enabling environment for private schools including identifying important stakeholders including policymakers, research organizations, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, media, foundations, and researchers and undertaking regular engagements with them to facilitate pragmatic regulation of the sector

● Track key policy developments in the education sector (including the private schooling sector) and trends at the national and state level

● Coordinate and or prepare policy briefs, fact sheets, background papers/ presentations and other targeted materials for meetings with key stakeholders.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities

● Masters degree or equivalent in relevant fields: including management, economics, social sciences and public policy preferred

● 8-12 years of work experience with managerial responsibilities, demonstrating superb project delivery and team leadership

● Experience in managing large scale projects on the ground, preferably with nonprofit and government partners

● Experience in growing and managing up to 5-6 team members

● Excellent research skills and the ability to analyze complex qualitative and quantitative data, craft possible solutions, and recommend actions

● Ability to build and maintain positive and collaborative relationships both within and outside the organization, including with colleagues, schools, regulators, foundations, researchers, grantees, and education product/service providers

● Ability to lead meetings, deliver presentations, and represent CSF to external audiences

● Ability to work independently and proactively, without support staff and with little supervision

● Strong written and verbal communication skills, strong presentation skills

● Strong planning and organizational skills, and an ability to be able to set priorities, plan timelines and meet deadlines

Desired Qualities

● Entrepreneurial spirit and ‘can-do’ attitude

● The operating style suited to working in a small-organization setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued

● Excellent leadership skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects at a time

Compensation Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and will depend upon the candidate’s experience levels.