Position: Associate Director/Senior Project Lead, Classroom Instruction and Practice
Location: New Delhi
About Central Square Foundation: Established in 2012, Central Square Foundation (CSF) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to enhancing the learning outcomes of all school going 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 CSF's 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 children's 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 country's education landscape. Click here to learn more.
About the Classroom Instruction and Practices (CIP) Team: CSF focuses on education system reform using structured pedagogy and continuous academic support as crucial levers for improving student learning outcomes at scale. The Classroom Instruction Practices (CIP) team enables CSF’s district and state units to enhance program implementation by improving the adoption of structured pedagogy resources, teacher professional development, and assessment-informed instruction. Visit our Public Goods Microsite to learn more about our structured pedagogy approach, tools and training.
Your Role: This exciting leadership role requires high learning agility to enhance CSF's academic implementation. You'll lead the CIP academic team, integrating evidence-based practices and field insights into feasible solutions to improve classroom practices and student outcomes in CSF programs.
- Create an academic implementation playbook using classroom insights in CSF District Project Management Units (DPMUs), raising teaching practices and learning outcomes
- Derive actionable insights from field visits, classroom observations, and assessments
- Develop academic solutions based on field insights:
- Micro-training modules, instructional videos, and digital nudges
- Mentoring protocols and classroom observation tools
- Academic Implementation playbook
- Upskill field team through training workshops, joint field visits and assessments
- Deepen CSF’s Academic capability across the portfolio and salience in the ecosystem
- Work with CSF state-facing teams to provide relevant academic inputs
- Collaborate with internal issue teams for evidence-based academic insights
- Pilot innovative solutions through pilot projects in the field
- Disseminate academic expertise via blogs, papers, and conferences
- Lead a high-impact academic design and implementation team.
- Recruit and retain a team of academic design and implementation experts
- Foster a growth-oriented and results-driven work environment
- Implement quality assurance for timely project outputs and iterative problem-solving
- Institutionalise a culture of learning by doing in the field
- Upskill team in latest academic research evidence and best practices
Required experience, skills and mindset: We seek a highly driven and experienced education program management professional with deep domain knowledge of early learning and an established track record of implementing scaled school improvement programs in the field. The ideal candidate would have:
- Large-scale education program design and implementation: Expertise in developing and aligning evidence-backed, user-friendly pedagogy resources and professional development programs
- Hands-on program implementation experience (13+ years for Associate Director and 9 to 13 years for Senior Project Lead) in a role implementing K-12 improvement initiatives across 1000+ schools, accountable for teacher practice and student outcomes, with expertise in :
- Developing academic content: learning outcome frameworks, lesson plans, student learning materials and formative assessments
- Delivering teacher development: workshops, digital modules, skill assessments
- Providing instructional coaching: classroom observation, demonstration, feedback protocols
- Managing field operations, including recruitment, training and operational management of academic support staff
- Creating data and monitoring systems to monitor program implementation quality continuously
- Travel: 10-15 days monthly to schools in remote areas in tier 2/3 towns
- Technical expertise in implementing early learning (k-3) curriculum, teacher professional development, instructional coaching and student learning assessments
- Strong academic background with post-graduate qualification/fellowship in education
- Evidence-informed understanding of K-3 literacy & numeracy structured pedagogy, teacher professional development, instructional coaching and formative assessment
- Ability to diagnose implementation breakdowns by triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data gathered from students, teachers, and middle management
- Ability to create pragmatic academic solutions that work within the capacity constraints of the government education system
- Team Leadership and Development: Leadership in building high-performing, diverse teams with a focus on growth, quality assurance, and continuous development
- Lead mid-sized teams of academic, program, and field experts
- Enhance team performance through coaching, feedback, and skill development
- Ability to facilitate and influence academic expert working groups
- Ability to manage multiple projects with tight timelines and resource
Compensation
Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and will depend upon the candidate’s experience levels.
How to Apply
Fill out the application form by clicking on the following link to ‘Apply’.