Job Title - Project Lead
Team - Early Childhood Education
Location - Lucknow
About Central Square Foundation
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 children's learning outcomes, especially in low-income communities.
Learn more at the website.
About the position
The Early Childhood Education (ECE) stage, also known as the preschool/ pre-primary school stage, is the period between ages 3 to 6 years when a child ideally requires a center or school-based pre-primary education programme. Multi-disciplinary research from economics, neuroscience, and education has demonstrated that 90% of brain development occurs between the ages of 0-5 and that quality ECE is critical in determining a child’s life outcomes in terms of schooling, health, and income levels. The National Education Policy 2020 calls for 3 years of pre-primary education to enable robust early childhood learning.
The government of Uttar Pradesh has taken the lead on this. Uttar Pradesh has declared all co-located Anganwadis as Balvatikas and secured a significant budget for the Balvatika programme which includes dedicated, trained ECE educators.
CSF’s dedicated SPMU (State Project Management Unit), aims to augment the state’s capacity and implement the programme with high fidelity.
- Supporting the state in prioritising and planning critical ECE-related decisions (allocating budgets, human resource deployment, etc.)
- Augmenting the capacity of the state’s academic bodies (SCERT, DIETs) to design sound curricula, teacher guides, student workbooks, learning materials, training and mentoring
- Support in building the capacity of the State, District and field-level functionaries to set up and run an effective state-wide ECE programme (school identification, learning-friendly environment, educator hiring, supportive supervision, convergence on nutrition and health, etc.)
- Improving data systems and governance by creating and driving robust mechanisms to ensure data reliability and enhancing governance processes to drive ECE implementation in mission mode
- Capture learning and best practices from UP as a playbook for ECE in India.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the state government in working towards and achieving the milestones outlined in National Education Policy 2020, particularly around Early Childhood Education (ECE)
- Direct and indirect engagement with senior bureaucratic, education, and political leadership in the states to ensure alignment, focus, and action on achieving ECE mission goals
- Ensuring all the major workstreams and interventions get activated in the state and get implemented in consultation with stakeholders
- Lead and guide a team of 2-3 project personnel and manage their work and performance
- Continuous program monitoring and reporting to key stakeholders
- Support capacity-building activities including workshops, learning modules/capsules for different stakeholders
- Support other activities in/of the state, bring innovations, and build a coalition to ensure no child is left behind in terms of ECE outcomes
Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities
- Demonstrated Leadership in Public Sector Consulting/Program Management (6-10 years) - Track record of leading high-impact projects in State-Level PMUs, with measurable outcomes in education or development programs
- Senior Stakeholder Management Experience - History of successfully collaborating with Project Directors, academics, consultants, and NGOs to drive policy implementation and systemic change
- Government Project Management - Demonstrated success in translating technical insights into actionable programs, building consensus among stakeholders, and influencing policy decisions at the state level
- Exceptional Bilingual Communication - Outstanding English and Hindi fluency across written, verbal, and presentation formats. Proven ability to analyze complex data and present compelling narratives to diverse audiences
- Multi-Project Leadership - Expert in end-to-end project management, from strategic planning to last-mile implementation, with proven ability to deliver multiple complex initiatives simultaneously
- Team Leadership & Development - Experience building and leading high-performing teams of 3-5 members, with a strong track record in goal-setting, delegation, and developing team capabilities through coaching
- Entrepreneurial Agility - Proven ability to thrive in dynamic, resource-constrained environments requiring frequent travel. History of creating innovative solutions and fostering collaborative team culture in small organization settings
How to Apply
To apply please click on the 'APPLY' button and complete the application form.