Project manager

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Strategy and Policy Division (SPD) of the Quality Council of India (QCI) is a team of young professionals working to augment the capacity of government bodies in policy making and to formulate high-level strategies for projects that address national priorities. We function as a high-impact consulting group within QCI: a fast-paced, mission-driven unit whose work sits at the intersection of policy, research and project management.

Our work spans strategic transformation of service lines across QCI's boards and divisions, conceptualisation and launch of new projects and proposals aligned to national priorities, strategic research and advisory on current and emerging policies, quality assurance, and technology-led transformations, and comprehensive research and assessment studies for central and state government bodies.

ROLE SUMMARY

As Project Manager within the Project Management Unit, you own day-to-day execution of the engagement. You manage deliverables control, coordinate across headquarters and field, consolidate inputs from a panel of subject-matter experts, and ensure adherence to timelines, quality standards and reporting requirements. You direct workstreams against defined stage gates, own methodology and sampling where required, and consolidate findings into decision-ready reports for the client's acceptance. You act as a day-to-day point of contact for senior government counterparts and translate their objectives into rigorous, well-sequenced delivery.

The role blends delivery leadership, people management, and client management on a high-visibility national programme, and is a blend of a strategist, a project management professional, and a public-sector adviser.

WHY THIS ROLE IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

You will be at the epicentre of policy and execution, translating the Viksit vision into actionable, on-the-ground projects that affect millions of lives, rather than producing reports and opinion pieces alone.

We are looking for individuals who want to look back at their careers and point to a specific national programme and say, 'I helped build that.' If you have intellectual rigour, a strong commitment to public service, and the resilience to navigate complex challenges, this is the place for you.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The role carries clearly defined ownership across the following areas, applied to the engagements to which you are assigned:

Day-to-Day Execution & Deliverables Control: Manage day-to-day execution of the engagement, control deliverables end-to-end, and ensure scope, timelines and quality are met across assigned workstreams. Coordination & Input Consolidation: Coordinate with client headquarters and field, and consolidate inputs from all subject-matter experts into coherent, integrated deliverables. Methodology & Baseline Ownership: Where directing diagnostic work, own the baseline methodology, sampling plan and stakeholder engagement, and consolidate findings into diagnostic and baseline reports for acceptance. Stage-Gate & Quality Discipline: Sequence design work against stage gates, review outputs for quality, and ensure adherence to timelines, quality standards and reporting requirements. Team Management & Capability Building: Supervise, mentor and review the work of Associate Managers, Analysts and Coordinators; allocate tasks, manage workloads, and build the team's research and analytical capability. Client & Stakeholder Management: Manage day-to-day engagement with government counterparts and stakeholders; lead interviews, drive decisions in meetings, and present findings clearly and with calibrated confidence. Reporting & Storytelling: Structure the storyline and own the analytical report, scorecard and presentation for leadership audiences. Quality Assurance & Delivery Governance: Own milestone and SLA tracking and compliance with confidentiality, data-ownership and Government of India data-governance requirements. Business Development: Identify opportunities for scaling the team's impact, contributing to organisational growth and business development objectives.

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

We expect an ideal candidate to demonstrate the following capabilities. Technical capabilities are transferable across SPD engagements; behavioural capabilities are common to all SPD roles.

Technical Capabilities & Behavioural Capabilities

Project & Programme Management

A strategic, highly organised approach to planning, tracking and delivering multi-workstream engagements to milestones and SLAs, managing risks, dependencies, field operations and delivery governance.

Leadership & Ownership

You lead from the front, set the standard for your team, and stay calm and decisive under pressure and ambiguity.

Research Design & Methodology

Architect mixed-method studies and diagnostic assessments, including sampling strategy,