Project Manager

Position: Project Manager - EdTech

Location: Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

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. As a catalytic enabler, our initiatives span innovation and policy to practice and focus on learning impact at scale across 14 states. At the heart of our 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 also tapping into the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to augment learning outcomes. We are 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. We also work in the area of School Governance, extending our system-level approach to children in both private and government schools, to strengthen the country's education landscape.

Learn more about CSF on the website )

About the role:

Central Square Foundation has been working closely with the School Education Department, Andhra Pradesh (SED, AP) for several key initiatives over the past few years. An important project that CSF is currently supporting, SED AP is a project on meaningful use of technology in schools named Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL). AP is a pioneer in implementing technology for student learning outcome improvement. It is the first state in the country to deploy Personalized Adaptive Learning (PAL) in a structured manner. The project has seen great success on the program front and has partnered with a prestigious research institute for impact measurement.

Going forward, CSF will support SED, AP's efforts to do the following:

• Create a scalable and effective model of PAL implementation based on observations and feedback from key stakeholders. CSF will take this up as a research project in coordination with Development Innovation Lab (DIL), University of Chicago and SED, AP.

About DIL: Founded and led by Nobel laureate and Faculty Director, Professor Michael Kremer, the Development Innovation Lab (DIL) is an affiliate of the Development Economics Center at the University of Chicago. Formally inaugurated in the spring of 2022, DIL brings researchers of various fields together with governments, firms, and nonprofits to use the tools of economics to identify, test, refine, and scale innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people in low- and middle-income countries.

The PAL research in AP will be led by Prof. Michael Kremer, Wendy Wong (Postdoctoral Scholar at DIL), Emily Cupito (Director at DIL), Prof. Alex Eble (Columbia University) and Guthrie Gray Lobe (Research Associate at DIL).

This position is for a Project Manager (PM) as part of CSF's EdTech advisory team for this purpose. This person will be expected to support the SED, AP in scaling the PAL program to more schools in the state and in successful implementation of the same. He/She will also need to support in the execution of the research project on PAL. The work would involve coordination between several key external experts including research organizations, solution providers, etc. He/She is expected to think through the execution strategy as per the program/research design, monitor for implementation effectiveness, and assist the department in planning & budgeting for the PAL program. They will work with the department to garner relevant information, analyze the public data and develop appropriate collateral. Additionally, this person would also get an opportunity to support the state with strategic inputs on other key initiatives of the state as required.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support in overall program management for the PAL program and research project

• Support research partner in school selection and design of the interventions

• Obtain any government permissions necessary for carrying out the research activities

• Manage relationships with the Commissionerate of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, State Project Director - Samagra Siksha - Andhra Pradesh, researchers, EdTech providers, and other relevant stakeholders

• Introduce and facilitate communication, as necessary, between research team members, the Commissionerate of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, State Project Director - Samagra Siksha - Andhra Pradesh, EdTech providers, and other relevant parties to the study

• Drive actions and process monitoring at the school level as per the PAL intervention design

• Work with the research team and the officials in the Government of Andhra Pradesh to ensure fidelity to PAL research design

• Provide strategic inputs to the state on other key initiatives as required

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities:

• 2 to 4 years of work experience with managerial responsibilities, demonstrating superb project delivery and team leadership

• Experience in managing multi-stakeholder projects

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

• Comfort with large scale data, its analysis and reporting as per the audience profile

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

• Optional: Masters's degree or equivalent in relevant fields: including education, management, economics, social sciences, and public policy preferred

Compensation:

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