Program Manager

Job Description

Program Manager TCF Projects

About The Convergence Foundation and TCF Network:

The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is an Indian philanthropic foundation dedicated to catalyzing rapid and sustained economic growth to enhance the lives of all Indians. Established by Ashish and Manisha Dhawan in April 2021, TCF builds on their legacy of impactful philanthropy, including the founding of transformative institutions like Ashoka University and the Central Square Foundation.

Our mission is clear: to transform the lives of all Indians through rapid, sustained, and inclusive economic growth. To achieve this, we focus on seven key program areas that influence job creation, human capital development through education and skilling, and strengthening state capacity to deliver outcomes.

In each area, TCF works on:

• Building pioneering institutions to address India's most complex socio-economic challenges.
• Shaping the larger ecosystem and sharing knowledge, insights and learning with other philanthropists, governments and key stakeholders

We believe that the government is the key actor for system change, and the role of philanthropy is to strategically support the government.

The TCF Network includes 21+ organizations, each committed to addressing specific areas of India's socio-economic development, from school education and governance to women's economic empowerment and export competitiveness.

About the Secondary Education Project:

While India has expanded access and improved early-grade learning, secondary education remains a critical weak link with many young people leaving school without the skills, exposure, or confidence needed to navigate diverse life and career pathways.

This is a pivotal moment to act. The NEP provides strong momentum for school complexes, competency-based and modular assessments, vocational pathways, and holistic progress cards. At the same time, India is in a narrow demographic dividend window. Over the next decade, tens of millions of young people will pass through secondary school and what they learn, how they learn, and how their readiness is signaled will shape India's workforce, productivity, and social mobility for a generation.

Our North Star is to make secondary education relevant, effective, and a credible signal of readiness ensuring every young person in India is prepared for life, work, and further learning. Our early focus is on two system-level levers with outsized potential for impact: enabling integrated school complexes that provide access to large school complexes, specialist teachers, diverse subjects, and better infrastructure; and advancing NEP-aligned board and assessment reforms that incentivize practical learning and credible skill signaling. We will work with states to build proof points, influence national and state policy pathways, convene key partners, and build momentum for scalable, durable reform across the secondary education ecosystem.

About the Role

TCF is launching a strategic initiative to strengthen India's secondary education system by enabling integrated school models and driving assessment reforms aligned with NEP's vision of competency-based, future-ready learning.

The Program Manager (PM) will play a central role in shaping and implementing this effort working with government stakeholders, ecosystem organizations, research partners, and TCF leadership. This is a high-ownership, entrepreneurial role ideal for someone passionate about transforming education systems at scale.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy & Hypothesis Building

• Conduct research and analysis on secondary education, integrated school models, and assessment reform
• Develop clear hypotheses and strategic pathways for scaling integrated school complexes and NEP-aligned board reforms
• Track global and Indian innovations in competency-based assessment and school consolidation

Program & Pilot Design

• Support the design of pilots with states for integrated school complexes (staffing models, transport, subject offerings, infra planning)
• Co-design assessment reform pilots with PARAKH/state boards (modular exams, project-based evaluation, multi-attempt pathways, portfolios)
• Build implementation plans, budgets, and M&E frameworks for pilots

Government & Ecosystem Engagement

• Work closely with state governments, SCERTs, boards, and PARAKH to advance reform pathways
• Engage with ecosystem partners (e.g., CSF, EI, CEGIS, Peepul) to align reform efforts and build shared momentum
• Convene state and national working groups, advisory councils, and learning forums

Evidence, Research & Knowledge Products

• Codify learnings from exemplar states (e.g., TN, MP, Telangana) on integrated school complexes
• Develop briefs, playbooks, and communication toolkits on board reform models and alternative assessment approaches

Advocacy & Salience Building

• Support convenings, roundtables, and policy dialogues to build momentum for integrated schools and exam reform
• Create compelling communication artefacts (videos, decks, briefs) to influence policymakers and funders
• Work with media and sector partners to shape narrative on secondary education reform

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree from a top-tier institution
• 3-5 years experience with prior stints in top-tier consulting firms, strategy roles in fast-paced environments (start-ups, VCs, etc.), large non-profits / foundation
• Strong analytical, structuring, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication, research, and writing capability
• Exposure to school education, government systems, assessments, or public policy is preferred
• Experience working with state departments, SCERTs, or education boards is a plus

Desired Qualities:

• Bias to action; highly resourceful and solution-oriented
• Comfort with ambiguity and iterative problem-solving
• Deep curiosity about education systems and state capacity
• Organised, detail-oriented, and strong on execution
• Ability to build trust and collaborate with senior stakeholders and government
• High ownership mindset; thrives in entrepreneurial environments

Compensation:

Compensation will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social-impact sector benchmarks, commensurate with experience.

Location:

New Delhi/Bangalore; Travel to states expected