Job Description

Job Title: Project Associate - Special Projects (NV) - Odisha (SPMU)

Organisation: Central Square Foundation

Department: Foundational Learning - Odisha

Location: Bhubaneswar

About Central Square Foundation

Founded in 2012, Central Square Foundation (CSF) is a non-profit philanthropic organisation working towards the vision of ensuring quality school education for all children in India. We believe that effective foundational learning is essential for better learning outcomes for all children in school. The development of foundational literacy and numeracy skills by Grade 3 can help children progress to higher levels of learning and is an essential building block in a child's life.

We are driven by our mission to enable the school education system to adopt solutions that are scalable, sustainable, and effective so that all children get equal access to opportunities needed for leading a better life.

Read more about our work on our website

About the Foundational Learning Team at CSF

The Foundational Learning team (FL) drives CSF's mission to ensure that all children in India achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by Grade 3.

We collaborate with state and district governments to:

• Support state and district administrations in the design and

  on-the-ground implementation of State Foundational

• Learning Missions aligned with NIPUN Bharat.

• Strengthen teacher capacity, academic design, and monitoring systems to improve classroom practice.
• Strengthen middle management to mentor teachers and drive effective teaching-learning in classrooms
• Leverage data and technology for evidence-based decision-making and targeted interventions.
• Drive EdTech adoption and innovation for in-class and at-home learning.
• Our teams work across multiple states, helping governments translate strategy into execution and ensuring that every reform yields tangible learning gains for children.

About the Position:

The Program Associate will anchor data integrity, timely reporting, and multi-stakeholder coordination, enabling effective monitoring and data-driven decision-making at the state and district levels.

Role Keywords

FLN | NIPUN Bharat | Project Coordination | Progress Tracking | Data, Monitoring & Reporting Systems | Stakeholder Coordination | Implementation Expertise | Data Reliability

Key Responsibilities

1. Governance & Review Coordination

Track and coordinate district and state review meetings (monthly/quarterly), ensuring data readiness and timely inputs

Maintain governance trackers to ensure zero follow-up gaps and closure of action items

2. Multi-Workstream Tracking & Execution

Track multiple workstreams (academic inputs, field visit data, reviews, internal tasks) through structured systems

Ensure no slippages in timelines or deliverables through proactive follow-ups and prioritisation

3. Stakeholder Coordination and Data Management

Build working relationships to enable smooth execution without frequent escalations

Coordinate with district stakeholders (CRCC/BEO/DIET faculty) to ensure 100% timely and accurate data collection through defined trackers, validation checks, and follow-ups

Identify data gaps/errors early and coordinate with districts to ensure clean, verified datasets for decision-making

4. Gap Identification & Resolution

Proactively identify gaps (delays, poor data quality, missing inputs) and flag them early

Take ownership of issue resolution through structured follow-ups and escalation when required

6. Data Use & Reporting Support

Support creation of dashboards, reports, and summaries for state and district reviews

Enable stakeholders to use data for planning and decision-making (not just reporting)

7. Project Quality & Team Contribution

Ensure high reliability in execution by consistently adhering to timelines and quality standards.

Contribute to improving internal systems and processes for better efficiency.

Eligibility Criteria

Education: Bachelor's/Master's in any discipline (Public Policy, Education, Statistics, Management preferred)

Experience: 1–3 years (freshers with strong internship experience shall be preferred)

Experience in data tracking, coordination, or program support roles preferred

Odia language Proficiency

Candidate Profile

Strong data discipline | Detail-oriented | Good communicator | Proactive problem-solver | Ability to manage multiple tasks | Comfortable with Excel/trackers/apps

Role Characteristics

• Scope: State-level program support (Data & Governance)

• Stakeholder Complexity: Medium (CRCC/BEO/ADEO/DEO/DIET faculty across districts)

• Field Engagement: Low (5–8 days/month across districts)

• Core Focus: Execution support and coordination

Location: State HQ (with limited travel)

Compensation: Remuneration will be competitive and depend on the candidate's experience.

How to Apply:

Fill out the application form and upload your resume (File Name: Firstname_Lastname_Resume).

Please note: This is a Fixed Term Employee (FTE) contract position for a minimum of 2 years.

Central Square Foundation is an Equal Opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.