Program Manager (Contractual)

Accelerate Indian Philanthropy; New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,600,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Ashoka University’s Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) seeks an exceptional Program Manager / Team Lead to anchor its higher education research philanthropy work in India. You will drive end-to-end projects and engage senior leadership to ensure high-impact outputs.

This role offers an entrepreneurial, startup-like environment with a strong focus on data-driven insights, fundraising perspectives, and collaboration across partners and institutions.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or master's degree from a top-tier institution.
• 2–6 years of work experience in a consulting or high-growth environment.
• Exceptional analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent writing ability and stakeholder-facing communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead CSIP's research philanthropy landmark report: diagnose funding gaps and model funder support.
• Scope priority areas with Leadership and manage projects to completion.
• Develop hypotheses and translate insights for funders and practitioners.
• Maintain rigour, credibility, and discipline across outputs.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Project management

Stakeholder management

Writing ability

Team collaboration

Education

Undergraduate or Masters degree from top-tier institutions

Top-tier institution experience

Job description

About Ashoka University:

Ashoka University -India s premier interdisciplinary teaching and research university. An institution that has become a beacon of academic excellence in less than 10 years since its inception. At Ashoka, we encourage you to embrace the new, push the boundaries for continuous learning, and adapt to a world of constant change Because we believe that each Ashokan is capable of becoming a thought leader.

As part of our thriving and committed workforce, you will:

• Be Mission-Driven: Champion interdisciplinary learning, innovative pedagogy, and academic rigor to transform Indian higher education.
• Think Strategically: Collaborate with visionary minds to shape the future of higher education through strategic planning and a forward-thinking approach.
• Act Authentically: Embrace authenticity and integrity, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where every voice is valued.
• Take Accountability: Own your work and drive positive change, as an empowering individual seeking to make a meaningful contribution.
• Build Collaboration: Experience the power of teamwork and diverse perspectives, working collectively towards our shared goals.
• Deliver Excellence: Strive for excellence in all aspects, upholding the highest standards of academic excellence, student support, and professional development opportunities.

At Ashoka University, we are on a mission to redefine higher education and create a remarkable space where innovation and collaboration thrive. As a pioneering force in interdisciplinary learning, we continually grow and adapt to stay at the forefront of educational excellence with emphasis on inclusivity and equal opportunity. Our philosophy revolves around care, well-being, and connection, which are deeply embedded in everything we do.

When you join our community, you become part of an extraordinary journey in which you can unleash your potential and make a meaningful impact. Where education empowers, where innovation thrives, and where excellence and humility coexist. We truly believe the world will enrich itself when there is progress with purpose.

About CSIP

The Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) is India s first academic centre dedicated to advancing philanthropy and the social sector. As a premier "do-tank", CSIP combines academic rigour with practical insights to drive meaningful change. We create knowledge products, develop leaders, influence strategy, and strengthen sectoral capabilities.

With a strong leadership team, including an engaged Advisory Board of sector leaders, donors, and intermediaries, CSIP has pioneered first-of-its-kind knowledge products, insights, capacity-building programs, and convenings over the last decade. Entering our second decade, we are adopting a startup mindset with a focus on data-driven philanthropy and sector maturity. Our goal is to accelerate the creation and adoption of evidence-based knowledge to shape a more effective social sector.

We seek entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about driving impact and building institutions. As a strategic center of Ashoka University, CSIP is positioned for expansion and invites professionals with a growth mindset to join our journey.

Position Summary

We are looking to hire an exceptional Program Manager (PM) / Team Lead (TL) whose primary mandate will be anchoring CSIPs work on higher education research philanthropy in India. We believe research, development innovation (RDI) in India is severely underfunded, and philanthropy - particularly from HNIs - has yet to play the role it could in closing that gap. This role will lead the development of a landmark report diagnosing the scale of the funding gap, the models through which research philanthropy could work in India, and what funders should and could support - drawing on global benchmarks - with the explicit goal of becoming a reference document that fundraisers and philanthropists actively use as they raise and deploy capital in this space.

Beyond this primary mandate, the PM/TL will also anchor CSIPs broader research on Indias development sector more generally - spanning studies, landscape reports, and institutional domain analysis - providing strategic and operational support across projects, working with CSIPs senior leadership and partners to diagnose opportunities and develop hypotheses, and driving projects to completion with a strong sense of urgency and ownership. The role may also include supporting organisations or projects in specific issue areas as they arise.

This is a great opportunity for those who enjoy working in a start-up environment, thrive with minimal hand-holding, and care deeply about the role research and philanthropy can play in addressing Indias development challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead CSIPs research philanthropy landmark report: diagnose the scale of Indias research funding gap, identify and evaluate funding models (domestic and global), and define what funders should and could support - producing a report intended for active use by HNIs and other funders as a reference for how to engage with this space.
• Work with Leadership to scope priority areas more broadly, such as research universities, civic spaces, libraries, and other public-purpose institutions.
• Engage in dipstick secondary research to diagnose binding constraints in issue areas and develop initial hypotheses around opportunities for impact (eg, what constraints, if solved, unlock capital in an area; what arguments aid in catalysing philanthropy).
• Oversee the creation of knowledge material across priority areas by identifying potential partners, developing terms of reference, and managing projects to completion.
• Provide continued program support to organisations, programs, or public goods that may stem from this knowledge output.
• Maintain a high bar on rigour, discipline, and credibility across all outputs.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities

• Undergraduate or masters degrees from top tier institutions. While there is no preference for a particular major or specialisation, we expect to see a high degree of intellectual curiosity and sophistication.
• 2 to 6 years of work experience in a consulting or challenging/high growth environment.
• Exceptional analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Solid planning and organisational skills with high attention to detail, accuracy, protocol and deadline.
• Excellent writing ability that is clear, concise and analytic in style.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder-facing skills including solid presentation and facilitation skills.
• High level of flexibility and responsiveness with the ability to shift priorities quickly and as organisational demands require.

Desired Qualities

• High level of discretion in maintaining confidentiality of sensitive materials and issues.
• Ability to take initiative and develop solutions quickly and effectively.
• Ability to understand and consider organisational culture and change.
• Ability to function and interact in a professional level capacity to sustain the mission, culture and best interests of the respective organisations.
• Ability to adapt and exhibit confidence in a highly evolving, agile, and fast paced work environment.
• Ability to do research and distil important concepts in a structured, concise, yet comprehensive manner.
• Broad and strategic mindset, creative aptitude and effective use of independent judgement.
• Operating style suited to working in a small-organisation setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued.