Program Manager The Convergence Foundation (TCF)

The Convergence Foundation; New Delhi; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

The Convergence Foundation in India seeks an exceptional Program Manager to anchor efforts on Economic Growth and Human Capital Development. You will diagnose opportunities, work with senior leadership, and drive projects to completion with urgency and ownership.

You will engage with external stakeholders, develop hypotheses, and provide ongoing program and grant support to related initiatives in a start-up style environment.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or Master’s degree from a top-tier institution.
• 2–5 years of work experience in consulting or high-growth environments.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Strong planning and organisational skills with attention to detail and deadlines.
• Excellent writing ability that is clear, concise and analytic.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and stakeholder-facing skills including facilitation.
• High flexibility and responsiveness to shifting priorities.

Responsibilities

• Scope priority areas across Economic Growth and/or Human Capital Development with leadership.
• Diagnose opportunities via dipstick secondary research and develop hypotheses.
• Oversee creation of knowledge materials and manage projects through to completion.
• Provide program/grant support to organisations or projects identified.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Planning & organisation

Excellent writing

Communication & stakeholder management

Flexibility

Education

Undergraduate or Master’s degree

Job description

The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is an Indian philanthropic foundation 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 economic growth and inclusive development.

To achieve this, we focus on 3 pillars 1) Direct engines of economic growth that enable job creation, 2) Human capital development through education and employability, and 3) Development Enablers that strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem and improve state capacity.

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 and nonprofits is to strategically support the government. The TCF Network includes 20+ organisations all working systemically with the government, committed to addressing specific areas of India's socio-economic development, across our three pillars.

Position Summary

We are looking to hire exceptional Program Managers (PM) to anchor our efforts on areas of Economic Growth and/or Human Capital Development by providing strategic and operational support to various projects.

This would involve working with the senior leadership of The Convergence Foundation in diagnosing opportunities and developing hypotheses. The PM would also work with external stakeholders to drive these projects to completion with a strong sense of urgency and ownership. The role may also include providing support to organizations or projects in particular issue areas.

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 importance of economic growth and human capital development in solving key development challenges in India.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with TCFs Leadership to scope priority areas across one or both pillars (e.g. tourism, services exports, skilling, investment promotion, etc.)
• Engage in dipstick secondary research to diagnose binding constraints in issue areas and develop initial hypotheses around opportunities for impact (e.g. What are constraints, if solved for, can unlock high ROI in that sector)
• Oversee the creation of knowledge material across priority areas by identifying potential partners, developing terms of reference and managing projects to their completion
• Provide continued program/grant support to organisations, programs or public goods that might stem as a result of the scoping exercise

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 5 years of work experience in a consulting or challenging/ high growth environment.
• Excellent 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.

Compensation

Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and will depend upon the candidates experience.