Senior Associate, Student Scholarship & Skilling Program

About Centre for Civil Society (CCS)

Centre for Civil Society (CCS) is India's leading public policy think tank advancing social change through public policy. Founded in 1997, CCS works to expand opportunity and choice through evidence-based research, pilot interventions, policy engagement, and capacity-building initiatives.

CCS works across education, livelihoods, governance, and institutional reform. Through rigorous research and practical implementation, CCS seeks to generate evidence that informs policy, improves programme effectiveness, and strengthens public institutions.

Position Overview

The Centre for Civil Society is seeking an experienced female leader for the position of Senior Associate, Student Scholarship & Skilling Program to lead and manage initiatives that support the education, development and career aspirations of young women and students.

The role involves overall responsibility for programme management & implementation, beneficiary engagement, learning and skilling, mentorship, stakeholder management, monitoring and reporting.

The Senior Associate will work closely with scholars, students, educational institutions and their POCs, mentors, coaches, programme partners and internal teams to ensure effective programme delivery, meaningful beneficiary engagement and achievement of intended outcomes.

The ideal candidate will be a strong, people-oriented programme leader who can take ownership of multiple workstreams, build meaningful relationships with diverse stakeholders and use programme insights and feedback from beneficiaries to strengthen programme delivery and outcomes. The role requires strong programme management, judgement, communication, organisation, stakeholder engagement and execution skills, along with the ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and take initiatives from planning through completion.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead the planning, implementation and overall management of scholarship and skilling programmes, taking ownership of multiple workstreams and ensuring timely and effective delivery.
2. Engage with young women, students and other beneficiaries to understand their experiences and aspirations and ensure meaningful engagement throughout the programme.
3. Plan and oversee learning, skilling, mentorship, coaching, career-readiness and other development initiatives for beneficiaries, including workshops, expert sessions and other programme activities.
4. Build and manage relationships with educational institutions, mentors, coaches, programme partners, trainers, experts and other stakeholders, ensuring effective coordination and delivery.
5. Contribute to the development of new initiatives and partnerships that respond to emerging opportunities and strengthen programme outcomes.
6. Monitor programme progress, beneficiary engagement and outcomes, using data, feedback and programme learning to identify challenges, inform decisions and improve programme design and implementation.
7. Lead programme reporting and documentation, including regular updates, presentations, impact reports, case studies, testimonials and other programme outputs.
8. Maintain oversight of programme operations, including planning, budgeting, databases, documentation and coordination with internal teams to ensure smooth delivery.
9. Identify and address implementation challenges proactively, while representing the programme in discussions with senior leadership, institutions, partners and other external stakeholders.
10. Guide and support team members involved in programme implementation and contribute to the strategic development, strengthening and scale-up of student scholarship and skilling initiatives.
11. Provide holistic support to beneficiaries in navigating opportunities across internships, employment, higher education, mentorship and other career-development pathways.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Management, Humanities, Public Policy or a related field.
• 3–6 years of relevant experience in programme/project management, education, scholarships, CSR, youth development, skilling, NGO/development sector or a related field. Experience managing budgets of ₹5 crore or more will be an advantage.
• Experience in managing or coordinating education, scholarship, fellowship, mentorship or youth-development programmes will be preferred.
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders, including institutions, programme partners, beneficiaries and external experts, is desirable.
• Candidates with demonstrated experience in independently managing programme workstreams will be preferred.

Compensation

Compensation will be offered in line with industry standards, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Eligible employees will receive PF benefits as per applicable organisational policy and statutory requirements.

Employees will be covered under the organisation’s health insurance/medical benefits as per the applicable policy. Additional employee benefits will be provided in accordance with CCS policies.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should fill out this application form below.

The last day for submission is 20 September 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.