Program Manager - Urban Initiative in New Delhi | The Convergence Foundation

The Convergence Foundation (TCF)

The Convergence Foundation backs institutions that work on the big constraints holding back India's economic growth. It builds and supports focused teams that study a problem deeply, form a clear view on what needs to change, and then work with government to change it. Its approach is systemic: shape policy and partnerships rather than run programmes on the ground. The Urban Initiative, supported by TCF, is being set up to help India build the policy ecosystem for rapid and sustainable urbanisation. This role sits within TCF's Economic Growth team, which works with internal and external partners on cross-functional projects and explores emerging issues and gaps in urban development policy.

Role

India's cities are where its economic future will be decided, yet urbanisation here has often been unplanned and under-resourced, leaving cities with weak planning, a hard business environment, fragmented governance and chronic under-financing. The Urban Initiative works across four connected pillars: regional economic and spatial planning, ease of doing business, governance, and financing. It works closely with the central government, including NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and with state and city governments where there is real appetite for reform. As Program Manager you will help identify where the initiative can make the biggest difference, build the evidence behind that view, and carry it into conversations with policymakers and practitioners. The team is small and high quality, focused on ideas, influence and partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Economic Growth team and leadership to identify and scope priority areas in the urban development policy ecosystem.
• Focus that scoping on ease of doing business in cities, urban finance and city planning.
• Conduct dipstick secondary research to diagnose the binding constraints in each issue area.
• Develop early hypotheses on where impact is possible, such as which regulatory constraints, if solved, would improve ease of doing business in a city.
• Build evidence-based benchmarking frameworks that compare cities on regulatory performance.
• Identify opportunities to streamline approvals, improve governance and accelerate urban economic growth.
• Engage policymakers, urban practitioners and other ecosystem stakeholders to validate findings and refine priorities.
• Build partnerships across government, research and practitioner networks.
• Oversee the creation of knowledge material across priority areas by identifying potential partners.
• Develop terms of reference and manage those projects through to completion.
• Provide continued programme and grant support to organisations, programmes or public goods that emerge from the scoping work.
• Work on live projects with government institutions from early on in the role.

Requirements

• An undergraduate or master's degree from a top tier institution.
• No preference for a particular major or specialisation.
• Prior experience in urban development or a related sector is preferred.
• Up to 4 years of work experience in consulting or a challenging, high growth environment.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Strong secondary research skills, with the ability to distil important concepts in a structured, concise and comprehensive way.
• Solid planning and organisational skills, with high attention to detail, accuracy, protocol and deadlines.
• Excellent writing ability that is clear, concise and analytic in style.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including strong presentation and facilitation skills.
• Comfort working with senior stakeholders and government counterparts.
• A high level of flexibility and responsiveness, with the ability to shift priorities quickly as demands change.
• A self-starter with a bias towards action, able to work with ambiguous requirements.
• An operating style suited to a small organisation, where teamwork and resourcefulness matter.
• Willingness to be based in New Delhi.

Benefits

• Remuneration that is competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and depends on your experience.
• A steep learning curve, with live projects from the start.
• Direct exposure to central government institutions, including NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• A seat in a small, high-quality team where your work shapes the initiative's direction.
• Work on one of the highest-leverage questions for India's economy, across planning, business regulation, governance and city finance.

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