Program Manager – University Success – Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (www.dell.org) is dedicated to improving the lives of children living in urban poverty around the world. With offices in Austin, TX and New Delhi, India, and Cape Town, South Africa, the Dell family foundation funds programs that foster high-quality public education and childhood health, and improve the economic stability of families living in poverty. Since our start, the foundation has committed more than $2.2 billion to global children’s issues and community initiatives.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in India is focused on providing opportunities in education and employment to children and youth from low-income communities to help them reach their goals. This focus is driven by investments in education, jobs & livelihood, and financial inclusion. With over $200 million in investments over the past 15 years, the foundation has impacted the lives of over 12 million children and families in the country.

In India, we invest in education, financial services, jobs, and livelihoods that give people from low-income communities in India more opportunities for success. Our goal is to enrich children’s lives today while also making lasting changes to the systems around them. Over the last 15 years, the foundation has committed nearly INR 1500 crores to its core programs in education, jobs and livelihoods, and financial services.

Our mission demands that we seek out and embrace many different voices because bringing together a diversity of ideas and experiences is the most powerful way we know to ensure the people we serve have opportunities to succeed. To achieve this vision, we must create a diverse team and inclusive culture, listen to the people we serve, and build authentic and trusting partnerships.

The foundation is looking to recruit a Program Manager to lead the program design and launch of a scholarship program in India.

Position Overview

Title: Program Manager – University Success, India

Reports to: Director, India Programs

Guided by the belief that all youth should be able to compete equally at university and gain entry into graduate employment, the foundation’s global University Success team prides itself in working towards empowering more low-income students to succeed at university at rates far beyond national averages, and transition into the workplace better prepared for a successful career.  To learn more about the foundation’s scholarship programs in the United States and South Africa visit: Dell Scholars and Dell Young Leaders.

So, how will we empower students India? The foundation is seeking to invest directly in building the next generation of skilled professionals and leaders through a transformative scholarship program in India.

Key to enabling our mission in India is our commitment to driving measurable outcomes for students through innovation, collaboration, and partnership. The Program Officer should therefore be purposefully driven and passionate about developing opportunities for youth in India. This position requires a natural leader with a wide range of skills from business development, project management, financial analysis to operations consulting. This role is cross-functional in nature and therefore we are looking for a candidate who can be highly collaborative in their work style. Equally, this person must be able to engage with youth in a caring, empathetic, and supportive manner, and always have their interests top of mind.

Responsibilities

Program Development:  Proactively work with the University Success team and related stakeholders in higher education to develop and advance strategic initiatives that focus on student success and graduate employment; identify and influence critical stakeholders within universities to lay the foundation for successful execution of programs; work with stakeholders and partners to develop a foundation for strong, insightful measurement that illustrates both progress and impact of programs.

Actively Manage Programs and Program Outcomes: Manage and support a team that work towards ensuring that students get to graduation and into the world of work. Deliver program outcomes that are in support of the University Success mission and that contribute, in a clearly visible and documented way, to establish the foundation as an effective, outcomes-based giving organization. Work collaboratively with practitioners, universities, grantees and stakeholders to monitor progress, overcome obstacles, and lead projects to successful outcomes.

Strategic Partnership Management: Engage effectively with a wide variety of audiences including leaders and academics within the higher education sector, executives of top-tier corporates, large-scale NPOs, as well as senior officials of government. Work with university partners to create new projects, engage in problem-solving, administer and monitor key risk, with fanatical attention to detail.

University Success Team and Foundation Progression: Conduct clear-eyed, rigorous appraisals of all foundation- supported projects, driving active projects for maximum success and making hard choices to move away from ineffective initiatives, as appropriate. Make active use of data to drive internal decision-making. Synthesize key findings and drive adoption of lessons learned within the foundation and beyond.

Requirements

• Professional qualification from a leading university with 8+ years of experience leading/managing complex, integrated projects with clear outcomes.
• Experience in scholarship design and management, employer led graduate recruitment programs, student support initiatives, operations or project management would be desirable.

The ability to think strategically and conceptually using strong analytical skills to identify and implement solutions to address complex business problems, and then to effectively influence a wide cross-section of people. A willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done for students and be bottom-line focused. Highly developed organizational and prioritization skills will underline the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Sector Understanding: Prior knowledge of the higher education sector in India is desirable, but not essential.  A burning curiosity to learn about all aspects of education delivery is, however, essential.

Other skills:

• A true curiosity and commitment to finding more effective ways to meet the needs of low-income students in India; a willingness and desire to engage fully in the challenges of this work and to communicate lessons, successes, and conclusions.
• Experience developing and analyzing project plans and budgets for large projects.
• Ability to project manage external vendors as well as internal and external stakeholder relationships.
• An ability to dive into the details of a project when needed, yet synthesize learnings to shape the overall strategy of our work.
• An interest and comfort in using higher education data and technology tools to improve outcomes.
• An ability to ask the right questions to ensure that projects are well scoped, realistic, and positioned for success.
• A demonstrated ability to influence from the outside and achieve results regardless of whether you are the direct leader of the work.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on netting out complex problems to meet the understanding of a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to manage complex projects that require significant change management in bureaucratic organizations.
• Takes direction well, continually and effectively incorporating feedback into work to address needs of the team and leadership.
• Nimble and thoughtful while adapting to shifting priorities potentially at a rapid pace.
• Able to provide counter opinions and novel viewpoints with a rigorous, constructive, and diplomatic approach.

Position Parameters

Office Location: New Delhi, India,

Travel requirements: 30% domestic travel; potential international travel every other year.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation uses business-based practices to accelerate our global philanthropic work. We align performance management principles with our mission of transforming the lives of children living in urban poverty. We seek engaged and experienced people who want an active role in that mission and can thrive in a multinational environment. The foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Read more about our values & culture