CMD Kerala–Travancore Devaswom Board Project Manager Recruitment 2026 — 2 Contract Positions

Revised notification CMD/TDB/04/2026 • Issued 6 November 2026 • Apply online by 13 November 2026, 5:00 PM

The Centre for Management Development (CMD), an autonomous institution under the Government of Kerala, is inviting applications on behalf of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for two Project Managers. These are senior delivery leadership positions for the Board’s enterprise digital transformation programme in Thiruvananthapuram, not an ordinary entry-level IT vacancy and not a permanent government cadre appointment.

The assignment concerns an organisation responsible for more than 1,250 temples and religious institutions. TDB is the administering statutory body, CMD is the recruiting application authority, the PMU is the place of deployment, and KITFRA acts as technical consultant. This division of responsibility matters: the Project Manager must coordinate technology delivery within the Board’s administrative and operational setting rather than treat software development as a stand-alone vendor project.

📌 At a glance

1. Understand the revised notice before deciding whether to reapply

This is a revised notice in an existing recruitment, rather than a new programme of appointments. The sequence is important because applicants from the earlier rounds are treated differently.

Already applied under Addendum-1? Your application remains valid and you do not have to apply again. Applied only under the original 17 October notice? Read the revised requirements carefully; CMD states that such candidates may file a fresh application after satisfying themselves about eligibility. Do not assume that an automatically carried-forward Addendum-1 application needs a second submission.

2. What makes this post different from a typical IT Project Manager vacancy?

The assignment is a combined programme governance, digital platform delivery and public-institution change role. It demands the ability to connect administrative requirements with deployable enterprise systems. The advertisement specifically expects planning and reporting, product backlog and MVP prioritisation, budgets and risks, multi-team coordination, technical integrations, security and operational handover.

The practical distinction is between building a feature and delivering a controlled transformation. A Project Manager may need to explain how a requirement from a financial or administrative department becomes an approved release, who owns the decision, how external dependencies are resolved, and what evidence shows that users can operate the finished solution. These are applications of the responsibilities announced by CMD, not a separate examination syllabus.

The programme’s decision points

3. Essential academic qualification: a relevant postgraduate award

The academic requirement is MCA, M.Tech or a recognised equivalent postgraduate qualification in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or a closely related discipline. This is a postgraduate-level requirement. The advertisement does not state that a general bachelor’s degree by itself is an alternative. Nor does it give a minimum percentage or a mandatory PMP certificate.

For a qualification presented as equivalent, CMD specifically requires an equivalency certificate from the competent authority. Candidates should not presume that a similar course title, a marksheet or an experience-heavy career automatically establishes academic equivalence. For proof of qualification, the authority requires an original or provisional certificate: uploading a marksheet, consolidated marksheet or statement instead of the required certificate can lead to rejection.

Mandatory and desirable qualifications must not be confused

Professional certifications can make the applicant’s delivery background easier to demonstrate but the advertised essential degree must still be met.

4. Ten years of IT experience: what must actually be proved?

A minimum of ten years of relevant IT-industry experience is compulsory. That total must include substantial project or programme management, not just technical participation. CMD also asks for proven delivery of enterprise software platforms and cloud-native solutions. The description refers to leading multidisciplinary delivery teams of 20 or more members, handling scope, schedules, budgets, resources, risks and quality, translating requirements into scalable solutions with measurable outcomes, and managing delivery in Agile environments.

The requirement therefore turns on two things: the duration of relevant employment and the nature of work performed. A candidate with ten years in IT but no demonstrated enterprise delivery responsibility cannot assume that the years alone meet the post’s professional standard.

Desirable rather than mandatory: experience building products or platforms with AI capabilities, and experience on public-sector digital transformation or in other regulated environments. Neither may be silently converted into an additional compulsory degree, years-of-experience threshold or selection mark.

5. What the two Project Managers will be responsible for

CMD has published specific responsibilities rather than a broad generic management description:

1. Build and maintain delivery plans: milestones, resource allocation, progress measures and change controls.
2. Coordinate delivery parties: technical teams, business stakeholders, suppliers and implementation partners.
3. Identify and resolve barriers: delays, cross-team dependencies, risks and delivery issues.
4. Protect functional and quality outcomes: confirm that solutions address approved business requirements and quality standards.
5. Control the transition into use: oversee deployment readiness, adoption and operational handover.
6. Report to programme leadership: communicate progress, performance and measurable results to the PMU and designated authorities.

That combination explains why the notice emphasises practical leadership at enterprise scale rather than knowledge of a single programming language. A candidate can make their career record more relevant by showing specific decisions and completed deliveries against these areas; CMD does not prescribe a fixed scoring matrix for such examples.

6. Salary, second-year increase and contract security

The published monthly consolidated remuneration is ₹1,50,000–₹1,80,000. This is the advertised range, not a promise that every selected candidate receives the upper value. There is no separate pay matrix level stated for the contract.

📊 Monthly remuneration: notified range and conditional second-year calculation

The second-year figures are arithmetic illustrations of the advertised 10% increase, not separately notified guaranteed salaries. The appointment lasts two years or until programme completion, whichever is earlier. An additional term may be granted depending on performance and need. Appointment itself is subject to TDB’s approval. Neither a full two-year tenure nor a further term is unconditional.

7. Who is eligible — age, citizenship and other express conditions

The prescribed maximum age is 50 years as on 13 November 2026. The advertisement explicitly says no age relaxation for any category. It does not publish a general minimum age. Indian citizenship is required. CMD/TDB also specifies that only candidates professing the Hindu religion are eligible to apply. This is an express condition in the TDB-specific recruitment notice and should be considered alongside academic and experience eligibility.

There is no published category-wise vacancy reservation table splitting the two posts. Accordingly, do not infer that the two vacancies include a separately marked UR, SC, ST, OBC or EWS seat. The position is based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, at the TDB PMU.

8. Apply online: documents whose format can determine acceptance

Use the official CMD Project Manager recruitment page and follow its Apply Online route. Forms are accepted online only, from 6 November 2026 at 10:00 AM to 13 November 2026 at 5:00 PM. Keep a working personal mobile number and email address active during the selection period; notices to shortlisted applicants may arrive by email, SMS or phone.

Prepare the photo and signature exactly as directed

A signature consisting only of initials is not accepted; a signature written in capital letters is also not permitted. Blurry photographs, unclear signatures and ambiguous experience documents can cause rejection.

Educational and employment proof

• Upload the original or provisional qualification certificate, not only the marksheet or consolidated statement.
• If using an equivalent postgraduate qualification, include the competent authority’s equivalency certificate.
• Each employment/experience certificate should disclose date of joining, date of relieving, designation, nature of duties/responsibilities, and bear the authorised signatory’s signature and seal.
• A payslip, salary certificate or appointment letter cannot replace the required experience certificate.
• For the latest employment period only, CMD permits an affidavit containing the employer, designation, period, nature of job, tasks and responsibilities. Do not use this exception as a substitute for older employment certificates.

Check that qualifications and dates stated in the form agree with the evidence. CMD may require further proof. Deliberately incorrect information or inconsistencies can lead to cancellation even at a late stage.

9. Selection process — what is confirmed and what is not

CMD retains the right to decide which assessment methods are needed. The possible methods named in the notice are application screening, criteria-based screening, a written test, a skill/proficiency assessment, an interview, or a combination. This does not announce that all applicants will sit a written examination, or that every listed method will definitely be conducted.

No fixed written-paper structure, marks distribution, question count, negative marking, official syllabus, interview date or centre has been published in this notice. The authority will contact shortlisted candidates only, through email, SMS or phone. CMD/PMU-TDB can decide shortlisting thresholds and revise or cancel the recruitment in accordance with the published terms. Final appointment is subject to TDB approval.

Domain areas worth revisiting for an assessment, if one is called

The notice identifies competencies in programme planning and reporting, Agile backlogs and MVP decisions, cross-functional coordination, cloud and enterprise integration, privacy/security and operational handover. Reviewing actual work examples in these areas is useful preparation. These topics are taken from advertised job competencies, not an official examination syllabus. Candidates should wait for CMD’s own instructions before assuming any test format.

10. Official enquiry and follow-up

Application helpdesk: 0471 2320101, extensions 237/250, on working days Monday–Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. For further application or selection notices, use the CMD recruitment listing and the registered contact details. The authority may issue an additional assessment call, revise vacancy numbers or cancel the process; none of those actions is treated as already having happened.

Official recruitment page: CMD Kerala — TDB PMU Project Manager

Full revised notification: CMD/TDB/04/2026 (four pages)

Questions applicants should resolve before submission

I applied under the 19 October Addendum-1. Must I start again? No. The revised notice explicitly preserves those applications.

My experience is ten years, but it was not in enterprise platform delivery. Is the duration enough? Duration alone does not address CMD’s separately stated project leadership, enterprise delivery and cloud-native experience requirements.

Does PMP or PRINCE2 replace MCA/M.Tech? No. These certifications are desirable; the recognised qualifying postgraduate award remains essential.

Can I upload an old offer letter instead of an experience certificate? No. CMD says appointment letters and salary/pay records are not accepted in place of the specified experience document.

Is there a fixed CBT or interview? No specific test format is announced. CMD may choose one or more evaluation methods and contact shortlisted candidates.

Are the two openings permanent government posts? No. They are project-related contract roles with TDB approval and the stated contract limitations.