He was born in 1952 in Kaunas. In 1970 he graduated from Kaunas Salomėja Nėris Secondary School, and in 1975 he became a graduate of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (current Kaunas University of Technology). 

In 2002 upon foundation of the Support Fund for the Human Resource Programme he was appointed as the Director of the Fund. 

Povilas Česonis remains in his office after the name of the institution was changed into European Social Fund Agency in 2004, supporting the growth of the number of employees from 5 to 222, and the increase of the amount of the administered programmes from LTL 749 million to LTL 3.158 billion.