Job Openings Senior Program Associate - Outcome Measurement

About the job Senior Program Associate - Outcome Measurement

About CEGIS

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS – pronounced See-Jis) aims to improve lives by helping Indian state governments deliver better development outcomes. We believe that well-functioning governments share at least four features with high-performing organisations: (a) measuring outcomes through reliable, high quality data that enables goal setting and monitoring progress towards these goals; (b) strategic use of personnel – competency based hiring and training, skilling, and performance appraisals to determine job assignments, pay, and promotions – to achieve the goals above; (c) strategic budgeting where resource allocation is based on evidence and cost-effectiveness; (d) and creating efficient systems to leverage external actors (including for-profit and nonprofit organisations). At CEGIS, we support the state governments to build these foundations so that they can deliver development outcomes more effectively.

CEGIS works closely with the political and bureaucratic leadership in the states to achieve transformational change. We are currently present in 9 states - Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh. We also partner with union agencies/ministries such as Capacity Building Commission, Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to provide technical support for strengthening foundational systems and reflect insights from CEGISs work at the state-level into national level initiatives and guidelines. We also collaborate closely with academics and research institutions to ensure our work is grounded in rigorous research and evidence-based practices.

CEGIS Approach and Model of Functioning

Our solutions to enhance governance are co-created with state governments in a state-led way, where we focus on deep partnerships with states with an iterative cycle of think-demonstrate-document-transfer. We work closely with the top bureaucratic leadership, front-line workers and public officials in Finance, Planning, Human Resources and a few other priority line departments. Many of our solutions reflect ideas outlined in our founder Prof. Karthik Muralidharan's book (Accelerating India's Development), and these solutions are constantly being refined based on real-time feedback and are designed to both be customized to the contexts we are working in, and to create templates that can provide the starting point for replication across contexts.

To further explore the mission of CEGIS and the impact we hope to have, please take a look at this video of our CEO, Dr Vijay Pingale.

About the projects in Uttar Pradesh:

CEGIS has partnered with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to strengthen governance systems and enable data-driven decision-making in the states Finance and Planning departments. The partnership supports Uttar Pradeshs strategic vision through initiatives to establish a Financial Analytics Unit, strengthen data systems for improved planning and service delivery, and build institutional and personnel capacity aligned with Mission Karmayogi principles. This collaboration aims to embed evidence-based reforms and enhance outcomes across the states core development priorities.

Position Summary:

The Senior Program Associate (SPA) will play an important role in contextualising and executing the CEGIS vision in Government of Uttar Pradesh. The role will collaborate with other CEGIS teams (Outcome Measurement, Public Finance; Personnel Management; Sectoral teams). The Senior Program Associate will be directly reporting to the respective Program Manager in the State.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Data Collection and Organization:

  • Collect, organize, and monitor data from various sources ensuring accuracy and completeness.
  • Validate data sources and conduct verification checks for data reliability.
  • Design and administer questionnaires for data collection.

Data Maintenance and Quality Control:

  • Monitor and maintain secure data repositories ensuring data integrity.
  • Prioritize and address data issues promptly to support project progress.
  • Maintain records of data quality control processes and identify areas for enhancement.
  • Evaluate data quality, analyze trends, and interpret findings to generate critical insights.

Alignment with Project Objectives:

  • Collaborate with project teams and stakeholders to align data diagnostics and analysis plans with project objectives.
  • Support creation of technical notes and analysis protocols.
  • Assist in defining metrics and drafting project diagnostics reports.
  • Communicate project updates, findings, and recommendations to stakeholders.

Engagement and Relationship Management:

  • Support managers in developing and implementing effective engagement strategies with external stakeholders.
  • Share learnings and insights with government officials.
  • Manage relationships with senior officials in relevant departments.
  • Communicate project objectives and requirements to government counterparts.

Project Management and Leadership:

  • Perform assigned tasks with minimal supervision.
  • Independently create and prioritize work plans, ensuring accountability for set timelines.
  • Maintain proactiveness and self-motivation while delivering project requirements.
  • Manage a portion of Project Associates' time and support their onboarding and capacity building.
  • Focus on self-development and deepening expertise.
  • Collaborate with team members to compile and document insights and best practices.
  • Create knowledge products and documents by synthesizing information from different perspectives and participate in knowledge sharing.
  • Identify potential project opportunities and conduct preliminary feasibility assessments.

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities:

  • 3 - 6 years of experience with a Masters degree or equivalent in economics, public policy, social science or related fields from a reputed institution
  • Proven experience in project management and analytical contributions.
  • Strong communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
  • Experience with data cleaning and analysis of large and complex data sets and econometric analysis
  • Knowledge of STATA or R (strongly preferred) or any other data analysis software preferred
  • Experience in client servicing/government projects would be preferred
  • Commitment to CEGIS's mission and values.

Location and Compensation

Location: The role will be based out of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Travel to other states may be required.

Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social sector pay scales and will depend on the candidate's experience levels.

Interested candidates are requested to submit their applications by clicking the apply button below

Note: CEGIS has zero tolerance for sexual harassment. We therefore expect each applicant to self-declare related to the same. CEGIS could, if required, initiate a prevention of sexual harassment-based background verification. If an applicant is reported for misconduct, appropriate action that may include employment termination would be taken. Please complete the details for self-declaration on the application form.


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