Job Description:
Position Summary
About Maharashtra - Decision Support System (DSS)
The Decision Support System is envisioned to be the CMOs first port of call for enabling data-driven governance backed by analytical evidence. The key objectives of the DSS include 1) Setting and measuring outcome goals against benchmarks from national and international indices, 2) Triangulating administrative data with own/national surveys to reduce data discrepancies, 3) Improving citizen feedback through efficient use of existing supervision mechanisms at the department level. A Data Analytics Unit (DAU) will be set up to conduct analytics for the DSS.
The primary objective of the DAU will be to deliver advanced analytical work on programmatic data (outputs, outcomes) and its determinants, typically:
- Utilise administrative data to assess district-level performance of priority schemes and enable benchmarking against relevant national and international indices, thereby informing strategic goal-setting.
- Address known limitations in administrative data quality by instituting systematic, periodic collection of citizen-level data focused on outcomes across sectors such as health, education and nutrition.
- Diagnostics to determine causality and correlations
- Regular and ad hoc data aggregation, analysis, and developing dashboards as required for senior stakeholders
We are seeking a skilled and motivated Data Analyst to join the unit. As an Analyst, you will play a critical role in problem statement definition, background research and solution design, translation of the functional requirements for the technical team, quality checks, insight generation and visualisation and presentation of outputs. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in database management, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, and data warehousing, along with optimising data pipelines and ensuring data accuracy and reliability.
The role will report to the DAU Team Lead and would require active interaction with other team members (Economist, Data Scientist and Data Engineers, etc.) for effective project delivery.
Roles & Responsibilities
Problem statement formulation
Actively carries out issue identification and analysis using secondary research and techniques such as root cause analysis, pattern analysis, among others to develop data frames and analytical solutions.
- Leverages working relationships with the Lead/Data Scientist/Senior Analyst/Economist and other stakeholders to determine data needs and optimal methods for issue identification and analysis.
Research and insights analysis
Performs supporting secondary research and conducts analysis to support project delivery.
- Analyses qualitative and quantitative data from a range of literature to provide actionable insights for informed decision making.
- Keeps abreast of research and findings in key thematic areas within data and technology, actively sharing this information with colleagues.
- Helps in drafting the first level of insights for internal discussion, including storyboarding and communicating insights effectively.
- Refines the insights based on feedback and prepares output for stakeholder presentations so it is accessible and actionable.
Data Mapping and Transformation
Develops and maintains metadata, data models, data mapping, and transformation documentation to ensure accuracy and consistency over time
- Works closely with the Data Engineers to gather and analyse data mapping requirements, and ensure efficient ETL procedures so that data is accurately mapped and transformed to meet requirements
- Collaborates with Data Scientists and other Analysts to understand data structures for optimal analysis
- Stays updated with emerging trends and technologies in data mapping and transformation, while recommending improvements to the units data integration practices
Project Management
Delivers on tasks in association with the Project Lead / Data Engineers and identifies risks or dependencies as they arise through the project lifecycle
- Reviews outputs, checking against data standards and data quality
- Presents / assists the Team Lead in presenting the outputs and findings
- Conducts workshops/training to functional users, where applicable
- Documents functional requirements, processes, use-cases, and other project artefacts
- Provides input to the Lead on timelines, estimates, risks, deviations, and other challenges during the planning and implementation of the project.
- Collaborates with IT and software development teams to integrate data engineering solutions with existing systems.
Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities
- Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field or a Management Graduate from a reputed institution
- Proficiency in data analytics tools like R/Stata/Python, and visualisation tools like Power BI or Tableau, or equivalent
- Proficient in SQL for database handling
- Good knowledge of MS Office tools is important. Knowledge of any other productivity tools is a bonus
- 3+ years proven experience in Data/Business or Systems/Process Analysis or similar role
- Experienced in using large and diverse datasets, including real-world data and the ability to draw inferences across
- Basic knowledge of AI/ML concepts
- Knowledge of using analytics frameworks for root cause analysis and solution framing
- Ability to distil volumes of information into easily digestible conceptual frameworks
- Must be fluent in Hindi and English. Working knowledge of Marathi is highly preferred.
Personal Characteristics and Desired Qualities
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, capable of articulating complex information clearly and compellingly.
- Ability to build and maintain positive and collaborative relationships within the organisation
- Ability to set priorities, plan timelines and meet deadlines.
- Detail-oriented and able to manage multiple concurrent tasks
- Intellectual curiosity and the ability/willingness to constantly learn
- High ability to collaborate and actively listen to others, understanding and valuing others views
- Public-spirited and generous temperament
- Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in data analysis
Location and Compensation
This role will be based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social sector pay scales and will depend on the candidates experience levels.
Pre-reads
- Concept note on CEGIS
- A glimpse into life at CEGIS - CEGIS Retreat 2024
- CEGIS Snapshot 2023-24
- Podcast episodes with Prof. Karthik Muralidharan one each on education and healthcare in India.
- You are also encouraged to read more of Prof. Karthik Muralidharans work here and through his book Accelerating Indias Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Indias Development.
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.
The four key characteristics of any high-performing organisation are (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). The Indian State needs to perform better on all four fronts above, by enhancing its capacity. CEGIS partners with states to improve this capacity by focusing on these four pillars of the State.
Informed by cutting-edge research and evidence as well as a practical orientation toward implementable ideas, CEGIS works with State Governments in India to enable a transformative improvement in their functioning. This vision and Theory of Change (ToC) is an outcome of extensive research done by Prof. Karthik Muralidharan (CEGIS Co-Founder and Scientific Director) and strategic philanthropic support provided by Mr. Ashish Dhawan (CEGIS Co-Founder).
Prof. Karthik Muralidharan is the Tata Chancellors Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego. Over the past two decades, he has led extensive research projects in India across education, health, and social welfare. His book, Accelerating Indias Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance, systematically analyses Indias governance challenges and provides actionable, evidence-based strategies, emphasising state-level reforms as critical for Indias advancement.
Ashish Dhawan is a leading Indian philanthropist and the Founder-CEO of The Convergence Foundation (TCF). He is also the Founding Chairperson of Ashoka University and the Central Square Foundation, and is a governing board member of the Gates Foundation. Before his second career as a philanthropist, Ashish was among Indias most successful private equity investors.
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.
In alignment with our four principles or pillars of change - outcome measurement, personnel management, strategic public finance, states and markets, CEGIS is currently working with the governments of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, NCT of Delhi, Assam, and a few Government of India entities like the NITI Aayog and Capacity Building Commission (CBC) across a range of projects and sectors. Through CEGIS flagship offering, the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) Survey, we are helping enable state governments we are working with to collect better quality citizen level data, make informed, evidence-based decisions, and institutionalise this process of securing periodic citizen-level feedback.
We are setting up a Financial Analytics Unit (FAU) to enhance analytical capacity and increase the effectiveness of budgetary allocations of the Finance Department in another state. In alignment with our personnel management workstream, we are also working with the HR/Administrative Reforms & Training Department to set up and institutionalise an in-house Capacity Building Unit (CBU) that aids the adoption of competency-based Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Performance Management Systems (PMS) with a few of these entities. Similarly, to improve the value of public money, we are working at the interface of states and markets which encompasses procurement, regulation, and policy formulation. Our solutions are constantly being refined based on real-time feedback and are designed to be customised and replicated across contexts.
CEGIS@5: A Journey of Learning & Building Capacity
Since its incorporation in 2019, despite the enormous challenges posed by COVID, CEGIS has gained significant momentum in building strong collaborations with the government(s) as a trusted partner who can provide both thought leadership and implementation support on key governance reforms. CEGIS position as a non-profit that does not take any funding from the government (other than in-kind contributions of office space/staff) has been a key enabler in earning this trust.
Beginning with 2 state government engagements in the first 2 years of its inception, today CEGIS is working across several Indian states with 15+ projects across several sectors, including education, nutrition and local governance. From a small group of founding members, we have grown by leaps and bounds to become a team of 150+ members located across the country. Helmed by a former bureaucrat with invaluable governance experience, state and solution team leads with decades of domain expertise, and enabling functions led by professionals with considerable corporate careers, the team at CEGIS brings together knowledge and experience that spans various sectors - from developmental economics, research, and governance to management consulting and social entrepreneurship.
Over the last 5 years, we have also been able to garner support for our vision and theory of change from a diverse range of foundations and philanthropists whose partnership has enabled us to build our own organisational capacity as well as continue to experiment and improve our solution design to augment state capacity and governance. We believe that this approach will gradually enable all government officials to achieve their goals more effectively, thereby improving the ability of the State to deliver services to all Indian citizens in the decades to come. To explore what the mission of CEGIS is and the impact we hope to have, please take a look at this video of our CEO, Dr Vijay Pingale.
Note: CEGIS has zero tolerance to 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 of misconduct, appropriate action that may include employment termination would be taken. Please Click the link for self-declaration.
Compensation: Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social sector pay scales and will depend on the candidates experience levels.