Job Description:
Senior Program Manager - Project Delivery
Position Summary
The Senior Program Manager (SPM) will manage CEGIS engagement with multiple government departments (e.g., Finance, Health, etc) in a state (ideally manage two main projects at any given point of time). The SPM will lead teams embedded in the assigned departments to implement CEGISs theory of change. These teams will be responsible for designing solutions for improved governance using research, stakeholder consultations, and analytical techniques. The SPM will oversee the design and implementation of these solutions and must work closely with the respective government stakeholders during each phase of a project. S/he shall be primarily responsible for delivering high quality outputs within stipulated timelines.
Role and Responsibilities
The key responsibilities of the Senior Program Manager include
1. Project Delivery / Management:
Identifying and structuring problems, synthesizing hypotheses and, developing and applying appropriate analytical frameworks and approaches
Working closely with sector leads and CEGIS technical teams (outcome measurement, strategic public finance, personnel management and state & market(s), government stakeholders and senior academics (wherever required), to tailor data-driven solutions to local context, and translate technical rigour to on-ground implementation
Guides the team on high-quality written documents and presentations
Provides management oversight on day-to-day activities in each project to ensure timely delivery of high-quality outputs
Overseeing field and desk research using qualitative and quantitative analysis, and relevant tools as necessary
Ensuring application of organization-wide protocols designed for data protection, data management and project management on the assigned projects
Proactively identifying risks and issues affecting tasks or workstream delivery, and promptly communicating upward with proposed solutions
Ensure overall project documentation to aid tracking changes in project scope, delivery including key learning, best practices etc. and sharing with other teams
2. Client and Partner Management
Develops a sound understanding of ecosystem organisations, research institutions, potential collaborators and professionals within the State.
Creates systems for partnerships between government and other stakeholders and identifies an external advisory group of individuals and organizations
Actively partners with Government (Department heads and second line), and other stakeholders, to define project workstreams
3. Stakeholder Management
Oversees the interpreting and presenting of data effectively, helping to convey meaningful insights to internal and external stakeholders.
Creates presentations, reports, and dashboards for diverse stakeholders. Leads the preparation and pitching of proposals and decks to donors and new states/departments.
Synthesizes stakeholders' feedback to develop strategic communication strategies.
Engages with vertical teams and government stakeholders to pitch ideas, present concepts, and advocate for impactful initiatives.
Develops and nurtures relationships with public officials, government departments, and other stakeholders to facilitate collaboration and support for projects.
4. Knowledge Management
Identifies internal and external knowledge sources and shares best practices.
Plans and executes initiatives related to knowledge sharing and partnerships.
Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities
Masters degree or equivalent in economics, statistics, mathematics, public policy, engineering, management, social science, or related fields from a reputed institution
8-12 years of relevant work experience in one or more of the following areas: Governance/Development or Management/Strategy Consulting
Public service with a government (preferably state governments) or quasi-government body
Familiarity with governance interventions in education/ public health/nutrition/ local governance/ law and order/ livelihoods/ agriculture sectors would be a plus
Exposure to Education sector or HR processes would be useful (not mandatory)
Project/ program management or implementation roles with governments, advisory entities, multilaterals, international development institutions or strategic philanthropy firms
Personal Characteristics and Desired Qualities
Fluency in English and Tamil language skills Spoken, Written would be an added advantage
Excellent problem-solving and strategic thinking skills, strong research aptitude ability to analyse complex quantitative and qualitative data and formulate solutions
Excellent writing and communication skills (ability to communicate complex ideas in a meaningful way and across different audiences) within and outside the organisation
Passion for improving the effectiveness of Indian States, and alignment with CEGISs theory of change/ impact
Be proactive and self-motivated, with the ability to independently manage multiple tasks and prioritise effectively with an ability to adapt to a fast-paced and dynamic work environment.
High ability to collaborate and actively listen to others, understanding and valuing others views and work closely with multiple teams at horizontal and vertical levels in a result-oriented manner.
Operating style suited to working independently and in a small organisation setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued
Ability to work under pressure by handling competing priorities, strong planning and organizational skills, and an ability to be able to set priorities, plan timelines and meet deadlines, maintaining attention to detail and delivering high-quality outputs
Ability to think creatively, willing to take risks to experiment with new ideas and the ability to turn ideas into action
Versatility to be comfortable taking on different projects and quickly dive into new sectors
Location and Compensation
Location: The role will be based out of Chennai. Travel to other states may be required.
Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social sector pay scales and will depend on the candidates experience levels.
Interested candidates are requested to submit their application here.
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.
Pre-reads for the application process:
Please go through the following materials before sending in your application:
A glimpse into life at CEGIS - CEGIS Retreat 2024
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.
Funding Partners
TCF-https://theconvergencefoundation.org
NATCO- https://www.natcopharma.co.in/
Veddis Foundation- https://veddis.org/
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation- https://www.gatesfoundation.org/
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation- https://www.dell.org/