Job Opportunity for Program Associate at Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

## Job Description – Program Associate – SAM

 

**About The Convergence Foundation (TCF)**

 

The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is a grant-making incubator, run by philanthropist Ashish Dhawan, which builds and scales new foundations in key areas of India’s development sector. TCF is committed to improving lives by supporting organizations that are working to address critical challenges in India.

 

**About CEGIS**

 

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) is a TCF initiative that aims to improve lives by helping Indian state governments deliver better development outcomes. CEGIS partners with states to improve their capacity by focusing on four key pillars: outcome measurement, personnel management, strategic public finance, and states and markets.

 

**Job Location:** Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

 

**Position Name:** Program Associate – SAM

 

**Organization Name:** Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS)

 

**Experience Required:** 1 to 3 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree or equivalent preferred) in economics, public policy, social science or related fields from a reputed institution.

 

**Responsibilities:**

 

* **Data Collection, Review, and Analysis:**

    * Keep track of data from different sources for accuracy.

    * Analyze complex datasets to extract important insights relevant to key stakeholders.

* **Data Management, Quality, and Security:**

    * Prioritize and address data issues promptly to support ongoing project progress.

    * Ensure data management, quality, and security standards are maintained.

* **Research, Diagnosis, Solutioning, and Reporting:**

    * Independently conduct research and root cause analysis.

    * Document and present insights for effective problem-solving.

    * Collaborate with project teams to lead co-creation efforts for project-specific solutions.

* **Analysis and Insights:**

    * Produce comprehensive presentations and documentation for critical project insights.

    * Assist in gathering information for stakeholder communication.

    * Summarize and document project progress for internal and external audiences.

* **Project Management and Project Deliverables:**

    * Regularly update internal and external stakeholders on project progress.

    * Collaborate with project delivery teams and stakeholders to align data diagnostics and analysis plans with project objectives.

    * Ensure that all project activities are strategically directed towards the achievement of overarching goals.

    * Develop and deliver high-quality outputs, including reports, notes, and analyses.

    * Conduct literature review, prepare project collaterals, and manage files for efficient retrieval.

* **Stakeholder Mapping, Engagement and communication:**

    * Map relevant external stakeholders and conduct regular stakeholder analysis.

    * Coordinate with stakeholders to plan meetings for both communicating project progress and decisions, as well as ensuring effective communication.

    * Synthesize project information into documents, presentations, and dashboards.

    * Cultivate and strengthen stakeholder relationships, fostering deep connections.

    * Suggest innovative ideas to nurture partnerships and drive project advancement.

* **Documentation and Knowledge Creation & Facilitation:**

    * Support knowledge management processes to achieve project and organizational objectives.

    * Conduct literature review, prepare project collaterals, and manage files for efficient retrieval.

    * Support the team in acquiring, preserving, and sharing domain-specific information.

 

**Qualifications:**

 

* 1 to 3 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree or equivalent preferred) 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.

 

**CEGIS Work under the theme of State and Market (SAM)**

 

CEGIS work under the theme of State and Market (SAM) focuses on improving state capacity for better management of State interfaces with the larger market, especially in service delivery functions. We work with State Governments in three capacities:

 

* Procurement: Improving procurement policies, processes and decisions to improve value for money in public procurement.

* Regulation: Assessment of market failures and design and execution of proportionate regulatory interventions to address these.

* Policy: Development of sectoral policy to incentivize cost-effective service delivery, through the most appropriate models.

 

**The Program Associate (PA) will play an important role in contextualising and executing the CEGIS vision in a select state.** The role will involve working closely with the SAM technical team and the relevant State teams, and collaborating with other CEGIS teams (Outcomes Measurement; Personnel Management; Public Finance and Sectoral teams). The Program Associate will report to the SAM Program Manager in the state.