Senior Program Manager - Tamil Nadu

Position Summary 

The Senior Program Manager (SPM) will manage CEGIS’s engagement with multiple government departments (e.g., Finance, Women Development & Child Welfare, Rural Development, Health, Agriculture, Municipal Administration / Urban Development) in Tamil Nadu (ideally manage two projects at any given point of time). The SPM would lead teams embedded in the assigned departments to implement CEGIS’s theory of change. These teams will be responsible for designing solutions for improved governance using research, stakeholder consultations, and analytical techniques. The SPM would oversee the design and implementation of these solutions and must work closely with the respective government stakeholders during each phase of a project.

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Role and Responsibilities 

The key responsibilities of the Senior Program Manager include:

• Identifying and structuring problems, synthesizing hypotheses and, developing and
  applying appropriate analytical frameworks and approaches

• Actively partnering with Government (Department heads and second line), and other
  stakeholders, to define project workstreams

• Creating systems for partnerships between government and other stakeholders and
  identify an external advisory group of individuals and organizations

• Working closely with senior academics, CEGIS technical functions and government
  stakeholders to tailor data-driven solutions to local context, and translate technical
  rigour to on-ground implementation

• Providing management oversight on day-to-day activities in each project to ensure
  timely delivery of high-quality outputs

• Ensuring application of organization-wide protocols designed for data protection,
  data management and project management on the assigned projects

• Managing teams of individuals from diverse backgrounds and supporting reportees
  to plan and prioritize activities on assigned workstreams, including timelines, content,
  and deliverables

• Proactively identifying risks and issues affecting tasks or workstream delivery, and
  promptly communicating upward with proposed solutions

• Drafting high-quality written documents and presentations

• Identifying, obtaining, and collating relevant information and data, and performing
  quality control to ensure validity and accuracy of data

• Overseeing field and desk research using qualitative and quantitative analysis, and
  relevant tools as necessary 

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Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities 

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, statistics, mathematics, public policy, engineering, management, social science, or related fields from a reputed institution

• 6 to 8 years relevant work experience in one or more of the following areas: Management/strategy consulting or governance/development 

• Public service with a government (preferably state governments) or quasi-government body as a project manager, young professional, or fellow 

• Familiarity with governance interventions in education/ public health/nutrition/ local governance/ law and order/ livelihoods/ agriculture sectors would be a plus 

• Project/ program management or implementation roles with governments, advisory entities, multilaterals, international development institutions or strategic philanthropy firms 

• Experience of working in Tamil Nadu would be preferred

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Personal Characteristics and Desired Qualities

• Fluency in Tamil and basic to intermediate proficiency in English 

• 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 organization

• Demonstrated relationship-building ability and management of high-level relationships with partner organizations, ideally based on experience of working with Indian state governments 

• Strong planning and organizational skills, and an ability to be able to set priorities, plan timelines and meet deadlines 

• Passion for improving the effectiveness of Indian States, and alignment with CEGIS’s theory of change/ impact 

• Operating style suited to working independently and in a small-organization 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 

• High ability to collaborate and actively listen to others, understanding and valuing others’ views 

• Versatility to be comfortable taking on different projects and quickly dive into new sectors

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Location and Compensation

Location: The role will be based out of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 

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 application here. 

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Pre-reads for the application process

To learn more about the type of reforms CEGIS is seeking to implement in states, please go through the following materials before sending in your application:

 

1. Concept note on CEGIS

2. Podcast episodes with Prof. Karthik Muralidharan – one each on education and healthcare in India.

3. Collection of Prof. Karthik Muralidharan’s work here.

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