Senior Program Manager / Program Manager – Tamil Nadu
Position Summary
The Senior Program Manager / Program Manager (SPM/PM) will manage CEGIS’
engagement with multiple government departments (e.g., Finance, Education, Women & Child
Development Department and Health, among others) in Tamil Nadu(ideally manage two
projects at any given point of time). The SPM / PM would be part of the CEGIS’ Project Delivery
Team (State Team) and 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 /
PM would 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:
2.1 Project Delivery / Management:
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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 -
Drafting high-quality written documents and presentations
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Providing management oversight on day-to-day activities in each project to ensure
timely delivery of high-quality outputs -
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 -
Ensuring application of organisation-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
2.2 Client and Partner Management
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Creating systems for partnerships between government and other stakeholders and identify an external advisory group of individuals and organizations
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Actively partnering with Government (Department heads and second line), and other stakeholders, to define project workstreams
2.3 Team Engagement
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Managing teams of individuals from diverse backgrounds and supporting reporting colleagues to plan and prioritize activities on assigned workstreams, including timelines, content, and deliverables
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Periodic goal setting for the reporting colleagues and mentoring / capacity building to help their targeted achievements
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Technically back-stopping teams and managing project transitions
2.4 Organisational Development
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Support CEGIS’ internal initiatives on Organisational Structure, Knowledge Management, Partnerships, Technology and Communications as required
Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities
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Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, statistics, mathematics, public policy,
engineering, management, social science, or related fields from a reputed institution -
Minimum 5 (for Programme Manager) to 8 (Senior Programme Managers) years of
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 on projects with the Government of Tamil Nadu would be an
advantage
Personal Characteristics and Desired Qualities
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Fluency in Tamil and basic to intermediate proficiency in English
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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 -
Demonstrated relationship-building ability and management of high-level
relationships with partner organisations, 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 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 -
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
Location and Compensation
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Location: The role will be based out of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 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 application here.
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:
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Podcast episodes with Prof. Karthik Muralidharan – one each on education and healthcare in India.
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Collection of Prof. Karthik Muralidharan’s work here.