Senior Program Associate - Public Finance

Overview:

Within CEGIS, the Public Revenue/Taxation/Public Finance teams role is to support institutionalisation of data driven decision making by setting up the required infrastructure and technical capacity with the relevant line departments. High quality data and insights generated are expected to aid the State in goal setting, progress monitoring and strategic decision making. In addition, as a sectoral workstream, specific objectives are furthered by testing and institutionalising interventions in the form of Micro RCTs with the larger goal of improving tax compliance and augmenting revenues.

Position Summary

As a Senior Program Associate (SPA) at The Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS), you will play a vital role in various projects across their entire life cycle. This includes handling concept notes, department-level diagnostics, solution identification, pilot development, pilot implementation, and providing support for scale-up initiatives, all while significantly contributing to the analytical aspects of the projects. Typically, these projects shall be anchored with the Departments of Finance and Planning and may involve engagements with frontline service delivery departments (e.g., local governance, nutrition, education etc.). You'll ensure effective governance and public expenditure reforms by meticulously tracking and analyzing data from various sources, conducting independent research and root cause analysis, and presenting insights for effective problem-solving. Additionally, you'll support project planning and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and documentation of project progress and knowledge management under the supervision of respective Project Leads.

Key Result Areas (KRAs):

Data Analysis and Insight Generation:

• Engage with departments to collect relevant data, develop quantitative and qualitative tools/templates, administer these tools, and support in cleaning and organizing the data.
• Track and analyze data for accuracy and conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Extract important insights from complex datasets relevant to key stakeholders.
• Prioritize and address data issues promptly to support project progress and decision-making.
• Ensure compliance with internal data management and security protocols

Research and Documentation:

• Independently conduct research and root cause analysis, documenting and presenting insights.
• Produce comprehensive presentations and documentation to convey critical project insights.
• Collaborate with other teams to jointly develop and implement technical solutions tailored to specific project requirements as is suitable for the states context.
• Create concept notes, policy briefs, and other documentation for stakeholder communication.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication:

• Evaluate project contingencies and engage with internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist the project team in collecting critical information and departmental updates by maintaining regular communication with government counterparts, partner organisations, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Coordinate stakeholder meetings and gather feedback for project progress and decision-making.
• Foster deep connections with stakeholders and suggest innovative ideas to nurture partnerships.

Project Management & Delivery:

• Understand project requirements, coordinate with internal teams and external partners for delivery excellence.
• Support comparison and assessment of different strategies, frameworks, and solutions for effective decision-making.
• Plan and prioritise work plans, ensuring accountability for set timelines.
• Assist in altering project goals and outcomes based on stakeholder feedback and project progress, flag project risks.
• Support knowledge management processes to help achieve project and organisational objectives (for example, assisting in maintaining a project-based knowledge repository).

Qualifications:

• A Masters degree or equivalent preferred in economics, public policy, social science or related fields from a reputed institution, bright graduate applicants may be considered.
• 3-6 years of experience. Minimum 3 years of work experience in India with organisations working in related fields of work i.e., research agencies, policy think-tanks, government or private sector organisations working on government advisory or consulting
• 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
• Report writing and presentations with proficiency in MS Office and other tools

Personal Characteristics and Desired Qualities

• Fluency in English and proficiency in Tamil
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with an aptitude for research to formulate solutions
• Excellent writing and communication skills (ability to communicate complex ideas in a meaningful way and across different audiences)
• Ability to set priorities, plan timelines and meet deadlines
• Ability to think creatively, willing to take risks, to experiment with new ideas and to turn ideas into action
• High ability to collaborate and actively listen to others, understanding and valuing others views
• Operating style suited to working independently and in a small organization setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued

Location and Compensation

Location:

Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social sector pay scales and will depend on the candidates experience levels.