Jobs at Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) (Now Hiring) — 15 open

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. We believe that the most impactful lever for accelerating national development is to improve governance and state capacity to better deliver core public services at scale.

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. CEGISs vision and Theory of Change (ToC) are an outcome of extensive research done by Prof. Karthik Muralidharan (CEGIS Co-Founder and Scientific Director) and outlined in his multiple award-winning, national bestselling book Accelerating India's Development, and enabled by strategic philanthropic support provided by Ashish Dhawan (CEGIS Co-Founder).

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. Many of our solutions reflect ideas outlined in the book Accelerating India's Development, and these solutions are constantly refined based on real-time feedback and are designed to both be customized to the contexts we are working in, and to create templates that can provide the starting point for replication across contexts.

Our focus areas reflect evidence that key characteristics of high-performing organisations include (a) measuring outcomes through reliable, high quality data that enables goal setting and progress monitoring; (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 and revenue collection are based on evidence and cost-effectiveness; (d) and creating efficient systems to leverage external actors (including for-profit and nonprofit organisations). CEGIS partners with states to improve capacity by focusing on these pillars of State effectiveness, and aims to also integrate these horizontal governance improvements into integrated sectoral roadmaps to accelerate the achievement of state and national development outcomes.

Internally, CEGIS is organized into solutions teams that lead the design and technical quality control of our research and evidence-backed approaches to improving governance and state capacity; delivery" teams that lead state-facing work to contextualize the solutions, and support governments in implementing them; and enablement teams that enable the organization to function smoothly.

CEGIS@6 to CEGIS@10: Building on momentum to catalyse national development

Since its incorporation in 2019, CEGIS has gained significant momentum in building strong collaborations with state 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 1 state government engagement in 2019, today CEGIS is working across 9 Indian states (Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh). We also partner with union agencies/ministries such as Capacity Building Commission, Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), and Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to share insights from our state-level work to inform national-level guidelines and dissemination to other states. Finally, we also take on selected work at the district level to design and test implementation templates.

From a small group of founding members, we have grown to become a team of 150+ members located across the country, and expect to grow to over 200 in the coming year. Led by a former senior civil-servant with deep governance experience; state and solution team leads with decades of domain expertise; and enabling functions led by professionals with considerable corporate experience, the team at CEGIS brings together knowledge and experience that spans various sectors – from development economics, research, governance, management consulting, and social entrepreneurship.

Over the last 6 years, CEGIS has also garnered support for our vision and theory of change from several foundations and philanthropists whose partnership has enabled us to build our organisational capacity as well as continue to experiment and improve our solution design to augment state capacity and governance. With the rapidly growing demand for CEGISs offerings, CEGIS is well-positioned to play a key role in accelerating India's development.

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.

Team Overview:

In order to augment State Capacities, work of CEGIS can be categorised into Four Themes or Pillars – Outcome Measurement (OM), Personnel Management (PM), Strategic Public Finance (SPF) & State and Markets (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. The focus of the SAM team is to identify points of interaction between the Government and the Private Sector and to support States in reducing the frictions in such transactions. We work with State Governments in three capacities:

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

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

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

​ Of these, Procurement currently dominates the SAM portfolio, with strong traction across multiple States. CEGIS's work has shown that procurement for capital expenditure is a significant and critical part of State Government activity, with a multiplier effect on economic growth. Yet in most States these processes and systems remain fragmented and disjointed across the Capex lifecycle, from budgeting through to post-award management and feedback. Working with a partner State Government, the SAM team has co-created the Capex Stack: a modular suite of institutional, digital, and analytical interventions designed to improve the productivity, efficiency, and accountability of capital spending across this same lifecycle. By targeting its key stages, the Stack plugs accumulated inefficiencies and unlocks higher economic and social returns. It is designed not as a one-off advisory engagement but as a consolidated, "big-picture" reform that a State can commit to over a three-to-four-year horizon, backed by strong Government-side support and a coalition of ecosystem partners.

Position Summary:

The Program Manager - SAM will lead CEGIS's engagement with a regional development board in Karnataka, translating the CEGIS Capex Stack vision into a contextualised reform of the region's capital budgeting and spending processes so as to strengthen the value for money of its public investments. As part of a long-term, multi-engagement partnership with the board, the role carries substantial ownership over the design and delivery of the frameworks, analytical tools, and process reforms that anchor this work. It is a blend of analytical, design, and stakeholder-facing work, requiring the ability to move fluidly between diagnosis, solution design, and hands-on implementation alongside senior government counterparts. The Program Manager will work closely with SAM colleagues based in other states, the Karnataka State team, and collaborating teams across CEGIS. The ideal candidate is a systems thinker with a research-to-practice orientation, comfortable navigating ambiguity to drive reform in a complex government setting.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Solution Design & Technical Delivery

Supports the State Government in implementing and strengthening process systems and digital tools across project planning, procurement, and contract management, contextualising the Capex Stack to the development board's needs.

Tailors procurement, regulatory, and policy design and implementation protocols to the local context, working closely with senior academics and government stakeholders.

Translates diagnosed gaps across the capital-spending lifecycle into practical, implementable interventions that improve value for money.

Research & Analysis

Frames and researches problem statements identified with the State Government, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative evidence.

Facilitates access to administrative data and conducts the analysis needed to inform reform decisions.

Gather insights from subject-matter experts and industry specialists to strengthen solution design.

Project & Delivery Management

Plans and allocates resources, develops and revises work plans and project goals, and ensures timely course correction to keep delivery on track.

Coordinates with relevant Government officials to ensure smooth implementation of the interventions CEGIS supports.

Guides and manages Associates in the execution of assignments, and reviews the quality of their work and deliverables.

Identifies and mitigates project conflicts and risks.

Manages Government relationships with bureaucratic leadership at the highest level.

Knowledge & Documentation

Leads the development of knowledge outputs for SAM and CEGIS.

Creates internal reports and project documentation for training and reporting purposes, and to build institutional memory on projects.

Reviews documentation for accuracy and reusability.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

Coordinates with key stakeholders for transparent communication, anticipating their needs and negotiating expectations.

Prepares detailed presentations and documents for stakeholders.

Builds and maintains strong relationships internally and with external partners.

Collaborates with academics and stakeholders to adapt research to the local context.

Education and Experience:

• Master's degree or equivalent in economics, statistics, public policy, management, engineering, social science, or related fields from a reputed institution
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience in Government Advisory, Social Impact Sector, including research, basic quantitative analysis, client management ( government clients) and team management
• Experience in at least one of the areas of public procurement or Capital Expenditure planning is highly desirable
• Sectoral exposure to one or more of the following – Infrastructure and local government is must.

Required Competencies:

a) Domain Competencies

• Knowledge of public procurement processes, and experience using or advising public-sector entities on e-procurement platform(s).

• An understanding of the policy and governance context in which public capital spending and procurement operate.

• Demonstrated ability to build and manage high-level relationships with partner organisations, ideally grounded in experience working with Indian state governments.

b) Functional Competencies

• Excellent problem-solving and strategic-thinking skills, with strong research aptitude and the ability to analyse complex quantitative and qualitative data and formulate solutions.

• Excellent writing and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas meaningfully across different audiences, both within and outside the organisation.

• Strong planning and organisational skills - able to set priorities, plan timelines, manage competing priorities under pressure, and deliver high-quality outputs with attention to detail.

• Understanding of experimental and non-experimental research methods, including the design and implementation of field sample surveys, is an added advantage.

c) Behavioural Competencies

• Passion for improving the effectiveness of Indian States, and alignment with CEGIS's theory of change and intended impact.

• Ownership and initiative - willing to think creatively, take considered risks to experiment with new ideas, and turn ideas into action.

• Learning agility and versatility - comfortable taking on diverse projects and quickly getting up to speed in new sectors.

• A strong collaborator who actively listens to others and values differing views, including across teams from diverse backgrounds.

• Ability to manage and work closely with Government (Department) stakeholders to ensure smooth project delivery.

• An operating style suited to working independently in a small-organisation setting, where teamwork and resourcefulness are highly valued.

Role Logistics:

CEGIS is looking for suitable candidates for this role in Bengaluru/Kalaburagi, Karnataka. The Program Manager will be required to undertake frequent travel on a fortnightly basis between Bengaluru and Kalaburagi and may also be required to travel to partner states to support project delivery. Fluency in English is essential; basic to intermediate proficiency in Kannada is an added benefit, given the government-facing nature of the role.

Pre-reads for the application process

Please go through the following materials before sending in your application:

• CEGIS Overview

• A glimpse into life at CEGIS - CEGIS Retreat 2024

• State Capacity, Governance, and Public Systems — Prof. Karthik Muralidharan on Seen & Unseen with Amit Varma – on education, healthcare, federalism and state capacity, and bureaucracy in India.

• You are also strongly encouraged to read Prof. Karthik Muralidharan's book Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance (especially Chapters 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11), which informs much of CEGIS's work and theory of change.

Recommended listening:

• Karthik Muralidharan Episodes on SparX by Mukesh Bansal: Podcast Episode 1, Podcast Episode 2, Podcast Episode 3.

• Karthik Muralidharan: India's Roadmap for Effective Governance — FED Dialogues: Podcast Episode.

• Karthik Muralidharan on Making Governance More Effective — Sushasan | Podcast.