Senior Program Manager

About CEGIS Foundation

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) aims to improve lives by helping Indian state governments deliver better development outcomes.

We work with the state governments of India to enable a transformative improvement in state functioning in the coming decade. Informed by cutting-edge research and evidence, as well as a practical orientation toward implementable ideas, CEGIS aims to provide Indian states with both an analytical roadmap for governance and expenditure reforms and strategic implementation support to deliver on this vision.

The organisation has a sharp focus on improving the quality of public expenditure, personnel, and data and, through it, develops templates for achieving a step-function improvement in development outcomes across India. We strive to produce high-quality economic analysis to inform state-level policy-making and work closely with top bureaucratic leadership in states. CEGIS possesses world-leading technical expertise across teams and a deep understanding of service delivery in India. Today, CEGIS works across 6+ Indian states and 15+ projects across sectors - Education, Health and Agriculture. Some central government agencies we work with are NITI Aayog, Capacity Building Commission, Karmayogi Bharat, and Intellectual Property Office.

About Human Resource Unit (HRU)

CEGIS intends to collaborate with the Government of Odisha in establishing a Human Resource Unit (HRU).

The HRU shall function as a dedicated think tank to enhance and strengthen HR practices across the state government. Its primary mandate shall be to drive comprehensive and integrated HR management within the state, focusing on recruitment, learning and development, and performance management systems. The HRU shall provide strategic direction and support to HR teams or Capacity Building Units (CBUs) across various line departments and ensure their alignment with state and national priorities, fostering a well-rounded HR ecosystem within the state government.

HRU will be responsible for institutionalising the strategic work done by CEGIS in pioneering a competency-driven approach to Capacity Building. By prioritising competencies, CEGIS aims to bring clarity to the work done by officials and empower them to achieve better results. This translates to a shift in accountability from simply following processes to delivering tangible outcomes.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Senior Program Manager (SPM) who can anchor the design, rollout, and institutionalisation of Learning & Development (L&D) and Performance Management System (PMS) solutions within the HRU. This role is critical in translating the HRUs strategic intent into operational programs, piloting and scaling solutions across departments, and supporting their alignment with Mission Karmayogi and the mandates of the Capacity Building Commission (CBC).

In addition to leading technical interventions in L&D and PMS, the SPM will support the HRUs broader mandate by playing a key advocacy and coordination role with department heads, CBUs, and training institutes, fostering buy-in and driving implementation on the ground.

The ideal candidate will understand competency as a concept and its wide application in the Human Resource Ecosystem. The candidate must also possess deep knowledge and understanding of how technology can be used in strengthening government systems. The candidate is expected to have a proven track record of using principles of systems thinking, stakeholder management and change management and is driven by a passion for creating meaningful impact in the capacity building of the state.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Institutionalisation of competency-based HR Management (L&D and PMS)

• Oversee the design and rollout of competency-based frameworks for learning & development, and performance management across departments in alignment with Mission Karmayogi
• Identify and address gaps in personnel capability, performance culture, digital infrastructure, and resource utilisation across departments.
• Drive the integration of PMS with learning and career progression to reinforce a culture of accountability and development
• Develop and operationalise tools such as Annual Capacity Building Plans (ACBPs), performance frameworks, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and digital dashboards that integrate with platforms like the Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT)-Karmayogi platform and electronic Human Resource Management System (eHRMS)
• Liaison and management of relationships with Technology partners, administrative and state training institutes, learning content developers, etc, to deliver high-quality, scalable solutions.

1. Enabling CBU Functioning

• Support the formation and operationalisation of CBUs in line departments in line with CBC mandates and Mission Karmayogi guidelines.
• Build CBUs capacity to carry out competency-based HR functions, such as creating job descriptions, issuing work allocation orders, building ACBPs and integrating performance management systems
• Leverage data from personnel diagnostics and HR analytics platforms to enable CBUs to design tailored HR interventions and track progress.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-learning between CBUs through workshops, learning sessions, and collaborative forums.

1. Project and Stakeholder Management

• Act as the key liaison between the HRU, line departments, central institutions such as CBC and SPV: Karmayogi Bharat, and external partners.
• Contribute to strategic planning on the implementation of L&D and PMS solutions with HRU leadership and CEGIS to maintain program coherence and drive long-term impact.
• Drives project planning, efficient resource allocation, goal tracking, risk identification and mitigation for seamless project execution
• Manage and mentor a team of managers (s) and associates (s) to deliver time-bound, defined outputs and outcomes in alignment with the projects goals
• Lead advocacy efforts with senior bureaucratic and political leadership to build consensus and institutionalise customised HR reforms in the state context
• Build internal consensus and ownership through regular presentations, briefs, and review meetings with departments.

1. Knowledge and Change Management

• Lead the documentation of implementation journeys, challenges, and good practices across departments.
• Translate data insights and implementation experiences into compelling narratives to develop knowledge products (e.g., playbooks, policy briefs) and support scale-up
• Identify context-relevant, high-impact use cases in HR reform, learning, and performance management and inform the strengthening of solutions
• Think ahead with the leadership team to plan and prioritise the various activities and constantly link them to the broader goals of the program and organisation.

Education and Experience

• Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, Public Policy, Social Work or a related field.
• 8 to years of experience in a high-performing environment, focusing on human resource management, performance management or project management, preferably within the Indian government ecosystem
• Prior Experience of working on complex multi-stakeholder projects, especially with governments, donors, and research organisations

Required Competencies

The competencies required to perform the above-mentioned roles and responsibilities are as follows:

Functional Competencies

• Solution Design and Innovation: Applies design thinking and field insights to build, iterate and innovate scalable and comprehensive solutions
• Project Management: Leads large-scale projects, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives through structured planning, resource optimisation, and performance tracking
• Communication: Crafts compelling, targeted narratives to influence and drive system-wide buy-in

Professional and Leadership Competencies

• Leading Change: Drives systemic transformation aligned with strategic priorities using adaptive and inclusive approaches.
• Developing Others: Builds team capacity through mentorship, feedback, and enabling individual ownership.
• Collaborative Problem Solving: Fosters multi-stakeholder collaboration to resolve complex challenges and strengthen delivery.
• Relationship Building: Builds and leverages high-trust networks to align efforts, accelerate reforms, and resolve conflicts.

Note

• The role will be based in Bhubaneswar.
• Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social sector pay scales, depending on the candidates experience levels.

CEGIS is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

Pre-reads for the application process

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

• CEGIS website
• CLOP Initiative website
• Karmayogi Bharat website
• Concept note on CEGIS
• Chapter of Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance by Prof. Karthik Muralidharan
• You are also encouraged to read more of Prof. Karthik Muralidharans work here.