Program Manager

Position: Program Manager, Project Delivery, Assam

Reporting to: Senior Program Manager, Assam

Location: Guwahati, Assam

Experience: 6-8

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 CEGISs Work in Assam

The Government of Assam, through the Administrative Reforms, Training, Pension and Public Grievances (ARTPPG) Department, has embarked on an ambitious agenda to strengthen the administrative capabilities of its civil services. The Assam Administrative Staff College (AASC), as the nodal training institution of the state, has been entrusted with the responsibility of driving this transformation through the adoption of the Mission Karmayogi framework for competency-based capacity building.

CEGIS is working with AASC as an advisory and technical partner to facilitate the design, demonstration, and institutionalisation of competency-based capacity building approaches in Assam. These interventions, guided by the Mission Karmayogi framework, are being implemented as part of the Karmayogi Assam Project, a state-led initiative supported by Technical Assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Mission Karmayogi, formally known as the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), seeks to build a competent, citizen-centric civil service equipped with the behavioural, functional, and domain competencies necessary to deliver high-quality public services. The programme places particular emphasis on developing institutional mechanisms, digital learning ecosystems, and competency-based capacity building practices.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Program Manager Project Delivery to lead the implementation of capacity-building solutions that address competency gaps among public officials in the state government. This role is pivotal in translating Karmayogi Assams goals and objectives into actionable, competency-based interventions; piloting, operationalising, and scaling them across departments, while ensuring strong alignment with Mission Karmayogi and the mandates of the Capacity Building Commission (CBC).

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated expertise in implementing projects within government settings, a working understanding of competency-based approaches in capacity building (in the government or private sector), and strong monitoring and evaluation skills to track project outcomes and ensure timely delivery of results. With a proven track record in project management, stakeholder coordination, and operational implementation, the candidate should be committed to strengthening public service capacity and enabling systemic reform in government HR practices.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Implementation of Competency-Based Capacity Building

• Lead the operationalisation and scaling of competency-driven initiatives across departments, ensuring alignment with Mission Karmayogi and CBC mandates.
• Oversee the adoption and integration of competency-based processes, including assessments, workflow realignment, and performance support interventions, across departments.
• Ensure consistent application of intervention protocols, digital tools, and tracking mechanisms to achieve measurable outcomes at departmental and state levels.
  

2. Research, Analysis, and Knowledge Management

• Conduct secondary and primary research (interviews, FGDs, surveys) to identify competency gaps, process bottlenecks, and departmental capacity needs.
• Translate research and field insights into structured, actionable outputs such as implementation frameworks, operational toolkits, reports, and dashboards.
• Maintain a repository of learnings, processes, and data to support institutional memory and cross-departmental replication.
• Generate analytical inputs for internal and external dissemination, contributing to evidence-based reforms and strengthening state-level HR practices.
  

3. Project and Team Management

• Develop and maintain project trackers, reporting systems, and communication protocols to ensure clarity, alignment, and timely delivery of outcomes.
• Collaborate with team members and CEGIS-AASC leadership to monitor milestones, identify risks, and implement corrective actions.
• Lead, mentor, and supervise associates, ensuring high-quality outputs, accountability, and adherence to timelines.
• Provide feedback to solution teams to iteratively improve intervention effectiveness.
• Keep updated on innovations in public administration, digital tools, and operational best practices to inform improvements in implementation.

4. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Manage relationships with key government partners, training institutions, and internal teams to ensure alignment on program design and implementation.
• Facilitate regular review meetings, capacity-building workshops, and structured consultations with CBUs and other stakeholders across departments.
• Maintain a regular communication cadence with external stakeholders, prepare discussion notes, and ensure timely sharing of project updates, reports and deliverables.
• Ensure cross-functional collaboration with internal teams to gather inputs, avoid duplication, and maintain consistency across tools and communication artefacts
• Coordinate with colleagues working on performance management systems to feed in relevant field insights, identify competency gaps, and departmental needs, ensuring learning solutions and performance frameworks are mutually reinforcing.

Education and Experience

• Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, Public Policy, Social Work or a related field.
• 6 to 8 years of experience in a high-performing environment, focusing on human resource management, capacity building 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:

Domain Competencies

• Public Sector Understanding: Understands Indias governance and policy landscape to ensure solutions are contextually relevant and aligned with governmental priorities.
• Organisational Capacity and Systems: Analyses organisational performance to drive sustainable improvements in capacity and efficiency.

Functional Competencies

• Project Management: Skilled in planning, resource allocation, risk management, documentation and delivering results aligned with organisational objectives
• Analytical Acumen: Ability to assess patterns, synthesise insights to inform decisions
• Communication and Knowledge Practice: Communicates ideas clearly across formats and captures knowledge for dissemination

Behavioural Competencies

• Developing Others: Guides and mentors the team to support professional development
• Learning Orientation: Seeks feedback, reflects on gaps, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement within the team.
• Collaboration: Builds trust with stakeholders and fosters collaboration and alignment through clear, consistent engagement.

Note

• The role will be based out of Guwahati
• 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 based on race, colour, 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 5 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.