Job Description

1. Position

Job Title: Consultant – Strategic Initiatives

Reporting to: Principal Advisor, CBC

Location: New Delhi

Experience: 3–6 years

2. About CEGIS Foundation

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. CEGIS's 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:

CEGIS's solutions to enhance governance are co-created with state governments in a state-led way, where we focus on deep partnerships with states using 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 customised 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 organised 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 contextualise the solutions, and support governments in implementing them; and enablement teams that enable the organisation 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's 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 the Capacity Building Commission, the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), and the 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 CEGIS's 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.

3. About the Personnel Management Vertical

We believe that empowered, equipped and future-ready public officials are crucial to achieving citizen-centric service delivery.

We work with central, state, and local governments to actualise their human capital by improving human resource (HR) management practices and organisational effectiveness using a competency-driven approach. We believe that supporting governments in undertaking these reforms will improve execution capacity and provide a fulfilling career journey for public officials.

The competency-driven approach focuses on the knowledge, skills, and attitude required for specific government roles. By adopting this approach, CEGIS aims to clarify the work officials do and empower them to achieve better results. This translates to a shift in accountability – from simply following processes to delivering tangible outcomes.

The Personnel Management team achieves this through three key workstreams.

1. Competency-Based Recruitment: Ensuring the right people are selected for the job and bringing the necessary competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitude) on board from the outset.
2. Competency-Based Learning & Development: Equipping public officials with the ongoing training and development they need to excel in their roles.
3. Performance Management Systems: Evaluating and improving individual and team performance based on achieving defined goals, not just by adherence to procedures.

Through these efforts, the Personnel Management team strives to bring enhanced clarity and effectiveness to government work in India. By empowering officials with the right skills and holding them accountable for achieving desired outcomes, CEGIS is paving the way for a more efficient and impactful government service.

Engagement with Mission Karmayogi and the Capacity Building Commission

Mission Karmayogi – the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) – seeks to transform how India builds the capacity of its public officials, shifting from a rules-based, training-focused approach to a roles-based, competency-driven model of continuous, lifelong learning. The Capacity Building Commission (CBC) and Karmayogi Bharat anchor this national effort, working across Ministries, Departments, and States/UTs to strengthen the capabilities of the civil service.

The next phase of this reform agenda focuses on linking individual competencies to organisational goals and on connecting learning systems with measurable performance outcomes. This requires moving beyond counting training completions towards demonstrable improvements in how officials perform their roles and how institutions deliver for citizens. CEGIS supports this transition through a small, high-calibre Policy team that anchors high-priority, cross-cutting initiatives in close partnership with national institutions.

The scope of work would include:

• Designing and guiding high-priority, cross-cutting policy initiatives
• Enabling the transition from training-focused to performance-linked capacity building
• Supporting national-level consultations and driving institutional reforms
• Strengthening frameworks, standards, and the institutional and digital infrastructure for capacity building

Taken together, these initiatives aim to create an integrated, evidence-driven capacity-building ecosystem in which goal-setting, competency development, learning systems, and performance management are tightly linked and institutionally sustained.

This will enable CEGIS to support sustainable, competency-based capacity building and improved public service delivery at scale.

4. Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Consultant – Strategic Initiatives to anchor the design and guidance of high-priority, cross-cutting policy initiatives under Mission Karmayogi. This role will drive institutional reforms, support national-level consultations, and enable the transition from training-focused approaches to performance-linked capacity building across Ministries, Departments, and States/UTs, in close alignment with the mandates of the Capacity Building Commission (CBC).

The ideal candidate will combine strong conceptual and structuring abilities with the execution discipline needed to move complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives from idea to implementation. With excellent writing and synthesis skills, the ability to manage senior stakeholders, and a capacity to think strategically while executing effectively, the candidate should be driven by a commitment to strengthening public service capacity and enabling systemic reform in government.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

1. Design and Guidance of Strategic, Cross-Cutting Initiatives

• Anchor the design, structuring, and guidance of high-priority, cross-cutting policy initiatives under Mission Karmayogi, translating broad reform goals into clear workplans and deliverables.
• Develop concept notes, frameworks, options papers, and implementation roadmaps that shape the direction of national capacity-building reforms.
• Drive institutional reforms by identifying bottlenecks, designing practical solutions, and supporting their adoption across partner institutions.
• Enable the transition from training-focused approaches to performance-linked capacity building, including the design of standards, guidelines, and supporting mechanisms.
• Coordinate closely with internal solution and delivery teams to ensure initiatives are technically sound and grounded in field realities.
• Track progress against milestones, anticipate risks and dependencies, and ensure timely, high-quality delivery of initiative outcomes.
• Research, Synthesis, and Knowledge Management
• Conduct secondary research and landscape reviews on capacity-building reforms, competency frameworks, and relevant national and global best practices.
• Engage with public officials, domain experts, and partners through interviews and consultations to gather inputs and test ideas.
• Translate research and field insights into structured knowledge products such as frameworks, policy briefs, presentations, and reports for internal and external dissemination.
• Maintain robust documentation to ensure institutional memory and shareable learnings across initiatives.

1. National Consultations and Stakeholder Engagement

• Support and help facilitate national-level consultations, workshops, and structured discussions with Ministries, Departments, States/UTs, and institutional partners.
• Manage relationships with senior government and institutional stakeholders, preparing high-quality discussion notes, briefing materials, and follow-up actions.
• Maintain a regular communication cadence with stakeholders and ensure timely sharing of updates, reports, and deliverables.
• Build alignment across diverse stakeholders, navigating differing priorities and perspectives to move initiatives forward.
• Represent the team in select forums and convenings, articulating the rationale and design of initiatives clearly and persuasively.
• Ensure cross-functional collaboration with internal teams to gather inputs, avoid duplication, and maintain consistency across initiatives and artefacts.

1. Institutional Reform and Project Management

• Maintain project trackers, documentation systems, and communication plans to ensure clarity, alignment, and accountability across initiatives.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks early, and proactively develop mitigation strategies to keep initiatives on track.
• Support the institutionalisation of reforms by helping design governance mechanisms, standards, and processes that partner institutions can sustain over time.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends in public administration, capacity building, and governance reform to inform the design of initiatives.
• Actively participate in internal review and capacity-building processes to enhance the quality and consistency of work aligned with organisational standards.

6. Education and Experience

• Degree in Public Policy, Economics, Management, Law, Public Administration, Social Sciences, or a related field; a postgraduate qualification is preferred.
• 3 to 6 years of experience in public policy, management consulting, or government programs, preferably within the Indian public-sector or development ecosystem.
• Prior experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives, especially with governments, donors, and research organisations.
• Exposure to capacity building, Mission Karmayogi, or civil-services reform will be an added advantage.

7. Required Competencies

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

Domain Competencies

• Public Administration Understanding: Understands India's governance and policy landscape to ensure solutions are contextually relevant and aligned with governmental priorities
• Policy Design and Institutional Reform: Structures complex problems and designs policy and institutional solutions that are practical, 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, structuring, resource allocation, risk management, and delivering complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives aligned with organisational objectives
• Analytical Acumen: Ability to assess patterns, synthesise insights to inform decisions
• Communication and Knowledge Practices: Communicates ideas clearly and persuasively across formats, with strong writing and structuring skills, and captures knowledge for dissemination

Behavioural Competencies

• Strategic Thinking and Execution: Thinks strategically about the bigger picture while executing effectively to translate ideas into concrete outcomes.
• Learning Orientation: Seeks feedback, reflects on gaps, and fosters a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement within the team
• Collaboration: Builds trust with stakeholders and fosters collaboration and alignment through clear, consistent engagement

8. Role Logistics

• The role will be based out of New Delhi
• Proficiency in English; working knowledge of Hindi will be an advantage
• Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy and social-sector pay scales, depending on the candidate's experience level.
• CEGIS is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

9. 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.
• CLOP Initiative website
• Go-HRM: Goal-oriented approach to human resource management (GO-HRM)
• Karmayogi Bharat website
• 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, 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.