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:
CEGISs 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 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.
The Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) vertical at CEGIS focuses on strengthening how CEGIS led programmes and solutions are monitored, evaluated, and continuously improved across CEGIS' engagement with multiple departments and states. The team works closely with project and government stakeholders to design and operationalise robust MEL systems, including developing logframes, theories of change, and measurement frameworks that align with programme objectives. The team enables evidence-based decision-making, fosters continuous learning, and supports adaptive improvements in programme design and implementation.
Key Workstreams:
Design of logframes and results frameworks
Development of MEL systems and measurement protocols
Implementation of monitoring and evaluation studies
Knowledge generation and dissemination
Through this work, the MEL team contributes to improved accountability within the teams, better programme design and delivery across sectors.
The Senior Program Associate will support project teams in developing monitoring, evaluation, and learning plans for their respective projects in alignment with the project logframes. As the projects will be involved with departments engaged in frontline service delivery (Nutrition, health, education, ECD, etc.), the work will include field research and engagement. The Senior Program Associate should have demonstrable experience in conducting monitoring and evaluation studies on the ground and have an in-depth understanding of the logistics and methodologies of impact and process assessments of projects. The Senior Program Associate will collaborate closely with the project teams across CEGIS states.
A. MEL Design & Framework Development
Support the design and finalisation of project logframes in collaboration with project teams
Develop comprehensive and context-appropriate MEL plans integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches
Design measurement frameworks, indicators, and data collection strategies aligned with project objectives
Develop MEL protocols, toolkits, and standardised templates for use across projects
B. Research, Data & Analysis
Support the design and execution of monitoring and evaluation studies, including process and impact assessments
Develop data collection tools (surveys, interview guides, etc.) and analysis plans
Analyse primary, secondary, and administrative data using statistical tools (e.g., STATA, R, or equivalent)
Generate actionable insights and translate data into clear, decision-oriented outputs
C. Project & Field Implementation Support
Coordinate with field teams and local partners to ensure high-quality data collection and study execution
Identify and manage partnerships with research agencies or local organisations for MEL activities
Monitor progress of MEL activities and ensure adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards
D. Data Systems & Management
Manage and maintain project data, ensuring adherence to data quality, security, and governance protocols
Support integration and use of administrative data systems for ongoing monitoring
Ensure proper documentation and version control of datasets, tools, and outputs
E. Knowledge, Documentation & Stakeholder Engagement
Develop high-quality reports, briefs, and presentations for internal and external stakeholders
Support dissemination of findings to government counterparts and other stakeholders
Build a strong understanding of government systems and contextual challenges to inform MEL design
Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to integrate MEL insights into project design and delivery
Master's degree (or equivalent preferred) in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or related fields from a reputed institution
Minimum 3 years work experience in India with organisations working in monitoring and evaluation related fields of work i.e., research agencies, policy think-tanks, government or private sector organisations working on government advisory or consulting
Demonstrable experience in conducting MEL for long-term projects (preferably for projects involving government collaboration)
Strong data analysis skills using statistical software such as STATA, R, or any other data analysis software
Demonstrated fieldwork experience in India (rural and/or urban)
Prior experience and/or knowledge of experimental and non-experimental research methods
Prior experience with and/or knowledge of qualitative research methods
Technical expertise in costing and budgeting for MEL activities
Strong understanding of monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks
Familiarity with public systems and governance contexts in India
Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Data analysis and interpretation skills
Ability to design measurement frameworks and research tools
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to translate complex analysis into clear, actionable insights
Project management and execution skills
High ownership and accountability
Ability to work in ambiguous and evolving environments
Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills
Learning agility and openness to feedback
Attention to detail and commitment to quality
Location - New Delhi
Language requirements - Fluency in English (written and spoken)
Travel expectations - Moderate travel may be required for fieldwork and government engagement
Please go through the following materials before sending in your application:
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, 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
The Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) aims to improve lives by helping state governments deliver better development outcomes.
Our work is grounded in research, evidence and a practical orientation towards implementable ideas. We help state governments with the tools they need to design effective governance and expenditure reforms, while also offering strategic implementation support. Our focus is strengthening governance by improving four core functions of the government - outcome measurement, personnel management, strategic financial management and leveraging markets for improved public service delivery. Currently, we operate across the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
