Program Associate - Nutrition

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS); Odisha; On-site; INR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) is seeking a Program Associate to deploy and refine data-grounded solutions within Odisha's DSWO framework. You will audit data with field registers, support financial tracking, and build staff capacity, balancing policy goals with ground realities.

Based in Odisha with field travel, you will collaborate with CDPOs, Supervisors, and the state team to iteratively improve program delivery and data quality.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent in economics/public policy/social science/CS.
• Experience with government systems, public health or nutrition programs preferred.
• Experience with data collection, cleaning and analysis of large datasets.
• District level client servicing or government project experience is desirable.
• Understanding of India's nutrition/ECD ecosystem and Poshan Tracker basics.

Responsibilities

• Audit and cross-verify dashboard entries with physical registers to identify data gaps.
• Analyze district progress reports to spot low-performing blocks for action.
• Design simple data validation protocols for field functionaries.
• Map fund flow bottlenecks and trace scheme utilization delays.
• Prepare data-driven District Action Plans based on spending capacity and needs.
• Streamline documentation and tracking of Utilization Certificates (UCs).
• Conduct diagnostic assessments of district personnel to map competencies.
• Co-design and facilitate localized training on data-driven decision making and financial tracking.
• Provide on-the-ground troubleshooting and ensure solution adoption in daily work.
• Relay field insights to state team to inform iterative design; document process maps.

Skills

Data literacy

Stakeholder management

Program management

Governance familiarity

Communication

Problem solving

Collaboration

Education

Masters degree or equivalent in economics/public policy/social science/CS

Tools

Python

R

STATA

Excel/Sheets

Job description

The Program Associate will serve as the critical, on-ground position of our state-level technical support unit, embedded directly within the District Social Welfare Office (DSWO). The core mandate of this role is to pilot, refine, and ground-truth our solution stack across three priority pillars: administrative data quality, financial planning/utilization, and workforce capacity optimization. The Program Associate will translate state-level strategy into local execution while feeding ground realities back to the state team to iterate the model for scale. This is an action-oriented role requiring a balance of data fluency, program management, public finance understanding, and exceptional stakeholder management skills within government systems.

You will report to the Nutrition Project Lead based in Bhubaneswar, work closely with the Odisha team, and have active interactions with other team members across our states for effective project delivery.

Data Integrity and Monitoring Systems

• Data Ground-Truthing: Audit and cross-verify digital dashboard entries (e.g., Poshan Tracker data) with physical registers at the sector and Anganwadi Centre (AWC) levels to identify gaps in data quality.
• Analytical Support: Analyze monthly district progress reports to spot low-performing blocks and present actionable data to the DSWO to drive data-backed administrative reviews.
• Feedback Loops: Design and implement simplified, routine data validation protocols for field functionaries (Supervisors and Child Development Project Officers - CDPOs).
• Expenditure Tracking: Work with the district finance/accounts team to map fund flow bottlenecks and trace delays in scheme utilization (e.g., supplementary nutrition, flexi-funds).
• Actionable Planning: Assist the DSWO office in preparing realistic, data-driven annual and quarterly District Action Plans based on historical spending capacity and actual local needs.
• Compliance and Reporting: Help streamline the documentation and tracking of Utilization Certificates (UCs) to ensure smoother financial cycles.

Personnel Management and Capacity Building

• Skill-to-Role Mapping: Conduct diagnostic assessments of district/block personnel (CDPOs, Supervisors) to map existing competencies against their operational mandates.
• Training Delivery: Co-design and facilitate hyper-localized training modules on data driven decision-making, financial tracking, and operational management.
• On-the-Job Mentorship: Provide hands‑on troubleshooting support to block/field-level staff to ensure the solution stack tools are adopted in their daily workflows.
• Liaison and Knowledge Management
• State-District Conduit: Synthesize weekly insights, challenges, and operational bottlenecks from the field and relay them to the state team to inform iterative design.
• Operational Documentation: Document process maps, success stories, and structural hurdles discovered during the pilot phase to create a blueprint for statewide scaling.

Education and Experience

• 1 - 3 years of experience with a Masters degree or equivalent in economics, public policy, social science, computer science, or related fields from a reputed institution.
• Experience of working closely with government systems, public health, or nutrition programs (ICDS/WCD preferred) with demonstrated experience in grass-roots project coordination is highly desirable.
• Experience in field studies, data collection, cleaning and analysis of large and complex data sets.
• Concrete experience in district level client servicing/government projects would be preferred
• Awareness/Understanding of India's nutrition/ECD ecosystem - ICDS/WCD architecture, Poshan Tracker, Anganwadi Centre (AWC) systems, and key indicators (Wasting, Stunting, Underweight, EBF)
• Familiarity with government administrative and public finance systems - budgeting cycles, fund flow mechanics, Utilization Certificates (UCs), and scheme-level expenditure (e.g., supplementary nutrition, flexi-funds)
• Working knowledge of state/district governance structures, including District Social Welfare Office (DSWO), CDPO, and Supervisor-level administrative hierarchies
• Research & analytical ability to interpret district progress reports and identify low-performing blocks
• Data literacy - cleaning, cross-verifying, and analyzing large/complex datasets (dashboard vs. physical register reconciliation)
• Proficiency in statistical software platforms—specifically Python, R, or STATA to perform data manipulation, cleaning, and complex statistical analysis is highly preferred. Advanced analytics using Excel/Google Sheets are also welcome
• Problem-solving/solution design - diagnosing fund-flow bottlenecks, designing simplified data validation protocols, and adapting solutions when standard processes stall
• Communication & documentation - synthesizing field insights into clear reports, documenting process maps and success stories for statewide scaling
• Project execution ability - driving District Action Plans, training modules, managing field stakeholders
• Ownership - acting as the "on-ground" anchor for CEGIS's solution stack with minimal direct supervision
• Learning agility - intellectual curiosity and willingness to stay current with data, measurement, and governance practices
• Collaboration - building trust-based working relationships with DSWO officials, CDPOs, Supervisors, and the state-level team
• Stakeholder sensitivity - navigating government systems with tact, actively listening to and valuing officials' perspectives
• Ability to work in ambiguity - a "builder" mindset comfortable finding alternate pathways when formal administrative processes stall (critical given the pilot/reform nature of the role)

Role Logistics

• This is a field-based role, anchored from Odisha District level offices requiring frequent travel (esp within district) and working with key field officers and institutions.
• Must be fluent in Odia (speaking and reading) and English.