Research Associate (Public Finance)

ResGov; Delhi; On-site; INR 500,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

The Foundation for Responsive Governance (ResGov) is seeking a Research Associate for Public Finance in Delhi. This role involves extensive data analysis on government budgets and financial systems, contributing to impactful research in public finance and various thematic areas.

The ideal candidate will possess strong quantitative skills, ideally with a graduate degree in Economics or related fields. This full-time position offers an engaging opportunity to make a meaningful impact on governance and public financial management practices.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of relevant professional experience in public finance analysis.
• Understanding of Union and State budgets and public financial management processes.
• Fluency in English and Hindi is required.

Responsibilities

• Analyse government budget documents and financial data.
• Produce analytical summaries for research and public outputs.
• Assist in preparing research reports and presentations.

Skills

Quantitative research skills

Advanced proficiency in Excel

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Report writing

Education

Graduate or postgraduate degree in Economics or related fields

Tools

Stata

R

Job description

The Foundation for Responsive Governance (ResGov) is working to help towns and villages thrive in a changing India. Our team is passionate about making a difference and driving tangible progress by addressing emerging themes such as strengthening local governments, addressing climate and geographic vulnerabilities, and enabling responsive digital governance.

At ResGov, we value creativity, collaboration, and innovation. We are a young, dynamic team committed to making a meaningful impact through data‑driven research and grassroots‑level engagement.

Position Summary

ResGov undertakes analytical work on public finance, programme implementation, and evidence‑based decision‑making in close partnership with government institutions.

The Research Associate–Public Finance will support high‑impact research by working extensively with government budget and expenditure data. The role requires strong quantitative skills, familiarity with public financial management systems, and the ability to translate complex financial information into clear analytical outputs for policy and administrative use.

The selected candidate will work closely with the research team in Delhi. The role involves supporting research and projects related to budget analysis and public finance in the social sector, along with contributing to ResGov’s other thematic areas, including Urban Governance and Climate.

Key Responsibilities

Budget & Finance Data Support

• Analyse Union and State government budget documents, demand for grants, detailed demand estimates, and finance accounts.
• Track fund flows under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), including releases, state shares, and expenditure patterns.
• Compile, clean, and organise multi‑year financial data to support analysis of budgets, schemes, fiscal federalism, and decentralised governance.

Data Management & Analysis

• Clean, structure, and maintain large financial, administrative, and programme‑related datasets.
• Produce tables, charts, visualisations, and analytical summaries for research reports, briefs, presentations, dashboards, and public‑facing outputs.
• Support primary and secondary data collection and analysis across thematic areas.

Public Financial Management Research and Knowledge Products

• Contribute to research, thought leadership, and public‑facing knowledge products on public financial management, fiscal federalism, and decentralised governance.
• Explore how digital systems and public data platforms can improve planning, budgeting, fund flows, expenditure tracking, works management, and output/outcome monitoring across levels of government.
• Support the creation of tools, templates, and analytical frameworks to standardise the collection and interpretation of budgets, financial statements, scheme documents, and expenditure reports.
• Develop explainers, datasets, briefs, and reports that make complex public finance issues accessible to policymakers, practitioners, civil society organisations, and the wider public.
• Document PFM practices, innovations, and bottlenecks across states, districts, ULBs, and panchayats, and help build evidence on how public finance systems can better support responsive governance and service delivery.

Research, Programme, and Communication Support

• Assist in preparing background notes, literature reviews, data briefs, research reports, presentations, and training material.
• Participate in field visits, stakeholder consultations, and data collection exercises across project locations as required.
• Contribute to communications activities and learning courses, taking research findings beyond published papers into practice.
• Collaborate with Research Associates and other team members to deliver on project objectives, timelines, and outputs.

Cross‑thematic Contribution

• Contribute to research and analytical work across ResGov’s thematic areas, including urban governance, climate, and local governance.
• Engage with government counterparts, civil society organisations, funders, and other partners to support evidence‑based decision‑making.

Qualifications and Experience

The position requires strong quantitative research skills. The table below outlines the expected skill set:

Area Mandatory Desirable

• Education – Graduate or postgraduate degree in Economics, Statistics, Public Policy, Development Studies, or related fields – Mandatory – Specialisation in public finance, public economics, or applied econometrics – Desirable
• Work Experience – 1‑3 years of relevant professional experience in public finance analysis, budget analysis, or working with government data systems – Mandatory – Prior experience working with or analysing PFMS, finance accounts, or scheme‑level MIS data – Desirable
• Data Analysis – Advanced proficiency in Excel; ability to work with complex, multi‑year financial datasets and explain findings clearly – Mandatory – Working knowledge of statistical packages such as Stata or R; experience producing data visualisations – Desirable
• Public Finance – Understanding of Union and State budgets, public financial management (PFM) processes, and CSS fund flow mechanisms – Mandatory – Exposure to social sector financing (health, education, nutrition, rural development, environment/climate etc.) – Desirable
• Other Skills – Problem‑solving, communication, report writing, and presentation skills – Mandatory – Experience with field/data collection; ability to coordinate with government stakeholders – Desirable
• Languages – Fluency in English and Hindi – Mandatory – Working knowledge of other Indian languages – Desirable

Compensation

Remuneration will be commensurate with experience and skills, and aligned with sector standards.

How to Apply

You will be required to upload your CV and references in the application form. Selected candidates will be informed on a rolling basis.