Job Description

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About CCS: The Centre for Civil Society, an independent, non-profit, research and a highly regarded public policy think tank based in New Delhi, advances social change through market-liberal policy reforms. Our work in education, livelihood, and policy training promotes choice and accountability across private and public sectors. To translate policy into practice, we engage with policy and opinion leaders through research, pilot projects and outreach initiatives. Our mission is to promote social change through public policy by being a resource for the innovative community and market-based ideas for critical policy issues particularly in the areas of education, livelihood, governance, rule of law, environment, and globalization. Our unique focus on public policy and longer-term solutions makes our research outputs crucial feeders into policy-making and opinion formulation.
Examples of our research and outreach outputs

• In 2019 we studied the regulatory interface between government and private schools by analysing administrative data on licensing, fee regulation and inspections to understand the challenges of starting and operating private schools in northern India.

• In 2019, we developed a quality of regulation checklist and are assembling a dataset to measure the volume and complexity of regulation across India.

• In 2018 we examined the ground realities of the ease of doing business effort at the state level in Delhi producing 7 distinct papers using a combination of primary surveys, time and motion studies and investigative journalism.

• In 2017 and 2019, we conducted a deep study of progress in implementing the Street Vendors Act using case law analysis and analysis of state-level data.

• We have conducted multiple pilot projects to test the design and application of vouchers for school and skill education, inclusive education using 25% RTE reserved seats, school quality improvement mechanisms etc.

• Over the years, we have produced over 250 research papers on different problems in the school and higher education sectors and on the challenges facing micro, small and medium entrepreneurs using observational studies and primary data collection.

• CCS Policy training has trained over 9000 alumni in over 40 cities of India, offering certificate courses in public policy and liberal thought for students, professionals, journalists, and others. For more details, please visit our website

Job Profile: CCS is looking for a full-time experienced and dedicated Senior Associate - Strategy and Development to work directly with the CEO to study, track and respond to policy reforms-related issues. S/he will provide the necessary support to thought-leadership initiatives, research, fund-raising/budgeting, donor management, outreach and PR. S/he will ensure seamless engagement with the current and prospective donor and the partnership fraternity and work closely with other team leads within CCS. This will involve working with external stakeholders as well as with various teams within the Centre. S/he should have demonstrated skills in research, writing and communication.
The candidate should be energetic, proactive, able to work independently and collaboratively as needed, and possess both integrity and the humility to seek advice when needed. The role requires the ability to formulate research questions, apply research methods, generate insights through data analysis, produce high quality presentations/speech and engage with varied stakeholders/donors.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND MAJOR FUNCTIONS:
Responsibilities would include to the following:
Fundraising & Donor Management:

• Support the annual fundraising and planning process to produce effective strategies to achieve income targets across the range of revenue streams and in cooperation with the CEO, lead the development of any long-term strategy to achieve agreed long-term organisational goals

• Identify and explore donor pools: Carry out prospect research and develop a comprehensive fundraising database that captures all relevant information.

• Prepare and make presentations, write proposals, including applications for grants and overseeing fundraisers--events and campaigns

• Execute an effective donor engagement plan to keep in touch with existing donors and stakeholders and build a long-term relationship

• Ensure that CCS meets proposal deadlines by determining priorities and target dates for information gathering, drafting, editing, revising, and submitting proposals.

• Create and update the grants/donations development calendar.

• Work collaboratively across departments to develop and deliver effective donor communications, reporting and compliance to cultivate, grow and sustain long-term funding and collaboration. Ensure reporting to funders is accurate, transparent and timely

Strategy & Planning:

• Coordinate the annual strategic planning exercise and Quarterly Board meetings.

• Prepare presentation(s) by assembling and overseeing departmental inputs. Maintain the overall quality of proposals by creating, maintaining, and revising proposal templates and support databases.

• Provide on-call research support and explore new avenues for growth.

• Analyse the data collected through pilot projects, report on findings to identify opportunities for CCS to participate and convene strategy meetings.

Thought leadership:

• Support the CEO's external engagements and outreach efforts

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
We are looking for a candidate with around 4-6 years of experience. Preference will be given to candidates with experience working in Public Policy or Think tank space, and those with specific experience in Education, Livelihoods and Law would be welcome.

• The ideal candidate would have experience in the development of individual donor program proposals, including Budgeting. Demonstrable ability to evaluate the type of initiatives and programs within the scope of the post and initiate, develop and deliver new initiatives that build on their successes

• Believer of the classical liberal/ market-liberal thought, energetic, self-starter, optimistic, entrepreneurial attitude, resilience, well-read, ability to nurture teams and drive high performance, public speaking, analytical & writing skills and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to ask powerful questions and generate a hypothesis that leads to relevant research and deep insights

• Expert level knowledge and proficiency with different research methodologies and academic rigour

• Relevant experience in public policy, primary and secondary research

• Experience working in the development sector policy reforms and a working understanding of the Indian public policy and developmental sector

Qualifications

• Master's in Economics / MSc in Economics / Development studies or Public Policy, and 4-6 years of experience in research management and proposals writings.

• A keen eye for tracking key policy developments and trends at the national and state levels, with a knowledge of public policy.

• Persuasive written and oral skills with the ability to present and convey complex ideas and issues clearly and coherently

• Highly self-motivated and able to work autonomously, take initiative and make decisions.

• Ability to thrive in diversity - of thought, people, issues

• Being a constant learner with the ability to adapt quickly to changing situations and maintain momentum, often with incomplete information

Skills

• Good interpersonal skills

• Resilient and in excellent health so as to be energetic

• Demonstrated proficiency in high-quality succinct error-free writing in English (Proficiency in reading and writing in Hindi is a bonus)

• Proficiency in copy editing and writing and ability to present research findings and recommendations in a captivating and journalistic manner

• Ability to engage actively with researchers in India and around the world

• Ability to communicate research content effectively, both orally and in writing, in English, to government partners, policy influencers, team members, researchers, partner organisations and donors;

• Ability to process vast amounts of information and generate useful insights quickly;

• Ability to think through problems with clarity and deductive/inductive reasoning

• Competence with different research methodologies and standards of academic rigour

• Ability to work simultaneously on different projects, break up projects into smaller modules, delegate appropriately and aggregate into a coherent research output and

• A high degree of comfort in the use of market research tools, statistical packages such as Stata, data analysis; and

• Strong writing and communication skills in English, Hindi, and other Indian languages.

Domain expertise

• Background in social sector research is necessary. Economics or education background preferred.

COMPENSATION: CCS recognizes that the right candidate will have a significant impact on the success of the organization and is prepared to offer an attractive compensation package for the non-profit sector, commensurate with experience.
LOCATION: The position will be based in CCS headquarters in Delhi. Frequent travel around India with the potential for international travel to partners and conferences will be expected.
TO APPLY: Interested candidates must attach an updated CV, a statement of intent, and relevant publications/writings. Selected candidates will be called for interviews. Please email with the subject line: Senior Associate - Research and Development @ CCS.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 31st December 2022

Skills Required