Sector Head – Education in Delhi | Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS)

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS)

CEGIS works with state governments in India to help them deliver better public services, so that people's lives improve. It was started in 2019 by Prof. Karthik Muralidharan and Ashish Dhawan, and its ideas draw on Prof. Muralidharan's book Accelerating India's Development. CEGIS works side by side with senior officials and front-line workers on better data, better hiring and training, smarter budgets, and stronger partnerships. It does not take government funding, which helps it earn trust as an independent partner. Today it has a team of more than 150 people working with 9 states and several national ministries. This role sits within CEGIS's Education sector, which works with School Education Departments, SCERTs and exam boards to improve learning and schooling for children.

Role

The Sector Head – Education is CEGIS's senior-most leader for education. You will shape the education strategy, guide work across many states, and build strong ties with government leaders, funders and partners. You will report to the Chief of Solutions and work closely with Prof. Karthik Muralidharan to turn research and evidence into reforms that states can put into practice. A key part of the work is joining up education with health and nutrition, with early childhood development at the centre, so that states move from scattered programmes to one clear plan for children's early years.

Responsibilities

• Lead and regularly update CEGIS's education strategy, based on its Theory of Change and solution maturity model.
• Turn the strategy into a clear roadmap across states, including anchor projects, pilots and learning goals.
• Work with state leads to choose and sequence projects based on impact, feasibility and fit.
• Make sure every major project links clearly to student learning, equity and school completion, with milestones and measures.
• Build trusted relationships with senior officials in School Education Departments, SCERTs and national agencies.
• Represent CEGIS in sector forums, working groups and high-level committees.
• Shape the education funding story with the fundraising team, and review concept notes, proposals and reports.
• Engage funders as thought partners, sharing learnings, risks and opportunities openly.
• Build a network of universities, research labs, NGOs and EdTech partners to strengthen CEGIS's work.
• Guide project teams on problem diagnosis, solution design, implementation and course correction using government and survey data.
• Work with measurement and evaluation teams to set education indicators and dashboards that link system changes to learning outcomes.
• Mentor mid-level colleagues, teach in CEGIS's internal learning programmes, and work with Health and Nutrition leads on early childhood, school health and adolescent wellbeing.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Education, Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies, Public Administration or a related field. A PhD is an advantage but not required.
• Ability to read and make sense of research, and judge how strong and widely useful the evidence is.
• 15 to 20 years of growing experience in education, such as research, system reform, large-scale delivery or advisory work.
• At least 5 years in senior leadership roles working directly with state or Union governments, ideally on system-wide education reform.
• Experience leading large projects or portfolios with many partners, and working with or within government education systems.
• Experience working with domestic or global funders or multilaterals on strategy, programme design and funding.
• Strong strategic and systems thinking, with the ability to connect reforms to real outcomes for citizens.
• Ability to earn the trust of senior officials, funders, peers and team members.
• Comfort with both numbers and qualitative data, and the ability to turn analysis into clear actions and stories.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Knowing at least one Indian language is preferred.
• Strong ownership, a bias for action, and comfort with uncertainty in a fast-growing organisation.
• A collaborative style, good listening, and openness to new problems and unfamiliar contexts.

Benefits

• Lead a national education portfolio across 9 states and work with national ministries.
• Join a growing organisation of 150+ people that values transparency, intellectual rigour and real implementation.

Apply

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