Associate Researcher - Public Finance (Guwahati)
Location
Guwahati | India
Job description
Who we are
We at CivicDataLab, work with the goal to use data, tech, design and social science to strengthen the course of civic-engagements in India. We work to harness the potential of the open-source movement to enable citizens to engage better with public reforms. Our work is centered around building data strategy, data platforms and data science applications to push data-driven decision-making at scale. Moreover, we work closely with governments, non-profits, think tanks, media houses, academia and more to build overall data and tech capacity.
What We are looking for
We are looking for an Associate Researcher to advance our good governance and capacity-building engagements for Public Finance and Open Contracting India initiatives. This position requires a candidate who enjoys working with government stakeholders and policymakers to build their capacity in data, and is interested in advancing data driven public finance reforms.
Our projects in Assam involve regular engagements with the government stakeholders and working with them to promote fiscal transparency through timely machine-readable budget and contract data publication, data standardization, data analysis, enhancing fiscal data literacy, and fostering citizen engagement. The goal is to utilize this data for informed decision-making, improving resource allocation, and enhancing transparency and efficiency in Governance. They should be willing to work from Guwahati and should be willing to travel within Assam and other states in NE.
Our commitment to diversity
We are committed to inclusive hiring and strongly encourage applicants from diverse and underrepresented gender identities, and socio-cultural backgrounds to apply for this role. Our organisational policies are gender neutral, including POSH policy and leave policy.
What You'll be Doing
- Enhance CDL's Public Finance research capabilities and support the team in expanding the stakeholder network, scaling initiatives, fundraising efforts, and seeking collaboration opportunities.
- Build capacity in government agencies for effective utilisation of public finance data for effective decision making.
- Facilitate Public Finance Research training, workshops, and seminars for a variety of stakeholders, including academia, civil society, media, and government agencies.
- Standardise and analyse public finance data (e.g., Budgets, Treasury Spending, Public Procurement Data) from multiple sources. Integrate this with socio-economic data to provide timely, insightful analysis.
- Utilise your analytical expertise to provide data insights and create custom data visualisations.
- Understand and Strengthen existing databases by identifying and bridging data gaps.
- Developing Capacity Building and Training Materials like guidebooks and communication materials to enhance Public Finance data utility. Proactively disseminate public finance research through blogs, research reports, policy recommendations, and open knowledge resources.
- Collaboratively develop strategic roadmaps with various teams to address diverse public finance data needs, contributing to initiatives like Budgets & Spending, Public Procurement (Open Contracting India), Justice Hub, and more. This includes both internal projects and partnership-driven research.
- Contribute to organisational growth through hiring, communications, event management, and operational support, dedicating approximately 10% of your time to these activities.
RequirementsSkills You Should Bring - Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, demonstrating a solution-oriented approach.
- Be able to comprehend, understand, analyse and provide insights from Public Finance Datasets such as Budgets (State and Union), Treasury data, Public Procurement, Economic Surveys and Indian Public Finance Statistics among other datasets.
- Capacity for quick, innovative thinking and efficient management of multiple tasks, including ad hoc requests and presentations.
- Preferred experience in engaging with government stakeholders
- A strong ability to create and deliver high-quality presentations is essential
- Adaptability and willingness to learn are essential.
- Must be proficient in Excel / Spreadsheet tools like Google Sheets, LibreOffice and other tools for effective data analysis
- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex documents like acts, rules, policies, and budget documents.
- Candidates must have robust research and analysis skills, capable of executing in-depth studies and data interpretation.
Education and Experience
- Postgraduate in Economics, Public Policy/Administration, Development Studies, Urban Planning & Governance, or related fields.
- 1-2 years of relevant experience.
- Proficient in English, Assamese, and Hindi with effective verbal and written communication skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and familiarity with Internet/social media platforms.
Good To Have
- Invested in the cause of open-source, open data and open knowledge for social good
- Keen working in an interdisciplinary team setting
- Proficiency in a programming language for data analysis, like Python or R, is preferred
BenefitsWhy work with us
We help you not just define your impact but also work with you towards finding a path to learn, realize and quantify its effect on our ecosystem.
Our past work and experience of working with communities and civic tech, in general, has connected us as a branch to a network of civil society actors and organisations. You'll have the opportunity to leverage this network, to work on pressing, yet thought-provoking issues, in sectors like Judiciary, Public Finance, Economics, Public Education and Urban Development.
We also feel that this is our biggest strength, what we can offer you is not a feature to work on but a passage to an infinitely long road of people, problems, ideas and opportunities that may help you find your place amidst the chaos.
How we work
CivicDataLab has 3 base locations in India namely Delhi, Hyderabad and Guwahati. We follow a hybrid model where our bandhus work out of office for a minimum of 10 days per month (or) 3 weeks a quarter. We use open-source tools and agile methodologies in organising our work.
Perks of Working with Us
Wellness Allowance
At CivicDataLab, we always emphasise the wellness of our bandhus. This includes any Expenditure done for the purpose of Wellness Setup except Any financial instrument, any expense that can be claimed as a deductible expense under Income Tax rules, any goods and services that attract a combined tax, cess or duty of more than 28%. If youre interested in taking classes that enhance your overall physical or mental well-being, you have an INR 60,000 annual stipends to do so. For some people, that might mean a monthly massage. Some take photography lessons or learn a musical instrument or buy a gym membership. Its up to you; the point is to learn something that you feel enriches you as a person.
Professional growth and development Allowance
At CivicDataLab, we encourage everyone to take up things that help one grow professionally, and you get an annual kitty of INR 60,000 to do so. This includes setting-up your entire home office, attending or speaking at conferences and workshops, taking courses, acquiring hardware or software licences or even joining summer schools. We feel that learning a skill should never be a hurdle to solve important problems for the community.
Remuneration
₹7.5 - 9L per annum Our Hiring Process
The entire hiring process averages between 3 weeks and consists of five steps:
- You apply with your CV, cover letter and pre-assessment questions through our portal
- An Introductory discussion is scheduled which will include discussion on the assignment submitted during application process
- 2nd Round of Interview with revised assignment incorporating the feedback *
- If all goes well, we'll have a final 'Culture Discussion' round, and you get to meet the rest of the team
2nd round of interview would be preferred in-person in Guwahati based on the availability of the candidate and our team members.
Note: Our hiring process works in weekly cycles, where we will collect the applications every week and start the funnel for the selected candidates together in subsequent weeks. Please expect a response within 7-14 days of your application.
Job tags
Salary
