Program Manager, Centre for Economic Growth (CEG)

About the role

The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) invites applications for a Program Manager in its Centre for Economic Growth (CEG). The Program Manager will provide the managerial backbone for the centre, coordinating operations across research projects, grants, partnerships, events, communications, and internal workflows to ensure effective functioning from the start. This is a critical role requiring sound judgement, strong organisational skills, and the ability to work smoothly with researchers as well as NCAER’s institutional support teams.

Responsibilities

• Support the Director and research staff in planning and tracking the centre’s annual work program, project milestones, budgets, reporting requirements, and deliverables.
• Coordinate grant administration, including proposal timelines, donor reporting, consultant contracts, procurement requests, and internal compliance processes.
• Manage external engagement logistics for workshops, policy roundtables, advisory meetings, and dissemination events.
• Serve as a central coordination point across researchers, finance, HR, communications, and external partners to ensure smooth execution of centre activities.
• Support communications and outreach, including website content, mailing lists, event material, publication pipelines, and selected donor or partner briefs.
• Maintain organised records on projects, contacts, partnerships, and outputs, and help develop simple management dashboards for the centre.
• Anticipate operational bottlenecks and help build efficient systems appropriate for a start-up research centre within NCAER.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, management, development studies, business administration, or a related field.
• Typically 5 or more years of relevant experience in program management, research administration, policy organisations, consulting, foundations, or related settings.
• Strong organisational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple work streams and deadlines with limited supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interact professionally with senior stakeholders.
• Comfort with budgets, reporting processes, event management, and standard office and project-management software.
• High degree of professional integrity, reliability, and discretion.

Desirable attributes

• Experience in a think tank, university centre, international organisation, or policy advisory setting would be highly desirable.
• An understanding of economics research workflows would be an advantage, though this is not primarily a research position.

About NCAER

NCAER is India’s oldest and largest national, non-profit, independent economic research institute. Since 1956, NCAER has contributed high-quality research to shape policy decisions in India. It is among the few think tanks globally with strong field data collection capabilities for national surveys, covering a spectrum of policy-focused applied research in economics—from macroeconomics to poverty and infrastructure. NCAER offers a vibrant, dynamic academic environment with world-class faculty and physical infrastructure, fostering research excellence, collaboration, and professional growth.

Application deadline: September 15, 2026 (position remains open until filled). Duration: Initially for three years, with a provision for renewal.