Position Title

Programme Manager Centre for Research and Innovation

Organization

India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM)

Location

IIIDEM Campus, Dwarka, New Delhi

Employment Type

Contractual (Through NISG)

ROLE OVERVIEW The Programme Manager, CRI shall be responsible for planning, coordinating, monitoring and overseeing IIIDEM's research portfolio in electoral democracy and election management, including thematic and comparative research, the knowledge repository under India's Chairship of International IDEA, and research-to-training conversion.

The incumbent will lead a team of Research Associates and Programme Officers and provide strategic, operational and administrative support for research programming, editorial workflows, EMB advisory work, academic conferences and publication series.

The position requires robust research programme management, editorial coordination, analytical and stakeholder management skills, along with the ability to work with State CEO-led thematic groups, academic institutions, EMBs and international organisations.

SCOPE OF WORK

- Lead planning, execution, monitoring and reporting of research programmes, thematic studies and comparative reports.
- Supervise and mentor Research Associates and Programme Officers assigned to the Centre.
- Coordinate the institutional repository of thematic work undertaken under India's Chairship.
- Drive the editorial pipeline from preliminary review to peer review and copyediting.
- Facilitate academic conferences, policy dialogues, research consultations and EMB advisory assignments.
- Support conversion of research outputs into training modules, case studies and simulations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Programme Planning & Management

- Lead end-to-end planning of the annual research agenda, thematic priorities and publication calendar.
- Develop work plans, editorial schedules, review milestones and monitoring mechanisms.
- Ensure resource planning, risk management and issue resolution across research streams.

Team Leadership
- Manage, mentor and supervise a team of 2-3 Research Associates/Programme Officers.
- Allocate State/theme ownership and monitor progress against editorial stages.
- Build team capability in research methodology and editorial standards.

Stakeholder Management & Coordination
- Liaise with State CEO-led thematic groups, academic institutions, EMBs, international organisations and domain experts.
- Follow up with States/UTs on report submission, review and edits.
- Coordinate EMB Working Group meetings and academic collaborations.





Key Internal Interfaces
- School of Democratic Governance and Election Management / School of Electoral Laws / School of Election Technology coordination of allotted thematic and comparative report groups and editorial stages.
- Centre for National Training handover of research outputs for conversion into training and learning products.
- Centre for Collaboration and Partnerships academic institution outreach and research collaboration agreements.
- Strategic Programme Management Unit research milestone reporting and Chairship knowledge-product tracking.

Research & Knowledge Programme Execution
- Oversee thematic and comparative report coordination across allotted groups and States/UTs.
- Manage development of policy briefs, working papers, case studies, journals and comparative knowledge products.
- Support electoral risk management research streams, benchmarking exercises and global surveys.
- Coordinate EMB advisory and consultancy assignments including in-country follow-up support.

Reporting & Documentation
- Prepare concept notes, research plans, editorial SOPs, progress reports and research dashboards.
- Maintain the structured digital knowledge repository and research records.
- Present periodic updates to senior management.

Monitoring & Quality Assurance
- Track research progression through output, utilisation and policy/training impact.
- Identify delays and quality risks in the editorial pipeline and recommend mitigation.
- Ensure adherence to research ethics, citation and publication standards.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

Essential

- Master's Degree in Social Sciences, Public Policy, Political Science, Economics, Development Studies, Governance, Public Administration, Management or related discipline from a recognized University/Institution; OR
- Bachelor's Degree in the above disciplines with significant relevant experience in research programme management or institutional coordination.

Desirable

- Record of peer-reviewed publication or authorship of research reports, policy briefs or working papers; familiarity with editorial and peer-review workflows.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

- Minimum 5-8 years of professional experience in the relevant domain,



of which at least 2 years shall be in a supervisory capacity involving direct management of professional staff.
- Experience in Research Management, Programme Management, Governance, Development Sector, Knowledge Management or related areas.
- Experience of managing multi-author research or publication programmes.
- Experience in stakeholder engagement with government, academic or international institutions.

Leadership & Management
- Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
- Ability to supervise multidisciplinary teams and manage multiple priorities.

Communication & Coordination
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong interpersonal, negotiation and stakeholder management abilities.

Programme Management
- Strong planning, execution, monitoring and reporting skills.
- Ability to manage timelines, budgets, risks and deliverables.

Analytical & Problem Solving
- Solid analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
- Ability to identify implementation challenges and develop practical solutions.

Technical Skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, project management tools, dashboards and presentation software.
- Strong report writing, documentation and presentation skills.

KEY RESULT AREAS (KRAs)

- Timely completion of thematic and comparative research reports.
- Throughput and quality of the editorial review pipeline.
- Maintenance of the Chairship knowledge repository.
- Effective supervision of Research Associates and Programme Officers.
- Delivery of publications, policy briefs and knowledge products.
- Conduct of research seminars, working group meetings and academic collaborations.
- Conversion of research into practitioner-oriented learning products.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

- Research Delivery: Achieve atleast 95% research milestones met within approved timelines
- Editorial Throughput: Reports cleared through each review stage against targets
- Publication Output: Number of working papers, policy briefs and case studies published
- Team Management: Effective supervision and performance of Research Associates
- Stakeholder Coordination: Timely closure of State/UT and expert follow-up actions
- Knowledge Management: Repository updated and searchable within defined cycles
- Advisory Engagements: EMB advisory assignments delivered against requests received
- Research-to-Training: Number of research outputs converted into training products
- Risk Management: Timely identification and resolution of research/editorial risks

📌 Programme Manager - CRI - Iiidem - Delhi (New Delhi)
🏢 National Institute for Smart Government (NISG)
📍 New Delhi