Openings – Samagra

Apply by 2nd Jan 24

Samagra is a mission-driven governance consulting firm. We co-work with the bureaucratic leadership across states on long-term systemic transformation programmes cutting across governance domains. Since our inception in 2012, our mission has been ‘improving the quality of life of citizens through better governance’ through our work. We combine a top-down management consulting approach for problem structuring with a bottom-up understanding of the governance ecosystem for designing solutions, while leveraging data and technology to enable implementation of our solutions.

Our programmes are state-wide systemic transformation projects across different domains such as education, health, agriculture, employment amongst others and are typically 2-3 years in duration. During the course of a programme, we work closely with the state government on in-depth diagnosis of a problem statement followed by intervention design and end-to-end implementation. The following features are a common thread across all our programmes:

• Holistic systems thinking approach
• Solution design for scale from the start
• Combination of administrative and technical initiatives
• Clearly defined goal and metrics to measure impact
• Strong pull from the state leadership

All programmes offer the opportunity to work and interact with the top bureaucratic and political decision-makers in government along with other relevant stakeholders such department officials, funders, researchers, NGOs, citizens etc. Want to know more about Samagra? Check out this masterclass by our Founder and CEO, Gaurav Goel.

ABOUT YOU
You are looking to make a meaningful contribution to India’s development journey by tackling the most complex social problems it faces today. You can picture yourself in a team of 3-5 working in state capitals with government leaders, supporting them with important strategic calls and hands-on implementation to create visible change on the ground. You are adept at structured problem-solving and are able to persevere until impact is achieved.

1. Associate/ Sr. Associate/ Consultant

ABOUT THE ROLE
On a programme, Associates, Sr. Associates and Consultants become initiative owners from the get-go. Initiatives are mini-projects within the overall program. They are provided support and guidance from the program leadership. Typically, their responsibilities would include:

• Developing deep understanding of problem statement (primary and secondary research)
• Driving problem-solving to design effective and implementable solutions
• Managing end-to-end implementation of assigned initiatives
• Engaging with govt leaders, non-profit partners, funders, domain experts, beneficiaries

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Strong problem-solving with an on-ground implementation lens
• Excellent record of leadership in academic / professional setting
• Knack for analysis – qualitative and quantitative
• Strong communication skills – oral and written
• Ability to establish strong working rapport with the government
• Drive to take things to their logical end
• Resilience in the face of set-backs / bottlenecks
• Willingness to travel

2. Emerging Leader

Samagra Emerging Leaders Program (SELP)

1-Line Description
An accelerated program for high-performing professionals to become leaders in the governance space

Value Proposition

A high degree of ownership across complex workstreams on fast-paced governance programs

• Candidates will get to work on high-paced, complex programs across different sectors and geographies
• Opportunity to work on transformation roadmap and rigorous implementation of the roadmap with govt teams
• A high degree of ownership of outcomes/impact, contributing to growth as a leader in the firm
• Each program will require thought partnerships with diverse government leaders, ecosystem & funding partners
• Candidates will also get to go on monthly field visits for on-ground exposure and understanding

Opportunity to shadow a senior Samagra leader as an apprentice for rapid learning & exposure

• Work closely with 1 Samagra Program Lead (PLs*) as an apprentice for over 1 month
• Assignments may cover a variety of functional areas such as opportunity conversion, fund-raising, hiring
• It will enable learning critical higher-order skills required when dealing with more ambiguity and complexity

One-on-one, personalised and structured coaching from Samagra leadership throughout the year

• Each candidate will be coached by dedicated Samagra leaders basis a personalized coaching plan
• Focus areas & opportunities will be discussed during catch-ups that will happen at fortnightly, monthly frequency
• Parallelly, a training workshop, i.e. Gurukul, will be organised for consulting skills embedded in the governance context

Bootcamp and continuous support to excel in product management skills through expert sessions

• Internal/external experts organise PM Bootcamp to initiate a product management journey
• Opportunity to work on tech initiatives on the program and stint in SamagraX (Samagra’s GovTech and DataGov vertical)
• The Bootcamp will broadly cover three things – core concepts, hands-on case study, and ongoing mentoring support

Assured opportunity to become a leader at Samagra, managing a state-wide governance transformation (basis performance)

• On program completion, basis of performance, candidates will be absorbed in Sr. Consultant or Manager designation
• Irrespective of designation, the candidate will start managing a state-wide transformation at the end of the program
• Each candidate will be eligible for a share in the firm’s annual profits, as per internal policy

Designation Emerging Leader @ Samagra

Eligibility

• Overall 33+ months of work experience AND
• MBA from premier colleges (Indian and abroad) AND
• Minimum 12 months as/in:
  ○ Analyst or Consulting role at Consulting firms – Mckinsey, BCG, and Bain
  ○ Sales or Marketing role at FMCG firms – HUL, P&G and ITC
  ○ Founder/CEO office role or P&L ownership role (responsible for geography, business vertical and/or category) at a growing start-up
  ○ Co-founder of a start-up (non-family business)

Note – The above is minimum eligibility but not a guarantee for offering SELP. Sr. Associate or Consultant designation may also be offered to people meeting the above criteria at the discretion of Samagra.

Process (Selection & Graduation)

The overall process will have four steps:
● Round 1: Resume and 90-second video submission (Samagra website)
● Round 2: 1-pager and Excel submission
● Round 3: Manager’s Round (Governance Case Interview)
● Round 4: Final Interview (Governance Case Interview + Organisation Fit)

Duration 12-18 Months from joining

Mode In-person from the program and base location (Base location – Delhi)

CTC Competitive to industry benchmarks

Program Outcome Sr. Consultant / Manager or Sr. Product Consultant/Product Manager at Samagra, managing a state-wide governance transformation at the end of the program