Senior Associate - Contract & Operations

Senior Associate - Contract & Operations

Location: New Delhi, India

Reporting to: Manager – Operations, CPI India

Employment Type: Full-time

About CPI

CPI is an analysis and advisory organization with deep expertise in finance and policy. Our mission is to help governments, businesses, and financial institutions drive economic growth while addressing climate change.

With a team of experts across seven international offices, including a strong presence in emerging markets and developing economies, CPI is a leader in tracking sustainable investment trends, identifying innovative business models, and supporting the solutions that can drive the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient, inclusive economy. We are unique in our focus on finance, our ability to get the right people to the table, and our analytical rigor.

About the Role

CPI is seeking a well-organized and motivated Senior Associate who will be responsible for coordinating contract and operations across an assigned portfolio, ensuring compliance and operational efficiency. The position works closely with Program, Finance, and Operations teams to support project implementation, strengthen operational processes, and ensure compliance with organizational requirements.

Position Summary

The Senior Associate is responsible for coordinating program operations across an assigned portfolio, ensuring compliance, operational efficiency, and high-quality delivery throughout the program lifecycle. The role works closely with Program, Finance, and Operations teams to support project implementation, strengthen operational processes, and ensure compliance with partner and organizational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Contract & Compliance Management (50%)

• Prepare contractual agreements (based on standard templates) in consultation with Program and Legal teams.
• Conduct vendor and funder due diligence and onboarding.
• Coordinate consultant onboarding, contract execution, and contract administration in collaboration with Program, Legal and Finance teams.
• Ensure compliance of contractors, sub-awardees, and vendors with organizational and partner requirements.
• Maintain project compliance documentation and monitor adherence to partner and organisational requirements.

Operational support – Conceptualization and proposal generation (10%):

• Coordinate operational inputs for proposal development, including timelines, due diligence, legal review, and submission requirements.
• Operations Lead for proposal development responsibilities, including timelines, inputs, and submission requirements across operations/legal teams.
• Support due diligence processes for prospective and existing partners, ensuring completeness and compliance of documentation.
• Provide guidance to program teams on proposal requirements, systems, and internal processes.

Operational support – Active program/project contract management (20%):

• Coordinate invoicing processes with program and finance team.
• Support internal and external audit processes.
• Coordinate project closeout activities, ensuring completion of required documentation and operational closeout processes.

Portfolio & Systems Management (20%):

• Coordinate project setup and administration, ensuring accurate project configuration and data integrity.
• Prepare portfolio dashboards and operational reports to support project monitoring, decision-making and management reporting.
• Serve as India point of contact for process implementation and improvements, driving adoption and alignment with global processes and systems.
• Support onboarding and training of staff on partner compliance and internal operations processes.
• And other duties as required.

About You: Competencies and Experience

• Post Graduate degree in Business Administration/ Management Studies/ Finance/ Social Sciences and demonstrable 8-10 years of experience in contract management and operations.
• Master's degree in Management or relevant filed
• Familiarity with financial or operational tools systems (eg : Netsuite, SharePoint) and project management skills.
• Professional experience in financial services, management consulting/advisory/research, international non-profit, government, and/or a multi-lateral institution.
• Independent, analytical mind with an excellent track record of applying sound financial judgment to complex issues.
• An ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including fluency in English
• High attention to detail and strong organizational ability to be highly organised.
• Flexibility, professionalism, enthusiasm for working as part of a team, and ability to interact with diverse people.

About You: Personal Attributes

• You are a team player and a self-starter, and can survive and thrive with minimal guidance
• You have an independent, analytical mind with a track record of applying sound strategic judgment to complex issues
• You are able to interact with high-level external stakeholders independently
• You have strong quantitative, data management, data analysis, critical thinking, and team management skills
• You have exceptional attention to detail, organization, time management, and prioritization skills, and an ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• You are an advanced user of the
  MS Office suite, in particular Excel, and can learn and adapt to new systems
• You have outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including fluency in English
• You are willing to travel internationally/domestically

Position Details

CPI is recruiting for one full-time position of Senior Associate - Contract & Operations (40 hours) to be based in our New Delhi office.

CPI India has adopted a flexible working policy whereby staff are able to mix working remotely with days in the office.

CPI offers an excellent and competitive compensation and benefits package.

Applicants must be eligible to work in India – we are unfortunately unable to offer any visa sponsorship for this role.

To Apply

As part of your application please upload your resume and cover letter, both documents must be submitted in English and respond to the application questions.

We do not recommend the use of AI to complete your application.

Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to submit at the earliest opportunity. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Please be sure to add [email protected] to your contact list to ensure delivery of all correspondence from us.

CPI Commitment

CPI’s mission is to create economic opportunity while protecting our environment. This worldview—grounding opportunity in something more fundamental that we all share and must protect—permeates our organization, and forms the foundation of our approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

CPI’s approach to DEI mirrors our mission: within a culture that values transparency and dialogue, we strive to improve equity within our organization as well as in the communities in which we work. Internally and externally, we seek to remove inequitable barriers regardless of their origin, whether it be class, race, religion, nationality, region, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or physical ability. We are proactive in identifying and removing biases in our processes, seeking fairness in hiring, working conditions, and professional development.

If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application. We will then work with you to identify the best way to assist you through the recruitment process.