Centre for Civil Society (CCS) is a leading public policy think tank advancing market-oriented reforms in education, livelihoods, and governance. Our work in governance focuses on rule of law, regulatory reform, decriminalisation, and enabling livelihoods through better policy design and implementation.

Role: Associate / Legal Associate – Livelihoods & Governance

Team: Research, Policy Impact & Outreach
Reports to: Senior Fellow

Role Overview

We are looking for a driven and analytically strong Associate / Legal Associate to support CCS’s work on governance reform, decriminalisation, and livelihoods policy (including street vending and informal sector issues).

The role involves legal research, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement to:

• Build evidence for reform
• Support state-level legislative and regulatory changes
• Strengthen the implementation of existing laws and frameworks

This is a high-impact, execution-orientated role at the intersection of law, policy, and economic freedom.

Key Responsibilities

1. Legal & Policy Research (Core)

• Conduct state-level legal audits to identify:
  • Low-risk criminal provisions
  • Regulatory bottlenecks affecting businesses and livelihoods 
• Review and analyse:
  • State statutes, rules, and compliance frameworks
  • Existing repeal laws and regulatory reform efforts
• Support development of:
  • Decriminalisation and deregulation frameworks/toolkits
  • Legal and policy memos

2. Evidence Building & Knowledge Creation

• Contribute to the creation of:
  • Policy briefs and position papers
  • Legal analysis notes and research reports
• Support large-scale outputs such as:
  • Impact assessment studies (e.g., Street Vendors Act implementation)
  • Indexes and benchmarking tools (e.g., implementation indices) 
• Assist in building knowledge repositories and tracking systems for governance work

3. Policy Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement

• Support engagement with:
  • Policymakers and government officials
  • Industry bodies, entrepreneurs, and legal experts
• Assist in organising:
  • Multi-stakeholder consultations and validation workshops
• Contribute to drafting:
  • Policy recommendations and legislative inputs

4. Livelihoods & Street Vending Initiatives

• Support research and advocacy on:
  • Street Vendors Act, 2014 and its implementation
  • Urban informal livelihoods and regulatory barriers
• Contribute to:
  • Policy implementation blueprints (e.g., grievance redressal mechanisms)
  • Studies on harassment, compliance burdens, and ground realities 

5. Communication & Thought Leadership

• Contribute to: Media articles, opinion pieces, and policy blogs, Reports and visual documentation
• Support dissemination of research to: Policy and public audiences
• Assist in organising: Webinars, events, and stakeholder discussions