Associate Director – Policy

Location: New Delhi
Experience: 10+ years

About the Organization

Our client is a leading global development and research organization working at the intersection of rigorous research, public policy, and social impact. The organization partners with governments, development institutions, researchers, practitioners, and philanthropic organizations to strengthen the use of evidence in designing and improving public programs.

Its work spans multiple development priorities, including education, health, livelihoods, labor markets, gender, climate and environmental action, and other areas of public policy.

The India team works closely with government and ecosystem partners to support the adoption, adaptation, and scale-up of research-backed approaches within public systems.

About the Role

The organization is looking for a senior policy leader to drive its policy engagement agenda in India.

The role will involve providing strategic direction on how research and knowledge can inform public policy, strengthening relationships with senior stakeholders, and ensuring that policy teams across different thematic areas work towards a coherent organizational agenda.

The individual will be part of the senior leadership team and will work closely with internal research, policy, partnerships, communications, and program teams. The role will also involve significant external engagement with senior government officials, development partners, donors, researchers, and other influential stakeholders.

This is a leadership position requiring a combination of policy expertise, strategic thinking, stakeholder management, team leadership, and organizational effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

1. Policy Strategy & Leadership

• Shape and drive the organization's policy engagement priorities in alignment with its broader mission and strategic objectives.
• Develop approaches for translating research, insights, and evidence into meaningful policy engagement and implementation opportunities.
• Provide strategic guidance to policy teams working across multiple thematic areas.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the organization's policy influence and long-term impact.
• Contribute to organizational strategy and senior-level decision-making.

2. Government & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior government stakeholders across relevant ministries and state-level institutions.
• Engage with development organizations, research institutions, donors, civil society organizations, and other ecosystem partners.
• Identify opportunities for strategic collaborations and long-term partnerships.
• Support teams in developing effective stakeholder engagement strategies and navigating complex institutional environments.
• Represent the organization in high-level meetings, forums, conferences, and sector convenings.

3. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead and mentor senior members of the policy function across different thematic areas.
• Build organizational capability in policy engagement, stakeholder management, strategic communication, and partnership development.
• Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and development priorities for team members.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, accountability, and high-quality delivery.
• Support the growth of emerging policy leaders within the organization.

4. Organizational Systems & Effectiveness

• Strengthen processes and systems that support policy planning, knowledge management, stakeholder tracking, and decision-making.
• Improve coordination across policy, research, communications, partnerships, and other internal functions.
• Support prioritization of the policy portfolio and effective allocation of organizational resources.
• Identify opportunities to improve internal ways of working and cross-team collaboration.
• Contribute to organizational planning and leadership discussions.

5. Partnerships, Resource Mobilization & External Positioning

• Develop and nurture relationships with donors, institutional partners, and other strategic stakeholders.
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts through strong understanding of policy priorities, organizational strengths, and sector opportunities.
• Support the development of compelling narratives and positioning for external audiences.
• Strengthen the organization's visibility and credibility within the policy and development ecosystem.
• Identify strategic forums and platforms where the organization can contribute meaningfully to policy conversations.

6. Senior Leadership Contribution

• Participate actively in senior management discussions and organizational decision-making.
• Help build greater alignment across thematic teams and functions.
• Contribute to organizational priorities, policies, and long-term strategic direction.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration across teams and geographies where relevant.
• Bring an organization-wide perspective to policy, partnerships, and impact-related decisions.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will bring a strong understanding of public policy and development, along with demonstrated experience in senior stakeholder engagement and team leadership.

Qualifications & Experience

• Master's degree or higher in Public Policy, Economics, Political Science, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience across government, public policy, development, research, consulting, academia, or related sectors.
• Demonstrated experience working with government stakeholders in India; experience engaging with state governments would be an advantage.
• Experience leading teams and managing senior professionals.
• Strong understanding of how research, evidence, and policy processes intersect within the development ecosystem.

Core Competencies

• Strong strategic thinking and the ability to translate broad organizational priorities into actionable policy strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with senior government and institutional stakeholders.
• Strong communication, influencing, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and complex stakeholder environments effectively.
• Experience developing teams through mentoring, coaching, feedback, and structured capability building.
• Strong project and program management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across functions and bring together diverse perspectives.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfort representing an organization in senior external forums and high-level discussions.

Additional Attributes

• Exposure to one or more Indian languages beyond English would be an advantage.
• Genuine interest in social policy, development, and the role of research and evidence in improving public systems.
• Intellectual curiosity, humility, self-awareness, and a collaborative leadership style.
• Ability to operate effectively in a complex, mission-driven, and fast-paced environment.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to take on a high-impact leadership position within a globally connected development organization and contribute to the way research and policy come together to influence large-scale social outcomes.

The role offers significant exposure to senior government stakeholders, development leaders, researchers, donors, and other influential actors across India's social impact ecosystem, while providing the opportunity to shape organizational strategy and build a high-performing policy function.