EPoD India at IFMR, in collaboration with Yale University’s Economic Growth Centre and MacMillan Center, work together to use economic frameworks and analytical tools to answer pressing policy questions and spur real-world change. We partner with policymakers to understand challenges to achieving policy objectives, design and test interventions, and share applicable insights from economic theory and empirics to more effectively deliver public services and improve the well-being of vulnerable groups. Current areas of research include gender and economic engagement (labor markets, technology, and financial inclusion); environmental policy, and governance.
In partnership with our host institution, IFMR LEAD at KREA University, we are hiring a manager to help oversee and support execution of our capacity building and policy engagement activities in India and the region. The Policy Engagement Manager will play a crucial role in encouraging the use of data and evidence in policy formulation and implementation among policy stakeholders ranging from newly inducted civil servants to senior officials working across a variety of sectors. S/he will play an active role in trainings and external-facing events with policy stakeholders, content development for policy engagement events (workshops, policy dialogues, trainings), and developing and contributing to policy-research collaborations to build organizational and institutional capacities to use evidence. The successful candidate will have a strong background in economics and/or public policy, excellent management and communication skills, the ability to effectively manage teams in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, and a passion to see greater use of evidence-informed policies and implementation in South Asia.
Responsibilities:
1.) Oversee and implement all aspects pertaining to administration of external-facing policy engagements ranging from policy dialogues and conferences to workshops and trainings. This oversight includes coordinating with collaborating institutions, developing and effectively delivering content, and ensuring all administration and logistics are executed effectively.
2.) Oversee design and implementation of other research-policy collaborations as assigned in portfolio. Activities typical to such collaborations include field-level scoping and meeting with government officials at various levels to finalize design and scope of engagements; recruiting and managing staff and field teams; implementing and monitoring study activities; collecting data and leading basic data cleaning and analysis; and communicating effectively with internal teams and partner institutions.
3.) Report to the Executive Director, EPoD India at IFMR and work closely with Director for South Asia Economics Research, MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University, and align with strategic objectives of the organisation.
4.) Represent our research and policy engagements in a variety of written and in-person forums to engage effectively in the research-to-policy space and communicate effectively about our work to external stakeholders.
5.) Develop and foster strategic relationships with external stakeholders, including policymakers of all levels, donors, and other mission-aligned individuals and institutions.
6.) Recruit, onboard, manage and mentor relevant staff for policy engagement activities, as needed, including research staff, technical developers, data scientists, and programmatic staff.
7.) Contribute to fundraising, grant applications, proposals, report writing, and development of other communications materials as needed and relevant to our portfolio of research-policy engagements.
8.) Manage relationships with funding organizations and collaborating institutions; work with collaborating institutions to coordinate project administration and logistics.
9.) Oversee administrative requirements of the portfolio, including financial management, budgeting, procurement, contract set-up and compliance, grant reporting, deliverable tracking, to ensure project proceeds smoothly and within appropriate timelines.
10.) Develop and implement systems to effectively organize, monitor, and systematize policy engagement efforts and auxiliary support structures.
11.) Other activities to support our strategy in India and South Asia, as requested.
Basic Qualifications
· Strong understanding of research design, basic econometrics, and evaluation methodologies, as well as public policy-oriented topics and policy in South Asia
· Familiarity with applied economic research and capacity to conduct field scoping and research tasks
· Prior experience with external stakeholder engagement and management
· Strong written and oral communication
· Proven experience effectively managing direct reports, including those based in other locations
· Demonstrated success in project and/or event management
· Clear, concise oral and written English communication skills
· Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
· Ability to manage portfolio and project budgets
· Demonstrated success prioritizing competing priorities in a high-demand work environment
· Master’s degree or higher in relevant field, 5+ years’ experience in related fields (economics, public policy, education, etc.)
Preferred Qualifications
· PhD in Economics or Public Policy (with possibility of coming in at a Senior Manager level, depending on experience)
· Experience teaching public policy-oriented topics with traditional or non-traditional learners
· Experience working with government officials in India or South Asia
· Strong team orientation with passion to improve public policy and leadership potential
· Hindi and/or other Indian language competency
Candidate should be willing to travel in both rural and urban locations and able to take regular calls coordinated across multiple time zones.
How to apply:
If you are interested in this position, please email yale.india19@gmail.com . In the subject line, put “Policy Engagement Manager” followed by your first and last name (e.g., “XXX – Jane Doe) and attach the following documents:
· Cover letter (one page maximum)
· CV (two pages maximum)
· Academic transcripts from all degrees received
To visit other open positions, please visit the MacMillan Center’s employment website.