Lead, State Policy and Advocacy

Location: Remote (Preferred base: Delhi or Bangalore) | Travel across states

About the Organisation

Our partner is a fast-scaling, mission-driven non-profit working at the intersection of early childhood development, public systems, and digital innovation. The organisation has built deep partnerships with central and multiple state governments, driving large-scale reforms in the early childhood ecosystem.

With a strong focus on leveraging technology, community engagement, and policy influence, they are working towards improving learning and developmental outcomes for millions of children across India.

About the Role

This is a high-impact leadership role reporting directly to the Co-Founder, focused on shaping and scaling the organisation's state-level policy and government partnerships.

The Lead, State Policy and Advocacy will anchor relationships with senior state government stakeholders and drive end-to-end engagement across multiple states. This includes guiding policy design, supporting implementation, and ensuring that state partnerships translate into meaningful, system-level outcomes.

The role requires balancing strategic thinking with execution—working closely with internal teams and state Program Management Units (PMUs) to deliver on government priorities while strengthening long-term institutional partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage partnerships with senior state government stakeholders (WCD, Education), anchoring long-term collaboration
• Oversee multiple state engagements, ensuring alignment across strategy, execution, and outcomes
• Guide and manage state teams/PMUs, enabling high-quality delivery and stakeholder coordination
• Support policy design and implementation across ECD initiatives, including digital and community-led interventions
• Develop high-quality written outputs—policy briefs, strategy notes, proposals, and government-facing documents
• Work closely with leadership to identify opportunities for expansion and deepen state-level engagement
• Coordinate with internal teams (policy, product, operations) to drive integrated program delivery

What Success Looks Like

• Strong, trust-based partnerships with senior government stakeholders across multiple states
• Scaled state-led initiatives contributing to systemic improvements in early childhood outcomes
• High-quality policy inputs and execution support influencing state-level decision-making
• Well-managed, high-performing state teams delivering consistently across geographies

Who We're Looking For

• 8–10 years of experience (up to ~13 years), with significant exposure to state or central government engagement
• Experience managing multiple state partnerships (not limited to a single state PMU)
• Strong strategic orientation—ability to step back from execution and guide big-picture direction
• Demonstrated experience in team leadership and people management
• Excellent writing, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Proven ability to operate in fast-paced, high-ownership environments
• Willingness to travel regularly (typically 7–10 days/month)

Preferred Background

• Experience in public policy, consulting, or government advisory roles
• Sector experience in early childhood, education, health, or allied domains
• Exposure to GovTech, digital public infrastructure (DPI), or tech-enabled public systems is a plus

Additional Notes

• Candidates with shorter notice periods (30 days) are preferred
• This role requires comfort with ambiguity, high ownership, and working closely with senior leadership