Job Description:
Job Title - Maharashtra State Lead
GATI Foundation
Global Access to Talent from India
Background
The world is facing a severe labor shortage. High-income countries are projected to experience a cumulative workforce gap of 40-50 million people by 2030, expanding to 120-160 million by 2040. This shortfall spans several sectors, including healthcare, education, and industrial labor.
Meanwhile, India's migrants are one of its biggest exports, generating $125 billion in remittances annually equivalent to 3% of India's GDP. This figure surpasses any single sector of India's merchandise exports. Yet, while migrants constitute about 1.3% of India's population, this is substantially lower than other developing countries like Mexico, the Philippines, or Bangladesh, signaling untapped potential. The developmental impact of remittances is also higher than that of an equivalent amount in goods exports. A study reveals that a 10% rise in remittances reduces poverty by 3.5%, highlighting the potential for economic upliftment through strategic migration.
This presents India with a unique opportunity to leverage its demographic advantage and position itself as a trusted migration partner while boosting remittances and enhancing its economic standing. However, structural barriers including visa restrictions, limited employer awareness, accreditation hurdles, and financial constraints pose challenges for both workers and host countries. Addressing these barriers is key to unlocking India's full potential in global workforce mobility.
Way of Work
GATI Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to advancing global labor mobility and positioning India as a leader in skilled overseas employment through ethical and structured circular migration while empowering local talent. We are dedicated to solving the structural barriers in overseas migration by serving as an ecosystem enabler bringing together governments, businesses, and non profits to create an enabling environment for circular migration.
Our priority areas include developing high-impact migration corridors, aligning accreditation of prospective Indian workers to global standards for key job roles and destinations, unlocking financial support for workers, and strengthening worker welfare and protection. By facilitating international migration pathways through strategic public-private partnerships, GATI aims to enable seamless and responsible migration, driving both individual prosperity and national economic growth.
Pre-reads
TCFs Market Opportunity Assessment Report in collaboration with BCG
Job Profile
GATI Foundation is hiring a Maharashtra State Lead, based in Mumbai, to anchor our work with the states Skills Ministry and other key stakeholders. This role involves working closely with senior government officials, including the Additional Chief Secretary, and development partners like the World Bank.
The State Lead will represent GATI in Maharashtra, manage partnerships, and drive on-ground implementation of skilling and migration-related initiatives. We're looking for someone with experience in consulting or government program delivery, strong stakeholder management skills, and the ability to navigate government systems effectively.
This is a hands-on leadership role suited for someone who is outcome-focused, comfortable with ambiguity, and keen to work at the intersection of policy and execution.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Lead GATIs work in Maharashtra, with full ownership of program implementation and stakeholder engagement in the state. Contribute to research and knowledge reports to strengthen GATIs thought leadership.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for the Skills Ministry, Additional Chief Secretary, and World Bank, maintaining strong, trust-based relationships.
- Represent GATI in all state-level meetings, policy discussions, and decision-making forums, while chaneling insights back to the central team.
- Collaborate with the central team and technical partners to design, localize, and implement innovative solutions tailored to the Maharashtra context.
- Ensure timely execution, reporting, and resolution of challenges on the ground balancing strategy with operational follow-through.
- Act as the CEOs liaison in the state, aligning Maharashtra's priorities with the broader mission and objectives of GATI.
Skills Required
- 6-9 years of experience in state-level implementation, consulting, or public sector engagement, ideally in a policy or skilling context.
- Proven ability to build and manage senior government relationships, with a high degree of professionalism and influence.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, including comfort with decks, briefing notes, and written outputs for external stakeholders.
- Ability to drive execution in complex, multi-stakeholder environments combining structure, persistence, and adaptability.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to go deep into policy and programmatic issues, and translate insights into implementable solutions.
- Based in Mumbai and comfortable working closely with government offices, with openness to occasional travel.
Reporting
The Maharashtra State Lead will report to the leadership team of GATI Foundation
Compensation
GATI Foundation recognizes that the right candidate will have a significant impact on the success of the organization and is prepared to offer an attractive compensation package for the non-profit sector, commensurate with experience.
Location
The position will be based in Mumbai with some travel around India will be expected.
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