Job Description:
Job Title: Head of MSME Initiative (Director)
An initiative supported by The Convergence Foundation
Reports to: Initiative Sponsor and designated governing body
About the MSME Initiative
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are central to India’s economic growth and job creation. The sector accounts for roughly 30% of India’s GDP, around 35% of manufacturing output and close to half of the country’s exports. It is also India’s second-largest source of employment after agriculture.
However, India’s MSME landscape is highly fragmented and dominated by microenterprises. A much smaller group of growth-oriented small and medium enterprises contributes disproportionately to manufacturing output, exports and high-quality employment. Helping more of these businesses scale represents a significant opportunity to improve productivity, create jobs and strengthen India’s global competitiveness.
Supported by The Convergence Foundation, the MSME Initiative is being established to help India build the policy ecosystem needed for small and medium enterprises to scale and compete globally. Within the wider MSME sector, it will focus particularly on growth-oriented SMEs, with an emphasis on manufacturing enterprises. These firms have significant potential to become productive, export-oriented and large-scale job creators—and are an area in which well-designed policy can have an outsized impact.
The initiative will work systemically—developing policy perspectives and partnering with government to advance reform—rather than engaging in on-ground implementation. Its work will span five interconnected areas:
Access to finance: Improving SMEs’ access to timely, adequate and affordable capital for growth, investment and modernisation.
Access to markets: Expanding access to domestic and international markets, with a particular focus on enabling exports.
Access to technology and management capabilities: Helping SMEs adopt modern technologies, improve productivity and strengthen their management capabilities.
Access to a skilled workforce: Improving SMEs’ ability to attract, develop and retain talent suited to their evolving needs.
Ease of doing business: Reducing the regulatory and compliance barriers that constrain SMEs from scaling and competing effectively.
Across these areas, the initiative will develop rigorous policy perspectives informed by successful Indian enterprises and clusters, as well as relevant international experience. It will work primarily with the central government to shape policies and institutions that enable SMEs to grow, while engaging state governments, industry and other stakeholders where relevant.
The MSME Initiative will be built as a small, high-quality team focused on ideas, influence and partnerships rather than large-scale implementation.
Key Responsibilities
Set the vision and strategy: Define the overall vision, strategy and priorities for the MSME Initiative, with a clear focus on helping SMEs – particularly manufacturing enterprises – scale and become globally competitive, and evolve them as the initiative matures towards becoming an independent organisation.
Build policy perspectives: Develop rigorous, well-researched policy positions across the initiative’s focus areas – access to finance, access to markets and exports, technology and management knowhow, skilled workforce, and regulatory burden – drawing on best practices from successful Indian enterprises and relevant global examples.
Engage senior government stakeholders: Build and sustain trusted relationships with senior stakeholders in the central government – including the Ministry of MSME, relevant economic ministries and NITI Aayog – to influence and drive concrete policy change for the SME ecosystem.
Drive systemic policy change: Translate policy perspectives into clear recommendations and reform proposals, and work with government partners to embed these into national policy – while keeping the initiative focused on systemic change rather than execution.
Build and lead a high-quality team: Recruit, mentor and lead a small, talented team, setting a high bar for quality, rigour and impact, and fostering a strong, mission-driven culture.
Build the institution: Establish the systems, partnerships and credibility needed for the initiative to operate effectively and, in time, be spun out as a sustainable independent organisation.
Represent the initiative externally: Serve as a thought leader and credible public voice on SME and manufacturing policy, building partnerships with experts, industry bodies, philanthropists and other organisations in the ecosystem.
Experience & Qualifications
Around 15–20 years of professional experience, with a strong track record in problem-solving, strategic thinking and project management.
Consulting experience is highly desirable, ideally including work on complex, ambiguous problems for senior clients or stakeholders.
Experience of working on MSME, manufacturing, industrial or economic policy issues is desirable; a keen interest in enterprise growth, economic development and public policy is important.
Experience of engaging with senior stakeholders – in government, industry or large institutions – will be valuable.
A postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline (such as economics, public policy, management, business or a related field) is preferred.
Skills & Attributes
Essential
Strong strategic mindset, with the ability to see the big picture, structure ambiguous problems and develop clear, actionable solutions.
Entrepreneurial drive and comfort with building something new, taking ownership and operating with limited structure.
Excellent ability to engage, influence and build trust with senior stakeholders, including in government.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, combined with sound judgement.
Excellent communication and writing skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
High degree of self-motivation, ownership and resilience, with a strong commitment to impact.
Desirable
Understanding of the MSME / SME and manufacturing sector, industrial policy or the broader development sector in India.
Experience of working with or within the central government, or with industry bodies and enterprises.
Experience of building and leading teams, or of setting up a new organisation or function.
Familiarity with global best practices in supporting SME growth, manufacturing competitiveness and exports.