Associate Director – Research & Policy, IWWAGE

Type: Full-time
Employer: Institute for What Works to Advance Gender Equality (IWWAGE)
Location: New Delhi
Reporting to: Director, Research & Policy
Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

About IWWAGE:

Institute for What Works to Advance Gender Equality (IWWAGE) is an initiative of LEAD, an action-oriented research centre of IFMR Society (a not-for-profit society registered under the Societies Act). LEAD has strategic oversight and brand support from Krea University (sponsored by IFMR Society) to enable synergies between academia and the research centre. IWWAGE aims to build and deepen evidence around the low participation of women in the economy – caused by low asset base, poor access to public services, restrictive gender norms, and the burden of unpaid work – to find solutions to inform gender transformative changes and policy reforms.

About the Position:

We are actively seeking a qualified, self-driven, and thorough researcher who is a policy enthusiast and preferably trained in Economics/Development Studies/Gender Studies/Public Policy to carry forward the research and policy engagement agenda of IWWAGE. The candidate is expected to have a clear understanding of the current issues around women’s economic empowerment, be experienced in using large and complex secondary datasets, be familiar with extensive research methodologies to perform detailed policy research and have great communication skills adaptable to different stakeholders. They are expected to lead studies to collect evidence on ‘what works’ and are expected to communicate research in the form of external and internal publications.

The candidate is also expected to have excellent communication, team management, and critical thinking skills to present their research to various stakeholders and on various national and international platforms. The researcher would work closely with the Director of Policy and Research, IWWAGE, and assist in executing the core research agenda, including managing existing project deliverables. The candidate should be willing to travel whenever necessary.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support in building the 5-year evidence to policy strategy and agenda;
• Oversee, monitor and contribute to the research and policy engagement plan of action and annual work plans;
• Mentor and lead junior members of the research and policy team as per their TORs;
• Support in building a technically strong research and policy engagement team;
• Collaborate with LEAD verticals on partnerships, research and data to leverage the ecosystem;
• Contribute actively to managing project deadlines, maintaining timelines, reviewing outputs and coordinating with funders/research/academic partners/external stakeholders etc;
• Develop an action plan for publications in collaboration with the Communications Lead;
• Able to inspire and motivate a team with effective management skills, coordinate tasks and define a road map to complete projects successfully;
• Ensure compliance with LEAD’s research protocols across all project activities to maintain the integrity and the quality of research;
• Manage administrative requirements of the project portfolio, including financial management, budgeting, procurement, contract set-up and compliance, grant reporting, deliverable tracking, etc.
• Coordinate with project teams to ensure timely submission of financial reports and projections, and sub-grantee/contract reports and deliverables in the portfolio to keep projects running smoothly;
• Represent IWWAGE on relevant platforms;
• Contribute to creating linkages with national and state-level government and stakeholders;
• Any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Economics, Development Studies, Gender Studies and related disciplines with 15 years of experience or advanced degree in Economics, Development Studies, Gender Studies and related disciplines with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in the subject;
• Solid understanding of Gender Equality in India and South Asia;
• Relevant experience in an action-oriented research organization would be an asset;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to work in a team. 

Application Instructions: 

Deadline: Applications are being accepted until the position is filled. Please collate your resume, cover letter stating your suitability for the position, and writing sample in one PDF and apply in the form here. Kindly select the position title Associate Director – Research & Policy, IWWAGE while applying. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Note: Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we are unable to contact each candidate individually regarding the status of their application. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purposes.