Job Description

ABOUT IWWAGE

We are seeking a motivated Policy and Advocacy Lead for the Initiative What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (“IWWAGE”) at IFMR. The objective of this Initiative is to create a platform to promote, synthesize and generate evidence on “what works” for women’s economic empowerment. Despite making significant contributions to economies through various activities, women form a majority among economically disadvantaged groups. Women remain disproportionally affected by poverty, discrimination and exploitation. Evidence suggests that investing in women’s economic empowerment has important linkages with gender, equality, poverty eradication and inclusive growth. Several efforts have been devoted to studying the issue of women’s economic empowerment, however, evidence remains fragmented and work is done in silos.

POSITION SUMMARY

A motivated Policy and Advocacy Lead is sought to assist the ED in identifying the policy priorities that are critical to achieving the vision of the Initiative and to coordinate and lead all policy linkages and partnership related activities under IWWAGE. S/he will ensure that the intended policy and programmatic audience is engaged and utilize the research evidence generated. S/he will be responsible for engaging the GoI, regulators, and other stakeholders on policies that will enable women economic empowerment to reach scale, thus advancing India’s WEE agenda. The Policy and Advocacy Lead will use a range of policy engagement and communication tools to engage the relevant stakeholders (policy makers, private sectors players, international organisations, donors etc.) through working groups, policy dialogues, and one-on-one meetings among others using traditional and online communication channels.

This position will closely work with research agencies, think tanks, financial institutions, technology firms, and women collectives or groups, to gather information about and keep track of key policy matters that need to be addressed, modified, and added to the existing policies and regulations to create an enabling environment to achieve the objectives of this Initiative. S/he will also support the affiliated researchers in developing policy related reports, formulating policy recommendations from research findings, and producing other support documents such as policy briefs, fact sheets and evidence briefs. The ideal candidate should have experience in managing policy related working groups, facilitating policy dialogues and developing strategic partnerships with policymaking bodies. The candidate will be responsible for managing team comprising of advocacy and communication specialists and a portfolio of interventions related to policy advocacy and communication.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

•  Actively collaborate to create and execute the strategic policy plan for IWWAGE;
•  Overall responsibility for IWWAGE’s policy advocacy and communication strategy.
•  Develop key relationships in the women economic empowerment sector with governments, civil society, NGOs, private sector etc.;
•  Serve as IWWAGE’s primary point of contact with policymakers and regulators, engaging them in a constructive dialogue and identifying opportunities for the IWWAGE to support broader policy objectives related to women economic empowerment.
•  Oversee processes for monitoring trends in the women economic empowerment sector in India, and maintain deep knowledge of existing and forthcoming policy and regulations affecting the sector;
•  Lead and manage engagements with a multitude of stakeholders/partners engaged on the various projects.
•  Lead the process of consolidating

Eligibility Criteria

• A Master’s degree in Public Policy, Gender, Economics, Development or a related field; • Good understanding of the women’s economic empowerment sector and the policy space in India • At least 12-15 years of relevant work experience in public policy arena is preferred.

Desired Candidate Profile

Post Graduation - Post Graduate-Other

• Demonstrated experience in partner and donor management;
•  Demonstrated ability to build relationships, lead and motivate teams;
High networking skills and demonstrated ability to interact with a varied set of stakeholders including Government officials and departments ;
•  Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, able to express complex technical issues in plain language;
•  Organized, critical thinking and attention to detail

Organization Details

• Organization Name:IFMR LEAD
• About Organization:

  IFMR LEAD is an India based non-profit research organisation. Through our rigorous research efforts, we provide practitioners and decision-makers scientific evidence to devise effective solutions for pressing development challenges in South Asia.Our work addresses vital socio-economic objectives to foster the economic growth of individuals, low-income households, and small enterprises. We collaborate with leading academics, development specialists, government agencies, and industry experts for research design, implementation and dissemination, in areas that are integral to accelerate the socio-economic and financial development of poor households.

  
  
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