Position: Associate Director – Research, Insights & Strategy (RI&S;)
Location: Current Delhi
Reports to: Program Director, STEP Foundation
Team: Leads a team of Program Leads and Program Associates across the RI&S; vertical
About STEP Foundation
STEP Foundation (Skilling, Training & Employability for Prosperity) is a systems-level think tank and implementation body working to ensure every young Indian is employable by 2047. STEP works at the intersection of policy, institutions, and evidence — partnering with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), NITI Aayog, NCVET, state governments and industry to build the evidence base, strengthen core institutions, and scale high-impact programmes across India's skilling ecosystem.
Job Description
We are seeking an experienced research and policy leader to head STEP's Research, Insights & Strategy (RI&S;) vertical. RI&S; is STEP's evidence engine — the team responsible for generating the data, analysis and institutional recommendations that anchor STEP's credibility with government and industry.



This includes STEP's work reforming India's vocational assessment ecosystem with MSDE and other regulatory bodies, STEP's Job Data Insights work — building district-level labour market intelligence for MSDE.
As Associate Director – RI&S;, you will own the strategy, quality and delivery of this vertical end-to-end: setting the research agenda, building institutional relationships with MSDE, NCVET and NITI Aayog, translating field evidence into policy-ready recommendations, and building a team with the quantitative and analytical depth STEP needs to be a credible evidence partner to government.
Key Responsibilities
Own strategy and delivery for the RI&S; vertical, including STEP's NCVET assessment-reform workstream (regulatory pilot design) and Job Data Insights workstream (Job Data Lab and District Demand Planning Framework for MSDE)
Serve as STEP's primary research and technical interface with MSDE, NCVET and NITI Aayog —

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