Position: Policy Lead

Location: New Delhi

Level: Senior Program Manager (SPM)

About The Udaiti Foundation The Udaiti Foundation is a Delhi-based not-for-profit organisation working to accelerate Women's Workforce Participation in the formal economy in India.

Udaiti

Foundation is part of the ecosystem of organizations under The Convergence Foundation (TCF). Udaiti works on systems-level change combining data and evidence with institutional engagement to drive scalable and sustainable impact for unlocking the full economic potential of women, thereby advancing India's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Over the past decade, India has made significant strides towards increasing opportunities for education, with gross enrolment ratios in many streams having already reached parity. However, the educational gains have not translated into more women working in the formal economy, thus keeping the participation stagnant at 18% of the past five years. Udaiti is working with the government, industry and the ecosystem to shift this reality through the following core pillars:

- Shaping access to quality jobs in the private sector
- Strengthening the ecosystem for women entrepreneurs to become job creators
- Strengthening critical infrastructure enablers such as housing, mobility, and childcare

Position Summary Women's economic empowerment depends on policies and programs spread across many Ministries, and is held back by constraints in markets, institutions and social norms. The Policy Lead's role is to bring these together across Central and State governments to drive change at scale.

We are seeking an exceptional Policy Lead to join Udaiti Foundation at a pivotal moment, as India's women's workforce participation agenda gains national momentum.

This is a high-impact, entrepreneurial role, offering the opportunity to work closely with senior government stakeholders, policymakers, and gender policy experts, alongside Udaiti's program teams,



to move proven models from pilots and evidence into durable state policy, scheme design, and monitoring systems.

Key Responsibilities

- Policy Landscape & Insight Generation: Develop a deep, evolving understanding of India's Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) policy landscape, and identify high-leverage policy mandates that can improve women's economic participation at scale.
- Policy Strategy & Prioritisation: Define Udaiti's policy priorities across jobs, enterprise, and enabling infrastructure, and identify the specific reforms Udaiti will push for.
- Trend Monitoring & Solutioning: Track changes in the political, social, and technological landscape that could impact WEE policy, and translate these shifts into forward-looking policy solutions.
- Government & Ecosystem Relationship-Building: Map and build relationships with key government stakeholders and gender policy experts to shape and advance policy mandates that improve women's economic participation.
- Program-Policy Integration: Partner with program teams to build policy pathways into the design of new programs across verticals, ensuring policy and programmatic work reinforce each other.
- Institutionalising Proven Models: Move proven program models into state policy, scheme guidelines, gender budgets, and monitoring systems, translating evidence into lasting institutional change.
- Knowledge Development & Policy Communications: Develop policy briefs, position papers,



and evidence-based reports that build the case for reform among government and ecosystem stakeholders and represent Udaiti's policy positions in external forums.

Required Qualification, Skills & Abilities

- Master's degree (or higher) from a Tier-1 institute in Public Policy, Economics, Political Science, Development Studies, or a related field.
- 10-12 years of experience in public policy, with a strong, demonstrated track record of working closely with government — at the central and/or state level — on policy design, advocacy, or implementation.
- Strong understanding of India's policymaking processes at the central and/or state level, including scheme design, gender budgeting, and monitoring frameworks.
- Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships with senior government officials and policy stakeholders.
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to distill complex policy landscapes into transparent, actionable priorities.
- Excellent written and spoken communication skills, including the ability to develop policy briefs, position papers, and presentations for varied audiences.
- Ability to work independently in ambiguous, fast-evolving environments, balancing long-term policy strategy with near-term execution.
- Entrepreneurial, self-starter mindset with a strong sense of ownership.

What We Offer

- Opportunity to work on a bold national agenda to advance women's economic empowerment.
- Opportunity to work with senior government stakeholders, policymakers, and gender policy experts shaping India's WEE agenda.
- Exposure to high-impact policy research, program design, and systems change strategies.
- A dynamic and collaborative team environment with mentorship from sector leaders.
- Professional growth and learning opportunities across Udaiti's partner and foundation network.

Remuneration Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and commensurate with experience.

📌 Policy Lead (Delhi)
🏢 The Convergence Foundation
📍 Delhi