IPE Global’s Social and Economic Empowerment (SEE) practice works towards building girl capital, empowering women and nurturing resilient communities by creating inclusive and sustainable solutions, including but not limited to policy development, capacity building, adaptive management, community mobilisation, behaviour change communication, deepening social safety nets, beneficiary feedback analysis, poverty assessment, and evidence-based monitoring.

Under the SEE practice, IPE Global is implementing She Works (2025-2030), a programme aimed at increasing women's access to paid employment.

In Uttar

Pradesh, under the She Works programme, IPE Global has partnered with the State Transformation Commission (STC), Government of Uttar Pradesh, to increase female labour force participation (FLFP) in paid employment across the state. As part of this partnership, an FLFP Cell has been set up at the STC to drive convergence across government departments, and private sector action on women’s employment.

IPE Global is hiring a Private Sector Engagement Manager who will anchor state-level industry engagement for She Works programme in Uttar Pradesh, working closely with the State Transformation Commission (STC), Invest UP, the Industries Department, the MSME & Export Promotion Department, and industry associations to increase women's employment opportunities and improve workplace conditions across the state.

The role will be embedded within government—working out of Invest UP, STC or the MSME Department depending on traction and work requirements—and will design and implement a UP-specific private-sector strategy that draws on the state's investment promotion, industrial and MSME ecosystem to onboard companies, secure diversity pledges, strengthen gender-responsive practices at the firm level, and build long-term partnerships with industry networks.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead the development and execution of a UP-specific private-sector strategy to increase women's employment across priority sectors and clusters, including manufacturing, electronics, textiles and apparel, food processing, logistics, and One District One Product (ODOP) clusters.
- Work from within Invest UP, STC or the MSME Department (as determined by traction and work requirements), providing embedded technical support to integrate women’s employment objectives into investment facilitation, industrial development initiatives, and MSME programmes.
- Coordinate with STC, Invest UP, the Industries Department, and the MSME & Export Promotion Department, along with allied departments such as Labour,



Vocational Education & Skill Development (UPSDM) and Women & Child Development, to align employer engagement with the She Works State Action Plan.
- Leverage Invest UP's investor facilitation pipeline—including MoUs signed at investor summits and projects under ground-breaking ceremonies—to engage new and expanding investors on women's hiring commitments, workforce planning and gender-inclusive workplace standards.
- Support the integration of gender-inclusive provisions (e.g., incentives for women's employment, workplace safety, and enabling infrastructure such as working women's · hostels and transport) into state industrial, sectoral and MSME frameworks and their operational guidelines.
- Build and manage partnerships with national, state and sector-specific industry associations (e.g., CII, FICCI, PHDCCI, ASSOCHAM, Indian Industries Association) to onboard employers and drive gender-inclusive practices.
- Roll out the state diversity pledges, track company progress, and support the creation of state-level recognition mechanisms for gender-inclusive employers.
- Engage MSMEs and cluster associations—including ODOP clusters and industrial areas—to pilot practical, low-cost gender-inclusive HR and workplace solutions suited to smaller enterprises.
- Promote gender-friendly certifications and diversity indices among private employers to drive widespread recognition and compliance.
- Facilitate state-level industry roundtables and district/cluster dialogues—with STC, Invest UP, the Industries and MSME Departments, and industry associations—to drive sector-wide adoption of gender-inclusive practices across the state.
- Design a state-level recognition mechanism, in partnership with Invest UP, the MSME Department and industry bodies, to acknowledge companies that achieve or exceed their diversity pledge commitments.
- Capture field insights, document best practices, and support state-level monitoring and reporting mechanisms for adaptive programme learning, including inputs to STC and departmental review meetings.
- Document UP-specific case studies of companies and clusters that successfully adopt gender-inclusive hiring and workplace practices,



and share them through government review meetings, Invest UP and MSME platforms, and industry forums.
- As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the Manager may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities as determined by the senior leadership.

Qualification & Experience

Educational Background

Master’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Gender/ Development Studies, Human Resource Management, Economics or a related field.

Work Experience:

- At least 8 years of professional work experience in engaging with corporates, industry associations, government departments, and donor agencies on women's economic empowerment, investment promotion, MSME development or private sector development.
- Demonstrated experience working with or within state government institutions (e.g., investment promotion agencies, Industries/MSME departments, and transformation units), preferably in Uttar Pradesh.
- Track record of engaging with senior industry leaders and influencing organizational change.
- Strong understanding of gender and labour market dynamics in India, and of Uttar Pradesh's industrial, investment and MSME landscape.

Technical Expertise:

- Deep knowledge of gender-responsive approaches to private sector development and employment.
- Familiarity with state industrial, investment and MSME policies and schemes, ESG/BRSR principles, and inclusive value chains.

Key Skills and Competencies

- Strategic Thinking & Innovation: Ability to design and drive complex partnership models for social impact.
- Negotiation & Influence: Skilled in building high-level alliances with government and private players.
- Government Liaison & Embedded Working: Ability to work effectively from within government offices, navigate inter-departmental processes, and build trust with senior officials.
- Communication: Excellent written and spoken English and Hindi; able to present to senior government and industry audiences.
- Gender and Inclusion Lens: Experience integrating gender-transformative approaches into public-private programs.

Our commitments:

- We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.
- We are committed to diversity in our workforce and are proud to be an equal prospect employer.
- You will work with sector experts and understand how people-centered policies can be created and effectively implemented.
- With us, you will master framing narratives and counterpoints and pace storytelling for internal and external stakeholders.

📌 Private Sector Engagement Manager (Lucknow)
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