Lead, State Policy and Advocacy

Location: Remote (Preferred base: Delhi or Bangalore) | Travel across states About the Organisation Our partner is a fast-scaling, mission-driven non-profit working at the intersection of early childhood development, public systems, and digital innovation. The organisation has built deep partnerships with central and multiple state governments, driving large-scale reforms in the early childhood ecosystem. With a strong focus on leveraging technology, community engagement, and policy influence, they are working towards improving learning and developmental outcomes for millions of children across India. About the Role This is a high-impact leadership role reporting directly to the Co-Founder, focused on shaping and scaling the organisation's state-level policy and government partnerships. The Lead, State Policy and Advocacy will anchor relationships with senior state government stakeholders and drive end-to-end engagement across multiple states. This includes guiding policy design, supporting implementation, and ensuring that state partnerships translate into meaningful, system-level outcomes. The role requires balancing strategic thinking with execution—working closely with internal teams and state Program Management Units (PMUs) to deliver on government priorities while strengthening long-term institutional partnerships. Key Responsibilities Lead and manage partnerships with senior state government stakeholders (WCD, Education), anchoring long-term collaboration Oversee multiple state engagements, ensuring alignment across strategy, execution, and outcomes Guide and manage state teams/PMUs, enabling high-quality delivery and stakeholder coordination Support policy design and implementation across ECD initiatives, including digital and community-led interventions Develop high-quality written outputs—policy briefs, strategy notes, proposals, and government-facing documents Work closely with leadership to identify opportunities for expansion and deepen state-level engagement Coordinate with internal teams (policy, product, operations) to drive integrated program delivery What Success Looks Like Strong, trust-based partnerships with senior government stakeholders across multiple states Scaled state-led initiatives contributing to systemic improvements in early childhood outcomes High-quality policy inputs and execution support influencing state-level decision-making Well-managed, high-performing state teams delivering consistently across geographies Who We're Looking For 8–10 years of experience (up to ~13 years), with significant exposure to state or central government engagement Experience managing multiple state partnerships (not limited to a single state PMU) Strong strategic orientation—ability to step back from execution and guide big-picture direction Demonstrated experience in team leadership and people management Excellent writing, communication, and stakeholder management skills Proven ability to operate in fast-paced, high-ownership environments Willingness to travel regularly (typically 7–10 days/month) Preferred Background Experience in public policy, consulting, or government advisory roles Sector experience in early childhood, education, health, or allied domains Exposure to GovTech, digital public infrastructure (DPI), or tech-enabled public systems is a plus Additional Notes Candidates with shorter notice periods (30 days) are preferred This role requires comfort with ambiguity, high ownership, and working closely with senior leadership