Based in New Delhi, India, the Director, Policy will be responsible for directly managing a select few external stakeholder relationships in India including Governments, Multilaterals, regional institutions etc. ensuring the appropriate management of other key relationships, and providing guidance, mentorship, and oversight to the country policy & advocacy team leaders for them to work hand in hand with program colleagues to develop and execute a policy & advocacy strategy to further the foundation’s goals in the country.
The Director will contribute to the advancement of the foundation’s mission and impact by prioritizing collective success; modelling courageous inquiry and intellectual integrity; foster idea sharing and co-creation of approach between our programmatic goals and our policy approaches; and nurturing people and building great teams.
- Hold direct accountability for the design and execution of the policy & advocacy portfolio in India.
- Hold joint accountability for foundation’s India goals along with the other directors at the India office.
- Collaborate effectively with the various foundation divisions in Seattle and its offices in other locations, for the achievement of the foundation’s Indian and global goals.
- Jointly with the Country Director, be the key representative for the entire scope of the foundation’s work in India, to include serving as the foundation’s primary spokesperson on India to stakeholders, at events, and for media at the local, regional, national, and global levels.
- Build and nurture strong teams and their leaders in the policy & advocacy space, and strong partnerships across the ICO and the broader foundation.
- Contribute towards building an effective culture for impact at the India office.
- Assume responsibility for managing the engagement with foundation Co-Chairs when they visit the India office.
India Networks and Stature
- A highly respected and well-known leader in the Indian context, who has engaged and connected with the highest levels of ministers and bureaucrats in governments, and chief executives of the largest private sector, multilateral, and non-profit organizations.
- Proven leadership experience at a very senior level in government (Secretary) or large private sector (CEO or equivalent).
Development Sector Expertise
- Domain knowledge in health sector desirable
- Experience or exposure to agriculture, financial services for the poor and gender equality desirable but not required
Language Ability
- Ability to work (read, write, and speak) effectively in English and Hindi is essential.
Critical Leadership Capabilities
- Collaborating and Influencing
- Driving for Results with a strong passion for the development mission of the foundation
- A leader with the wherewithal to manage disparate points of view and align a team to action
- High tolerance for ambiguity
- A high level of tenacity and patience in the face of adversity
- Strong strategic thinking capability with an ability to balance short, medium, and long-term considerations.
Other Personal Characteristics
- Enjoys networking and meeting people
- Willing to spend the time needed to nurture people and build effective teams and leaders
- Willing to travel extensively both within India as well as internationally
- Willing to work at building internal consensus in a highly networked and matrixed environment
- Contributes towards building a positive, energetic, and nurturing environment at work