Assistant Vice President - Public Sector Advisor

Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd.; Dadri; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt. Ltd. is seeking an Assistant Vice President – Public Sector Advisory in Noida. This role involves leading the new Public Sector Advisory unit, aiming to enhance service delivery for state and national governments. The successful candidate should have 10-16 years of experience in government advisory or consulting, with a strong background in leadership and relationship building. Sambodhi promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment, encouraging applications from all backgrounds.

Qualifications

• 10-16 years in Government Advisory or consulting services.
• 5+ years in leadership roles in similar contexts.
• Strong understanding of public-sector advisory landscape.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead Public Sector Advisory as a business unit.
• Drive revenue generation through business development.
• Ensure project excellence and strategy alignment.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship building

Project Management

Problem-solving

Strategic thinking

Education

Master’s in Management or equivalent

Job description

Sambodhi Research and Communications Pvt Ltd., provides evidence-based insights to seed and catalyse scalable social impact. Our research, data, strategy consulting, monitoring, and evaluation solutions, support implementors, governments, foundations, and donors in the design and execution of programmes and policies that improve the lives of people and the planet. We are domain agnostic and work across a spectrum of areas including public health, WASH, natural resource management, energy, climate change, education, skilling, and entrepreneurship.

We are measurement experts with a flair for innovation and improvisation. Over the last twenty years we have emerged as a pioneer in developing and using cutting‑edge methodologies and advanced data tools to enable decision‑making and adaptive programming. A team of 100+ professionals, we work across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Sub‑Saharan Africa. We are headquartered at Noida (Delhi - National Capital Region), India.

Why Sambodhi

Sambodhi offers an exciting and challenging opportunity to contribute to high‑quality multi‑input development programmes, and work closely with governments, key development actors (such as the World Bank, UN, and bilateral agencies), national and international not‑for‑profits, and philanthropies (such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation). Being one of the largest and leading Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) providers in South Asia, Sambodhi offers an extraordinary platform to learn, innovate and mentor. Driven by the deep‑rooted wisdom of “Equity in Knowledge” (Sambodhi), ‘learning’ is integral to our work; be it investing in peer‑driven intensive professional development within Sambodhi or field building on MERL globally. In line with this, it offers an enabling environment for professionals to write, publish and network; to locate themselves in the contemporary discourse on MERL and be a part of the global think‑tank community.

Job Title

Assistant Vice President – Public Sector Advisory

Job Location

Noida

Job Summary

This position is to build and lead the Public Sector Advisory as a new Strategic Business Unit/Practice Area. The services offered through the Unit would be an addition to the service portfolio offered by Sambodhi. The unit is envisioned for providing bespoke support to national and state governments on catalysing service delivery and effectively delivering mandates to the citizenry. The incumbent will be responsible for providing vision, strategic growth, project excellence, and thought leadership to the Strategic Business Unit.

Key responsibilities include relationship building with state counterparts, driving revenue generation through business development, high‑quality proposal design, constituting and leading teams to deliver mandates and effective client engagement.

The role requires expertise in engagement with national and state government and supporting them for Program Lifecycle Management. The individual should have experience in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams as part of Project Management Units, Technical Assistance or similar consulting mandates supporting government departments and organisations commissioned by a range of stakeholders – state, philanthropies or multilateral/bilateral funding agencies. Thematic understanding of focus development sectors is expected.

Essential Functions

• Crafting a vision and strategy for the Business Unit
• Articulate a vision for the Business Unit aligned to the emerging needs with the changing development landscape and the role of the governments therein
• Develop strategic plans aligned with the vision specifying milestones to be achieved for the Unit and performance measurement framework
• Design partnership strategies for building long‑term partnerships of mutual value
• Driving Revenue Growth for the Business Unit and Organisation
• Conceptualise, develop and pitch innovative ideas for enhancing effectiveness of government programs and enhance impact at scale.
• Develop, write and present business proposals to stakeholders in alignment with requirements of advisory services as may be warranted to meet performance objectives of state departments or organisations
• Engage with prospective clients for business development opportunities and respond effectively to Requests for Proposals.
• Prospect, foster and nurture relationships with key stakeholders towards the goal of prospecting and pipeline management
• Achieving Excellence in Project Delivery and Management
• Ensure the quality and consistency of project deliverables by implementing robust quality control processes and integrating global best practices across all client deliverables.
• Lead effective resource planning and allocation to optimise operational efficiency and project delivery as well as support programme stakeholders in troubleshooting to ensure effective project execution.
• Drive the overall operating profitability of the business unit, ensuring financial sustainability and alignment with strategic goals
• Engagement and Potential Development of Team and Organisation
• Contribute as a thought leader by designing and contextualising innovative methodologies and best practices in the service portfolio
• Ensure effective team utilisation and engagement across all organisational functions to enhance productivity and performance
• Provide mentoring and professional development support to junior and mid‑level research staff, fostering a culture of growth and collaboration.
• Enhance Branding and visibility of the Business Unit
• Publish industry‑focused white papers or case studies and thought‑leadership articles annually to establish credibility.
• Organise or participate in key industry events, including webinars, conferences, and panel discussions, to enhance SBU visibility.
• Develop and implement a social media strategy in close coordination with the corporate communications unit

In addition to the functions listed here, similar duties and responsibilities consistent with knowledge, skills and abilities may also be assigned.

Essential Qualifications

• Advanced Master’s or Master’s in Management, Public Policy, Social Work, Development Management or equivalent from premier institutions/universities.
• 10‑16 years of work experience in Government Advisory, Public Sector Advisory, or consulting services.
• At least 5 years of experience in leadership or team‑leadership roles in similar industry contexts.
• Proven track record of partnership building and delivery of consulting/advisory services.
• In‑depth knowledge of the public‑sector advisory services landscape with strong thematic understanding of focus and emerging sectors including climate change, AI, etc.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities to succeed in an entrepreneurial role.
• Ability to work independently, strong management and problem‑solving capabilities.
• High level of involvement, engagement and ownership in designing and implementing technical assistance and government advisory projects.
• Strong ability to build and nurture strategic relationships with clients and stakeholders working in the state capacity‑development space and fostering long‑term partnerships.
• Demonstrated competence in handling teams, strong interpersonal skills, negotiation abilities, time‑management skills and ability to prioritise.

Sambodhi focuses on nurturing an inclusive work environment. We stress and reinforce diversity in our workplace. We welcome all applications regardless of race, religion, caste, place of origin, gender, sexuality, and disability.