Associate Director – Research, Insights & Strategy (RI&S) The STEP Foundation

The Convergence Foundation; India; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

STEP Foundation in India seeks an experienced leader to head the Research, Insights & Strategy vertical. You will set the research agenda, translate field evidence into policy-ready recommendations, and build institutional relationships with MSDE, NCVET and NITI Aayog.

As Associate Director, RI&S you will shape strategy and quality, lead a high-performing team, engage with senior government stakeholders, and represent STEP in government and industry forums to advance skilling and employment

Qualifications

• 14+ years of experience in research, labour economics, public policy, workforce development, or management consulting with leadership experience.
• Strong quantitative and analytical foundation; comfortable with data analysis and applied research methods.
• Working knowledge of India's skilling and workforce-development ecosystem (MSDE, NCVET, NSQF) is a strong plus.
• Experience engaging senior government stakeholders and translating research into policy-relevant recommendations.
• Proven ability to build and lead a team from the ground up.
• Entrepreneurial, first-principles operator, comfortable with ambiguity and building institutions from zero to one.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to synthesize complex evidence for senior audiences.

Responsibilities

• Own strategy and delivery for the RI&S vertical, including regulatory pilot design and district-level job data insights workstreams.
• Serve as STEP's primary research interface with government bodies and industry forums.
• Design and uphold STEP's research methodology and analytical rigour; ensure findings are decision-ready.
• Build and lead a high-performing RI&S team of program leads and associates.
• Translate field research and stakeholder consultations into structured policy recommendations.
• Own vertical budget, planning and reporting, contributing to STEP's broader strategy.
• Represent STEP externally to enhance credibility as a research partner.

Skills

Leadership

Quantitative analysis

Policy translation

Stakeholder engagement

Team building

Econometrics

Communication skills

Job description

Associate Director – Research, Insights & Strategy (RI&S)

Position:Associate Director – Research, Insights & Strategy (RI&S)

Reports to: Program Director, STEP Foundation

Team: Leads a team of Program Leads and Program Associates across the RI&S vertical

About STEP Foundation

STEP Foundation (Skilling, Training & Employability for Prosperity) is a systems-level think tank and implementation body working to ensure every young Indian is employable by 2047. STEP works at the intersection of policy, institutions, and evidence — partnering with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), NITI Aayog, NCVET, state governments and industry to build the evidence base, strengthen core institutions, and scale high-impact programmes across India's skilling ecosystem.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced research and policy leader to head STEP's Research, Insights & Strategy (RI&S) vertical. RI&S is STEP's evidence engine — the team responsible for generating the data, analysis and institutional recommendations that anchor STEP's credibility with government and industry. This includes STEP's work reforming India's vocational assessment ecosystem with MSDE and other regulatory bodies, STEP's Job Data Insights work — building district-level labour market intelligence for MSDE.

As Associate Director – RI&S, you will own the strategy, quality and delivery of this vertical end-to-end: setting the research agenda, building institutional relationships with MSDE, NCVET and NITI Aayog, translating field evidence into policy-ready recommendations, and building a team with the quantitative and analytical depth STEP needs to be a credible evidence partner to government.

Key Responsibilities

• Own strategy and delivery for the RI&S vertical, including STEP's NCVET assessment-reform workstream (regulatory pilot design) and Job Data Insights workstream (Job Data Lab and District Demand Planning Framework for MSDE)
• Serve as STEP's primary research and technical interface with MSDE, NCVET and NITI Aayog — shaping reform recommendations and representing STEP in government and industry forums
• Design and uphold STEP's research methodology and analytical rigour — ensuring findings are evidence-based, decision-ready, and defensible to senior government and industry stakeholders
• Build and lead a high-performing RI&S team of Program Leads and Program Associates, strengthening the vertical's core research, data analytics and economics capability
• Translate field research and stakeholder consultations (district officials, industry, implementation partners) into structured, actionable policy and programme recommendations
• Own vertical-level budget, planning and reporting, and contribute to STEP's broader institutional strategy as a member of the senior leadership team
• Represent STEP externally — building STEP's credibility and profile as a research and evidence partner across the skilling ecosystem

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 14+ years of experience in research, labour economics, public policy, workforce development, or management consulting, including significant experience leading teams
• Strong quantitative and analytical foundation — comfortable with data analysis, econometrics or applied research methods, and able to build this capability in others
• Working knowledge of India's skilling and workforce-development ecosystem (MSDE, NCVET, NSQF, labour market data landscape) is a strong plus
• Demonstrated experience engaging senior government stakeholders and translating research into policy-relevant recommendations
• Proven ability to build and lead a team from the ground up
• Entrepreneurial, first-principles operator, comfortable with ambiguity and building institutions from zero to one
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to synthesise complex evidence for non-technical, senior audiences