Private Sector Engagement Manager - Women's Economic Empowerment

IPE Global; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Job summary

IPE Global’s She Works programme seeks a Private Sector Engagement Manager to anchor state-level industry engagement in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, partnering with employers, industrial associations, and state departments to expand women’s employment and improve workplace practices.

The role requires deep knowledge of gender and labour market dynamics in India, and experience engaging with corporates and government bodies to drive scalable, gender-responsive private sector development.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience engaging with corporates, government departments and donor agencies on economic empowerment.
• Strong track record influencing organizational change with senior industry leaders.
• Deep understanding of gender and labour market dynamics in India.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of a state-specific private-sector strategy to increase women’s employment across priority industries and clusters.
• Coordinate with state and district departments and industry bodies to align employer engagement with State Action Plans.
• Organize job fairs and build partnerships with state and sector-specific industry bodies to onboard employers.
• Roll out state diversity pledges and recognition mechanisms for gender-inclusive employers.

Skills

Strategic Thinking

Negotiation & Influence

Gender & Inclusion

Education

Master’s degree or higher

Job description

Private Sector Engagement Manager - Women's Economic Empowerment Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India ..+ 2 8 - 10 Years

Job Description

PositionSummary

IPE Global’s Social and Economic Empowermentpractice works towards building girl capital, empowering women and nurturingresilient communities by creating inclusive and sustainable solutions,including but not limited to policy development, capacity building, adaptivemanagement, community mobilisation, behavioural change communication, deepeningsocial safety nets, beneficiary feedback analysis, poverty assessment, andevidence-based monitoring.

Our She Works programme is a five-year (2025-2030)initiative to enable 3 million young women (in the age group of 18-29 years) toaccess aspirational jobs by addressing the social, economic, and institutionalbarriers that limit their participation in paid work. The design draws onproven models – including the Manzil programme in Rajasthan (which supportedover 15,000 young women), the NSDC Skill Impact Bond, and FSG’s GLOW genderdiversity roadmaps. The initiative will partner with state governments in Rajasthan,Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh to createscalable solutions.

The State Mission aims to increase women'sparticipation in paid work by improving hiring, retention, workplace safety,and gender-inclusive practices across high-growth sectors. IPE is hiring a PrivateSector Engagement Manager who will anchor all state-level industryengagement in Rajasthan, working directly with employers, industrialassociations, district officials, and state departments to increase women’semployment opportunities and improve workplace conditions across the state.

This role will design and implement a state-specificstrategy to onboard companies, secure diversity pledges, strengthengender-responsive practices at the firm level, and build long-term partnershipswith industry networks.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead thedevelopment and execution of a state-specific private-sector strategy toincrease women’s employment across priority industries and clusters.
• Coordinatewith the state Employment Department, Industries Department, State SkillDevelopment Mission (SSDM), District Skill Committees (DSCs), and otherrelevant industry bodies to align employer engagement with the State ActionPlan.
• Support thestate government in organising job fairs to increase women’s access toemployment opportunities.
• Build andmanage partnerships with state and sector‑specific industry bodies to onboard employers and drivegender‑inclusive practices.
• Roll out the statediversity pledges, track company progress, and support the creation of state‑level recognition mechanisms for gender‑inclusive employers.
• Promote gender‑friendlycertifications and diversity indices among private employers to drivewidespread recognition and compliance.
• Facilitatestate‑level industry roundtables and district/cluster policy dialogues – with EmploymentDepartment, Industries Department, SSDM, and state industry associations – todrive sector‑wide adoption of gender‑inclusive practices across the state.
• Design a state‑level recognition mechanism, in partnership with the state government and stateindustry bodies, to acknowledge companies that achieve or exceed theirdiversity pledge commitments.
• Capture fieldinsights, document best practices, and support state‑level monitoringand reporting mechanisms for adaptive programme learning.
• Document state‑specificcase studies of companies and clusters that successfully adoptgender‑inclusive hiring and workplace practices, and share them through statereview meetings and industry platforms.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, t he professional may be requiredto undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above keyresponsibilities, as determined by the senior leadership.

Qualification & Experience

EducationalBackground

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

WorkExperience:

• Atleast 8 years of professional work experience in engaging with corporates,government departments, and donor agencies on economic empowerment orinfrastructure delivery.
• Trackrecord of engaging with senior industry leaders and influencing organisationalchange.
• Strongunderstanding of gender and labour market dynamics in India.

TechnicalExpertise:

• Deepknowledge of gender-responsive approaches to private sector development andemployment.
• Familiaritywith government schemes, ESG principles, and inclusive value chains.

KeySkills and Competencies

• StrategicThinking and Innovation: Abilityto design and drive complex partnership models for social impact.
• Negotiationand Influence : Skilled in leadinghigh‑level engagement with government officials and private players.
• Genderand Inclusion Lens :Experience integrating gender-transformative approaches into public‑privateprograms.

Our commitments

• Weoffer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.
• Weare committed to diversity in our workforce and are proud to be an equalopportunity employer.
• Youwill work with sector experts and understand how people‑centered policies canbe created and effectively implemented.
• Withus, you will master framing narratives and counterpoints and pace storytellingfor internal and external stakeholders.
• We offer a space for you to grow, think innovatively, andshed unconscious biases while learning more about diverse cultures.