Senior Program Associate The Udaiti Foundation

Theconvergencefoundation; Lucknow; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship from sector leaders

Exposure to high-impact policy research

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

A leading non-profit organization in India seeks a Senior Program Associate to support initiatives for women's economic empowerment. The role involves research, program design, and collaboration with government and private sector stakeholders. Candidates should have a postgraduate degree and 2-5 years of experience in relevant fields. This position offers opportunities for professional growth in a dynamic and collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of experience in research, consulting, policy, or development sector organisations.
• Ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Strong analytical, research, and communication skills; proficient with Google Workspace and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Support design, planning, and execution of Udaiti’s programs.
• Conduct literature reviews and data analysis on women's economic empowerment.
• Document best practices and case studies from Udaiti’s initiatives.

Skills

Strong analytical skills

Research skills

Communication skills

Data analysis

Knowledge of Google Workspace

Proficiency in MS Office Suite

Education

Post Graduate degree in Economics, Public Policy, Development Studies, Management

Tools

Google Workspace

MS Office

Job description

The Udaiti Foundation is a Delhi-based not-for-profit organisation committed to accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in India. Guided by the belief that unlocking the full economic potential of women is essential to realizing India’s growth ambitions, Udaiti has been incubated by The Convergence Foundation (TCF) by Ashish Dhawan. Udaiti counts Ashoka University, CSF, ILSS, FED, AIP, CSF, CEGIS, CRISP, and CEDA as its cohort of foundations aiming at collective impact - each building lasting institutions to drive systemic change.

The Udaiti Foundation is a mission-driven organisation working to accelerate India’s journey towards a $30 trillion Viksit Bharat by 2047 by unlocking the full economic potential of women. Despite educational gains, women’s participation in India’s formal workforce remains stalled at ~18%. Udaiti is working to shift this reality by shaping demand for quality jobs, strengthening women’s enterprise ecosystems, and enabling the public-private architecture needed to drive systemic change in Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE). We work at the intersection of data and system-level change, combining evidence with institutional engagement to drive scalable, lasting impact.

Our bold national goals include increasing India’s female labour force participation rate to over 70%, and doubling the number of women-owned enterprises by 2047, in line with India's vision for a $30 trillion Viksit Bharat.

Role Overview

The Senior Program Associate will be a part of one of the Programs team at Udaiti, supporting the Program Manager / Senior Program Manager in research, program design and execution. The PA/SPA will work closely with the team to design and deliver large-scale programs that advance women’s economic empowerment (WEE), through the following 3 key areas:

• Government Engagement – Supporting Udaiti’s collaboration with central and state governments to shape policies, programs, and schemes that drive women’s participation in the formal economy
• Private Sector Engagement – Enabling industry partnerships and initiatives to increase women’s workforce participation across sectors.
• Entrepreneurship Ecosystem – Supporting interventions and partnerships that strengthen women-owned enterprises and improve their access to markets, finance, and capacity building.

The role will involve a mix of research, data analysis, and collateral creation with the goal of enabling scalable, systemic solutions. The role is ideal for the candidates who thrive in a dynamic environment that sits at the intersection of research, policy, and program implementation.

Key Responsibilities

Research & Insights

• Conduct literature reviews, data analysis, and landscape studies on specific areas having a bearing on WEE.
• Synthesize findings into actionable insights, policy briefs, and presentations.
• Support the PM/SPM in preparation of concept notes, and collaterals for meetings with internal/external stakeholders.

Program Support & Delivery

• Support design, planning, and execution of Udaiti’s programs and pilots.
• Support the PM/SPM in tracking progress and contribute to impact documentation.
• Provide logistical and operational support for events, workshops, and multi-stakeholder convenings being organised under the program they are attached with.

Knowledge Building

• Document best practices, case studies, and learnings from Udaiti’s initiatives.
• Contribute to publications, reports, and knowledge platforms.
• Develop content for social media collateral for socialising about Udaiti’s initiatives.

Qualifications & Experience

• Post Graduate – 2-5 years degree in Economics, Public Policy, Development Studies, Management, or related fields.
• 2-5 years of relevant experience in research, consulting, policy, or development sector organisations.
• Strong analytical, research, and communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Knowledge of Google workspace/G‑suite.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite.
• Ability to work and thrive in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on a bold national agenda to advance women’s economic empowerment.
• Exposure to high‑impact policy research, programmatic interventions, and systems change strategies.
• A dynamic and collaborative team environment with mentorship from sector leaders.
• Professional growth and learning opportunities across Udaiti’s partner and foundation network.

Remuneration

Remuneration will be competitive with Indian philanthropy pay scales and with organisations working with a similar mandate.