Associate Director Policy & Insights

The Policy Insights (PI) team forms the core thinking backbone for Janaagraha, bringing insights from research into public domain and advising the programmatic activities of all teams in the organisation. While the team focuses on Thought Leadership and Policy Reforms, it also incubates newer areas of intersectional work before they mature into programs for reform design and implementation.

This position is based out of Delhi and reports to the Chief Policy Insights Officer at Janaagraha.

Why this role matter

India is at a pivotal moment in its urban journey. The quality of governance in our cities will determine not only economic growth, but also inclusion, climate resilience, public health and the everyday dignity of urban life. Janaagraha believes that strengthening municipal institutions, deepening decentralisation and building accountable, citizen-centric city systems are among the most important reform priorities for the country.

As Associate Director Policy Insights, you will play a leadership role in shaping Janaagraha s urban policy agenda, building influential evidence and ideas, mentoring a growing team, and representing the organisation in national policy conversations. This is a role for someone who combines intellectual curiosity, strategic thinking and a deep commitment to improving how Indian cities are governed. The role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of research, policy, practice and systems reform, influencing both public discourse and real-world institutional change.

KEY Responsibilites

Shape Janaagraha s urban policy agenda

• Lead the development of Janaagraha s work on urban governance and city-systems reforms, identifying emerging policy questions and translating them into actionable research and reform agendas.
• Propose and lead independent research on urban governance reforms in India, building on Janaagraha s beliefs, strategy and existing research strands. This will involve both primary and secondary research, using appropriate methodologies, across the main strands of municipal laws and policies, decentralisation of powers, participatory democracy, hyper-local governance, and transparency and accountability.
• Research may be furthering existing work or breaking new ground with insights on a range of topics. An indicative list includes rural-urban transition and convergence, urbanisation trends, census data, the intersection of economic growth and urbanisation, non-financial deregulation, city economic indicators, land governance, the intersection of health, climate, and gender with the city-systems framework, governance and district linkages, and other catalytic policy agendas as they appear.
• Think through and plan engagement mechanisms around our flagship urban conclave and other research roundtables organised by the organisation

Translate research into policy influence

• Work closely with the Policy Engagement team and program teams to ensure evidence informs reform efforts specifically at the union level, as well as constitutional and legislative bodies.
• Engage with senior government officials, constitutional and legislative bodies, multilateral institutions, academic institutions, philanthropy and ecosystem partners to advance institutional reforms.
• Represent Janaagraha at national and state-level forums, conferences, consultations and public discussions, articulating the organisation s theory of change and policy positions with clarity and credibility.
• Write regularly on urban policy, and encourage team members to write and publish regularly, while managing the reception and feedback of this work.

Lead people and strengthen organisational capability

• Lead and mentor a small, high-performing team of researchers and policy professionals, fostering a culture of intellectual rigour, collaboration, ownership and continuous learning.
• Provide strategic direction, coaching and quality assurance across projects, helping team members grow into recognised contributors in their domains.
• Strengthen collaboration across Policy Insights, Programmes, Communications, Partnerships and Leadership, ensuring that research is effectively translated into organisational strategy, influence and impact.
• Contribute to organisational planning, fundraising conversations, partnership development and the incubation of new areas of work as Janaagraha s policy and research portfolio evolves.

Qualifications AND Experience

• A Master s degree (or higher) in Public Policy, Urban Development, Urban Planning, Economics, Political Science, Public Administration or a related field.
• Approximately 12 16 years of relevant professional experience spanning urban governance, public policy, research, government advisory, development practice or related fields.
• Strong understanding of India s urban governance architecture, including municipal institutions, decentralisation, public finance and service delivery systems.
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior government leaders and bureaucratic institutions at the Union and State levels.
• Experience leading multi-stakeholder initiatives, interdisciplinary teams and complex policy projects.
• A track record of producing high-quality policy analysis, research, publications or thought leadership outputs.
• Familiarity with research methodologies, public datasets and evidence synthesis approaches; exposure to analytical tools would be an advantage.

KEY Competencies

• Thinks strategically and systemically, connecting ideas across sectors and disciplines.
• Is intellectually curious and comfortable working on emerging and ambiguous policy questions.
• Can move from big-picture thinking to detailed and actionable recommendations.
• Communicates complex ideas with clarity, precision and persuasion for diverse audiences.
• Builds trusted relationships across government, academia, philanthropy and civil society.
• Leads through influence, mentorship and collaboration, creating an environment where others can do their best work.
• Demonstrates agility, sound judgement and a strong sense of ownership in a fast-evolving policy environment.
• Has excellent written and spoken English and Hindi; proficiency in additional Indian languages would be an advantage.

Additional Information

This role will be based in New Delhi.

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