Senior Manager / Lead - Artificial Intelligence for Social Good (AI4SG) - J-PAL South Asia

About J-PAL South Asia

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia, based at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), works to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. J-PAL partners with governments, civil society, and the private sector to conduct rigorous impact evaluations, translate research into policy insights, build capacity for evidence use, and scale up effective programmes.

As governments increasingly experiment with artificial intelligence in areas such as health, agriculture, education, and social protection, there is a growing need to ensure these technologies are deployed responsibly and that their real-world impacts are rigorously tested before taking them to scale.

Overview of the role

J-PAL South Asia is seeking a Senior Manager or Lead to help shape and lead its portfolio on Artificial Intelligence for Social Good (AI4SG).

This role sits at the intersection of technology, public policy, and rigorous research. The successful candidate will work with governments, researchers, technology partners, and philanthropic organizations to identify high potential applications of AI in public systems and build a pipeline of research and policy collaborations around them.

The role will involve developing J-PAL South Asia’s strategy on AI for social impact, incubating new research collaborations, building partnerships with governments and technology organizations, and contributing to J-PAL’s global agenda on responsible AI.

Based in New Delhi, the Senior Manager/ Lead will work closely with the Director of Policy and Communications and the Project AI Evidence (PAIE) team to position J-PAL South Asia as a leading voice on the responsible and evidence-based use of AI for social development.

Key responsibilities

• Strategy and Thought Leadership:
  • Help develop J-PAL South Asia’s strategy on Artificial Intelligence for Social Good. Lead the development of a
  • strategic white paper outlining J-PAL’s approach to AI for social development in India, drawing on India’s policy landscape, insights from J-PAL’s global AI evidence playbook, and opportunities for partnerships across government, technology organizations, and research institutions.
• Research Incubation:
  • Identify high potential applications of AI relevant to India’s development priorities across sectors such as health, education, labour markets, agriculture, climate resilience, etc. Work with J-PAL affiliated professors and invited researchers to design new research collaborations and evaluations around these applications.
• Government and Policy Partnerships: 
  • Build and manage partnerships with state governments and central ministries, including collaborations with the federal Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY). Support governments in integrating rigorous evidence generation into AI enabled programmes.
  • Thought Leadership and External Engagement: 
  • Represent J-PAL South Asia in policy dialogues, conferences, and expert forums on AI, technology policy, and development. Contribute to public outputs such as policy notes, presentations, and op-eds that highlight the implications of AI for social development. Help position J-PAL South Asia as a leading voice on evidence-based approaches to AI in public systems.
• M&E Capacity Building:
  • Work closely with J-PAL’s Training and policy sector teams to support development organizations and implementing partners working on AI for social good to strengthen monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Help build capacity among partners to incorporate rigorous learning and evaluation into AI enabled programmes.
• Fundraising and Resource Mobilization: 
  • Contribute to fundraising efforts to expand J-PAL South Asia’s AI portfolio. Develop concept notes, proposals, and donor reports in collaboration with leadership and the global J-PAL AI initiatives team. Engage philanthropic organizations, foundations, and development partners interested in supporting responsible AI initiatives.
• Team and Project Management:
  • Manage project deliverables, budgets, and timelines across AI for Social Good initiatives. Supervise and mentor Policy Manager/ consultants, associate and interns and coordinate closely with J-PAL’s global AI team.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public Policy, Economics, Data Science, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Eight to twelve years of relevant professional experience in development policy, research, technology policy, or digital governance.
• Experience working with governments, research institutions, or technology organizations.
• Familiarity with evidence-based policymaking and impact evaluations is strongly preferred.
• Skills and attributes
• Strong understanding of emerging AI applications in social sectors and associated ethical and governance considerations.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills.
• Ability to translate technical concepts into clear insights for policymakers and practitioners.
• Strong partnership building and project management skills.
• Commitment to inclusive and evidence-based policymaking.

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape an emerging agenda at the intersection of AI, governance, and development.
• Work with leading researchers, policymakers, and technology innovators across India and the global J-PAL network.
• Exposure to cutting edge research and real-world applications of AI in public systems.

Location: New Delhi, India

Candidates must be authorized to work in India.