Senior Policy Manager - Health & Gender - 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. We partner with governments, civil society, and the private sector to conduct randomized evaluations, disseminate research results, build capacity for evidence use, and scale up effective programs.

The Policy team at J-PAL South Asia disseminates findings of J-PAL’s research; develops relationships with government, civil society, and academic stakeholders; catalyzes scale-ups and replications of effective projects; and assists in conceptualizing new research projects. The team works closely with the global J-PAL office based at MIT to align the regional strategy with broader organizational objectives.

J-PAL South Asia seeks a Senior Policy Manager to contribute to its mission of promoting evidence-informed policy in J-PAL’s Health and Gender sectors, as well as for certain cross-sectoral outreach. J-PAL’s Health sector focuses on identifying policies and programs effective at improving the reach, quality, and take-up of health services and products. J-PAL’s Gender sector focuses on reducing gender inequality, promoting women and girls’ empowerment, and understanding how social norms related to gender affect the outcomes of development programs. 

Key responsibilities

• Lead Sectoral Strategy and Policy Engagement
  • Develop and execute J-PAL South Asia’s strategic vision for the Health and Gender sectors, in collaboration with senior leadership.
  • Identify emerging policy opportunities, design engagement strategies, and guide the team’s approach to evidence use and partnerships.
  • Represent J-PAL South Asia in high-level policy forums and working groups to shape conversations on evidence-based approaches in health and gender.
• Promote Evidence-Informed Policy use in Health and Gender
  • Lead the synthesis and dissemination of J-PAL’s research on health and gender through briefs, presentations, policy notes, and events
  • Translate complex evidence into clear, actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners.
  • Help build a pipeline of evidence based, scalable solutions leveraging J-PAL’s existing evidence in health and gender
  • Track and analyze policy developments across health and gender sectors in India and South Asia.
  • Represent J-PAL SA at key policy events, government meetings, and conferences.
• Support evidence generation
  • Build and maintain relationships with government partners, civil society, and donors to understand policy priorities.
  • Catalyze new randomized evaluations by linking policymakers’ priorities with J-PAL-affiliated researchers.
  • Secure institutional buy-in from partners to pilot and evaluate innovative programs and reforms.
• Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Forge strategic partnerships with stakeholders in health and education sectors in India to furthering evidence generation and use
  • Manage and strengthen partnerships with government departments, NGOs, and donors to promote rigorous evidence use.
  • Collaborate with J-PAL’s global Health and Gender teams and the policy leads at MIT for strategic alignment.
• Fundraising & Strategic Growth
  • Contribute to fundraising by developing concept notes, proposals, and donor reports in collaboration with senior leadership.
  • Identify opportunities to expand the reach and impact of J-PAL SA’s Health and Gender work.
• Team Leadership
  • Manage and mentor Senior Policy Associates/ Policy Managers, supporting their growth and development.
  • Contribute to organization-wide initiatives such as internal learning sessions, staff capacity building, and cross-sectoral projects.

Desired qualifications and experience

• Education: Master’s degree in economics, public policy, public health, gender studies, or a related field.
• Experience:
  • At least 7 years of relevant professional experience
  • Experience in health, gender, or development policy preferred.
  • Experience of working with state and/ or central governments in India preferred.
• Technical Understanding: An understanding of impact evaluations, especially randomized evaluations, and their relevance to policy.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional writing and presentation skills; ability to translate academic research into policy-relevant insights.
• Organization & Leadership: Excellent management/ organizational skills and able to solve unexpected problems and meet deadlines with high attention to detail.
• Partnership building: Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations focusing on building and strengthening relevant networks
• Other
  • Interest: Strong commitment to advancing evidence-based policy in South Asia.
  • Language: Fluency in English (spoken and written); familiarity with Hindi and / or other Indian languages would be an added advantage
  • Willingness to travel.