Job Description: Senior Lead, Government Partnerships
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Jan Sahas JD: Senior Lead, Government Partnerships
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Position
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Senior Lead – Government Partnerships
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Program
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Dignity First Initiative (DFI)
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Reports to
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Associate Director, DFI
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Location
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Delhi/ Bhopal
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Travel
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Yes, Up to 30%, including to field implementation sites and state capitals across India
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Annual CTC
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Competitive compensation and benefits (commensurate based on experience)
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About Jan Sahas
Jan Sahas was founded in the year 2000 to ensure dignity for India’s most socially excluded communities. Since then, we have made significant contributions to support communities and shift systems to address forced labour, sexual violence (e.g., designed and piloted a nationally recognized model for survivor support centre), and manual scavenging (e.g., helped bring about landmark legislation to prohibit the practice and compensate victims).
Since 2012, we have been implementing our flagship Dignity First Initiative (formerly known as the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children - PVAWC program). Our mission is ambitious: to eliminate sexual violence and uphold dignity.
To date, this initiative has:
- Provided comprehensive support to over 23,000 survivors of violence.
- Offered mental health care to over 10,000 individuals.
- Driven significant community transformation by challenging harmful social norms and increasing help-seeking behavior across 50 districts, with partnerships in 25 districts across eight states.
About the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children
2012 – 2024: The Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children (PVAWC) program, was launched by Jan Sahas in 2012 with a mission to eliminate sexual violence within India’s most marginalized communities – as outlined in the current framework. Historically, the PVAWC program focused on providing direct support to survivors, ensuring access to essential services, including trauma-informed counseling, medical care, and socio-economic rehabilitation. Crucial to this effort was the Dignity March, a nationwide campaign that successfully mobilized 5,000 women and families across 22 states and 200 districts, reshaping the narrative around sexual violence from shame to support and advocating for survivor dignity and social acceptance. More about the Dignity March through a featurein Times of India and this video.
Jan Sahas implements the PVAWC program directly in 50 districts and 25 districts through partnerships. Through this, the program has provided comprehensive support to over 23,000 survivors, mental health care for over 10,000 individuals, and has driven community transformation by challenging harmful norms and increasing help-seeking behavior. The program has also significantly influenced national policy, notably by contributing to the Supreme Court's suo moto cognizance of sexual violence cases through survivor-led advocacy. Our research, such as the report "Recourse for Sexual Violence Survivors," which addressed pandemic-related challenges, has informed critical crisis response.
Roadmap for the future: From 2025 onwards, the program has been rebranded as the Dignity First Initiative (DFI) to reflect a renewed strategic direction and strengthen its external positioning. The initiative focuses on preventing sexual violence and promoting survivor-centric justice by aligning societal systems with the lived experiences and aspirations of survivors. To achieve this alignment, going forward we will explore avenues for working with government institutions to enhance services, facilitate interagency coordination, and support the inclusion of survivor-first frameworks in policies at all levels.
Position Summary:
The Senior Lead – Government Partnerships will play a catalytic role in shaping and institutionalizing collaborations with government bodies at national and sub-national levels, ensuring PVWAC/DFI interventions are embedded within public systems for long-term impact.
This role will lead strategic engagement with departments such as Police, Women and Child Development, Education, and State Legal Services Authorities to advance policy implementation, resource alignment, and program delivery on Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). It will serve as the key liaison between Jan Sahas and government stakeholders, fostering sustained collaboration, legal alignment, and policy advocacy.
The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with deep understanding of India’s institutional architecture around gender justice, child protection, and public systems, capable of translating ground evidence into systemic policy and operational shifts.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Government Engagement
- Build and sustain institutional relationships with key ministries and departments (Women and Child Development, Police, Home Affairs, Health, Education, State Legal Services Authorities, etc.).
- Serve as the lead liaison between Jan Sahas and government entities, ensuring program alignment with state and national GBV frameworks and priorities.
- Enable cross-sectoral coordination to integrate PVWAC/DFI initiatives within state action plans, budgets, delivery mechanisms and legal frameworks.
Policy Advocacy and Systems Influence
- Monitor emerging policy trends and government schemes relevant to SGBV prevention and response.
- Lead or contribute to the drafting of policy recommendations, position papers, and briefing notes.
- Drive evidence-based advocacy to influence legislative reforms, resource allocation, and systemic strengthening.
- Represent the organization in inter-agency meetings, working groups, and public forums.
Institutional Partnership Development
- Design and operationalize formal collaborations (e.g., MoUs, task forces, technical working groups) with government partners for co-implementation and scale-up.
- Support co-creation of models and toolkits that institutionalize survivor-centered, trauma-informed approaches within public systems.
Program Implementation Support
- Facilitate convergence between Jan Sahas interventions and government-run schemes on justice, education, health, legal aid and protection.
- Collaborate with internal M&E and program design teams to ensure government alignment and uptake of evidence-based models that inform policy and system-level changes.
- Guide government-led capacity building of frontline workers, duty-bearers, and institutions on SGBV prevention and survivor support.
Leadership, Coordination & Reporting
- Provide leadership to a small team or cross-functional task groups focused on government partnerships and policy engagement.
- Offer strategic and technical inputs to program teams on government processes, protocols, and compliance.
- Contribute to donor reports, internal updates, and learning documents from a government engagement lens.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Postgraduate degree in Public Policy, Social Work, Gender Studies, Law, or related field.
- Atleast 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in government relations, public sector program management, or policy advocacy, preferably in GBV or women’s rights.
- Demonstrated success in building strategic government partnerships in the domains of GBV, child protection, justice systems, or public health at national and/or state levels.
- Deep knowledge of GBV laws, policies, and institutional frameworks (e.g., POCSO, NCPCR/NCPCR guidelines, One Stop Centers, Mission Shakti, SLSAs).
- Experience working with vulnerable and marginalized communities in rural and peri-urban India.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
- Proven leadership and team management experience.
Desirable Attributes:
- Prior experience with INGOs, bilateral/multilateral donors, or technical support units.
- Fluency in Hindi and at least one other regional Indian language.
- Commitment to feminist values, survivor-centric approaches, and social justice.
- Familiarity with government budgeting, scheme implementation cycles, and inter-departmental coordination mechanisms.
- Understanding of intersectionality, survivor-centered approaches, and trauma-informed care.
- Familiarity with legal and justice systems related to GBV.
Why Work with Jan Sahas
At Jan Sahas, we prioritize the growth and development of our team by offering tailored support. During your time with us, you’ll have access to professional development, leadership training, and mentorship opportunities.
Additionally, we foster a supportive and inclusive environment through the following initiatives:
- Employee Wellbeing: We offer mental health and wellness programs, including physical and virtual meetups, to promote inclusivity and connection.
- Employee Voice:Launching this year, we are committed to reshaping our employee policies to ensure they remain balanced and centered on the needs of our team.
- Goal-Setting and Reviews:We support your career growth through clear goal-setting and regular performance reviews to help you reflect on your progress.
- Competitive Compensation: We believe in fair and competitive salaries that align with your responsibilities and contributions.
- Menstrual Leave: Women employees are entitled to up to 6 days of menstrual leave annually.
- Comprehensive Leave Policy:Our leave policy combines public holidays, sick leave, and casual leave, encouraging a healthy work-life balance.
- Expertise and Diversity: You’ll collaborate with leading experts tackling some of India’s most complex issues. Our diverse team and comprehensive approach offer ample opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Application process:
Last date for application – 15th May 2026