Designation: Senior Lead, Advocacy
Job Location: New Delhi (India Country Office).
Organization Profile:
Room to Read India was established in 2003 and presently has programs in twelve states – Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Room to Read is an organization transforming the lives of millions of children by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.
Position Overview:
The Senior Lead – Advocacy will lead Room to Read India's policy engagement, advocacy, and government partnership agenda to strengthen education systems and improve learning outcomes at scale. The role will work across the Literacy and Gender Equality portfolios to position Room to Read as a trusted technical partner by translating implementation experience into policy dialogue, strengthening strategic government relationships, and advancing systems-level change. The incumbent will build and sustain relationships with government institutions, development partners, think tanks, and the broader education ecosystem to support policy priorities aligned with national and state education reforms. The role will also strengthen Room to Read's external positioning through strategic representation, policy engagement, and thought leadership while supporting organizational priorities and long-term programme growth.
The person will be working closely with Programme Leadership, RM&E, Communications, Resource Development, and senior leadership, the position will ensure alignment between organizational priorities, policy developments, government engagement, and programme implementation. This role offers direct exposure to India leadership decision-making, scale planning, strategic partnerships, and communication. It can evolve into a senior role over time based on performance, initiative, and leadership potential.
Key Responsibilities:
Policy & Advocacy:
- Develop and lead Room to Read India’s policy and advocacy strategy, aligning organizational priorities with national and state education reforms and emerging opportunities.
- Monitor policy developments, identify strategic advocacy opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations to leadership on issues related to foundational literacy, gender equality, and education system strengthening.
- Translate programme implementation experience, research, and organizational learning into evidence-informed policy recommendations and advocacy messages that influence education policy and practice.
- Develop high-quality policy briefs, concept notes, position papers, consultation responses, presentations, and other strategic communication materials for internal and external stakeholders.
- Represent Room to Read in national and state-level policy consultations, technical working groups, conferences, and sector forums to strengthen the organization’s visibility, credibility, and policy influence.
Government & Strategic Partnerships:
- Build, strengthen, and sustain strategic relationships with the Ministry of Education, NCERT, SCERTs, DIETs, State Education Departments, NITI Aayog, and other government institutions to advance Room to Read's mission and support long-term education system strengthening.
- Develop and manage strategic partnerships with multilateral agencies, development partners, think tanks, academic institutions, research organizations, philanthropic foundations, and civil society organizations to advance shared education priorities and systems-level impact.
- Identify, cultivate, and facilitate opportunities for government collaboration, technical assistance, and programme scale-up, ensuring alignment with national and state education priorities and organizational objectives.
- Monitor national and state education policy developments, assess their implications for organizational priorities and partnership opportunities, and provide timely strategic insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Lead stakeholder engagement by maintaining strong relationships with senior government officials and external partners, ensuring effective communication, alignment, and long-term collaboration.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of strategic partnerships, identify opportunities to strengthen engagement and expand impact, and provide periodic updates and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
Thought Leadership & Organizational Positioning:
- Lead the development of Room to Read India's thought leadership agenda by positioning organizational experience, programme learning, and technical expertise within national and state education discourse.
- Develop and execute policy advocacy strategies aligned with organizational priorities, identifying policy gaps and recommending evidence-based reforms that strengthen education systems.
- Track national and state policy developments, assess their implications, and translate evidence into policy briefs, concept notes, cabinet notes, discussion papers, presentations, and other advocacy materials.
- Build and manage strategic relationships with senior government officials, ministries, NITI Aayog, state departments, development partners, think tanks, research institutions, philanthropic organizations, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
- Represent the organization in government meetings, consultations, conferences, expert panels, working groups, and sector dialogues to advance policy priorities and strengthen organizational influence.
- Prepare strategic presentations, keynote speeches, publications, articles, and other external communication products, working closely with Communications and programme teams to ensure consistent messaging that enhances Room to Read's visibility, credibility, and impact.
- Support the design, implementation, and scaling of government partnership initiatives, including facilitating MoUs, partnership agreements, and inter-agency collaborations.
- Manage senior stakeholder communication, provide strategic updates to organizational leadership, and monitor partnership outcomes by documenting impact, learnings, and best practices.
Qualifications:
Required:
- Master's degree in Education, Public Policy, Development Studies, Public Administration, Social Sciences, or related discipline.
- 10–15 years of progressively responsible experience in education, system strengthening, policy, advocacy, strategic partnerships, or institutional development.
- Demonstrated experience working with government education systems.
- Experience engaging with national institutions such as MoE, NCERT, SCERTs, DIETs, or multilateral organizations is highly desirable.
- Experience in strategic planning, research, and knowledge management.
- Preferred:
- Strategic thinker who connects dots between program work, partnership value, and system needs.
- Eloquent and collaborative, with the confidence to engage multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong research, synthesis, and structured thinking capability, with the ability to produce high-quality outputs quickly.
- High ownership, disciplined execution, and a can-do attitude, with the flexibility to take on additional responsibilities as needed.
- Passion for foundational learning and equity in education.
Compensation:
Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include thirteenth month bonus, health insurance, and a retirement plan. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education.
How to Apply:
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Room to Read is a child-safe organization; all personnel are expected to adhere to Room to Read’s Child Protection Policy and Child Protection Code of Conduct.
Room to Read is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.