Manager - Thought Leadership & Policy - Education Sector

Our Client is an Institution (150 yr old professional society) - a volunteer-led organisation that is working to engineer a better world. Volunteers are highly skilled engineers from top engineering firms and academic institutions and are united by a passion to solve pressing engineering challenges. The staff team supports the volunteers in their vision.

The org is Headquartered in the UK.

Manager - Thought Leadership & Policy

Thought Leadership & Policy will spend time in understanding the important sectors for India and work on creating thought leadership platforms, events, activities, collaborations and focused projects which will lead to The Institution as being recognised as one of the key stakeholders/players in our areas of focus in India. The incumbent will have to work closely with senior expert volunteers (thought leaders)
produce knowledge outputs for a varied set of audience, including public policy documents and recommendations for the government.

The role will also be involved in a collaborative relationship with the UK based Sector Heads, working on a number of key activities and external relationships. The position will be expected to manage strategic programs as well as dealing internally within the organisation to ensure cross functional support within the business.

Five Behaviors:

- Include Everyone

- I do my very best

- I take full ownership

- I work well with others

- I openly communicate

Key Accountabilities (not necessarily in priority order):

Thought Leadership

- Research and development of thought leadership themes and key topics relevant to the Indian market.

- Deliver clear strategic direction from knowledge of the focus areas for India to both internal and external stakeholders and champion a highly effective thought leadership and policy strategy including planning and resource allocation.

- Work across the identified sectors in order to make connections and identify and exploit cross-sector opportunities for the benefit of institution and its members.

- Own, update and manage the Thought leadership and policy P&L and constantly move towards optimizing it

- To be instrumental in driving the thought leadership initiatives, working towards making them volunteer driven thought leadership bodies.

- To create focus-area specific engagement bodies for engineers in India and also manage them through intervention leading to desired outcomes.

- To research the key triggers for India in the respective areas of our focus.

- To engage with established experts in the region and develop productive new relationships with key practitioners.

- Establishing working groups and running them effectively to build volunteer engagement and deliver thought leadership outcomes.

- Consult and use feedback from volunteers and other stakeholders to continuously improve the thought leadership approach in terms of the development and delivery of products and services.

- Engage with UK Sector Heads to work on sectors which are relevant to both markets

- Work with the events and marketing departments to ensure that the thought leadership platforms are well represented in the media

- Provision of effective administration, organisation and application of consistent project management techniques/methodology.

- Sit on specific expert working group calls, providing administrative support.

- Undertake any other duties and projects at the request of the line manager

- Own the strategic vision for thought leadership led events as well as enable their outcomes

Policy

- Providing reactive and proactive advisory to the government and associated bodies to impact policy outcomes in areas of focus

- Develop and maintain external strategic relationships relevant to the Institution in India and be able to represent the Institution in the public arena.

- Monitor the public policy space and build a forward-looking plan for the Institution role and impact on the policy landscape of India

- Build a network of volunteers whose expertise matches both the policy and governance landscape as well as the Institution strategic focus areas

- Work with the events and marketing departments to ensure that the Institution public policy work is well represented in the media

Corporate Social Responsibility

- Build the CSR portfolio and manage funds (subject to setting up of the trust)

- Attract CSR partnerships and deploy them effectively to projects that match the focus areas in India

- Manage sponsors, delivery partners and reporting

Special Projects :

- Own the conceptualisation and implementation of strategic special projects and their outcomes- Deliver the education content in India via a network of schools

- Deliver the education content in India via a network of schools

Aptitude and experience:

Essential Criteria

- Strong analytical skills and ability to assimilate complex information quickly.

- Methodical approach to work to ensure the delivery and management of accurate information.

- Excellent command of English, written and oral communication skills; ability to deal with telephone calls/messages etc. and compose emails and letters.

- Educated to a masters level or equivalent with an interest in engineering/technology/business and knowledge of the current commercial/industrial world.

- Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills, stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence, persuade and motivate at all levels.

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

- Sound organisational and planning skills, with the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.

- Experience of effective coordination of meetings and events, logistical requirements, booking rooms etc.

- Good attention to detail.

- An ability to use initiative and influencing skills.

- Ability to act on own initiative and problem solve as well as work effectively as part of a team.

- Project management skills.

Desirable Criteria

- An understanding of strategy development and implementation.

- Experience of working with committees and/or volunteers.

- Private sector or commercial project management within the not-for-profit sector