The Convergence Foundation - Team Lead

Foundation for Economic Development (FED) is a Delhi-based non-profit organisation that aims to bring about a sustained and broad-based economic growth of over 10% in India.

The evidence clearly shows that economic growth is the best tool to lift people out of poverty and improve the quality of life for everyone. Until 1991, Indias poverty rate remained unchanged at ~50%. Post reforms, poverty reduced from ~50% to ~20% with 35 crore (350 million) fewer people living in abject poverty. Since 2010, sustaining fast growth has been challenging as the easy gains have been realised. It is critical for India to maintain a growth rate of over 10% for long periods of time if we want Indians quality of life to improve rapidly and sustainably.

FED will identify select sectors of the economy which have the highest potential for generating incremental growth and jobs and then work with policymakers to make it happen. The organisation has Dr Aravind Panagariya, Naushad Forbes, Gurcharan Das, Jerry Rao and Ashish Dhawan on its advisory board who are helping shape the thinking and execution.

Our Work

FED has identified Export Led Labour Intensive Manufacturing, Tourism and Construction as the highest opportunity sectors for generating incremental growth through aggressive reforms over the next few years. Immediate focus is largely on labour intensive manufacturing as this is an area of highest upside if right reforms can be brought about around critical factors of production like labour, land, utilities and logistics.

Our Approach

FED work streams are divided into three primary areas.

Research and Strategy: Deep dive into identified sectors, speak to relevant stakeholders, study practices from other countries and build data backed evidence for change

Communication and Outreach: Build salience for opportunity in target sectors and need for reforms through op-eds in relevant channels, social media as well as one on one engagement with key bureaucrats and policymakers

Implementation Support: Work with select state governments in helping implement specific actions to promote the target sectors. The team is currently working closely with the UP Government on its Mission Trillion Dollar economy. The team is also working with Telangana and Tamilnadu governments on their economic growth agenda.

Position Summary

We are looking to hire an exceptional TL to join the team in an exciting time of organisational growth and development. The TL will work on creating actionable plans, sharpening priorities, and ensuring delivery of high-quality outputs in a timely manner. The role will involve undertaking research and scoping exercises, establishing and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders, creating organisational growth and strategy plans, and ensuring that the organisation has the strategic support necessary to achieve its goals.Overall, the TL will provide project design and execution support, aligned with the missions, goals and targets of FED.

This is a high-energy, entrepreneurial role and a great opportunity for those who enjoy working in a start-up environment and care deeply about economic growth and the impact sector. This role includes working with senior stakeholders and engaging with them on strategic projects that have the potential to solve key challenges of economic development in India.

The FED team works with internal and external stakeholders on cross functional projects. The PL should have demonstrated capabilities in project, team and stakeholder management, as well as excellent oral & written communication skills. The ideal candidate is a self-starter with a bias towards action and the ability to work with ambiguous requirements.

Key Responsibilities

- Work with the leadership to execute work plans, with the aim of achieving the agreed targets and goals, in line with the budget.

- Stakeholder mapping/ providing inputs into advocacy plans.

- Work closely with the leadership team on creating and maintaining deep engagement with the government and private sector leaders.

- Take on diverse operational tasks to ensure organisational success.

- Prepare structured documents and other collaterals (including presentations, excel sheets etc.) as per the requirements for the project.

- Prepare progress reports from time-to-time for internal and external reviews.

- Project manage and coordinate with stakeholders concerned with various projects Analyse publicly available data/ information and provide relevant insights.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Abilities:

- Masters equivalent degree, preferably in Economics, from a top tier institution. 6 years of relevant experience.

- Solid planning and organisational skills with high attention to detail, accuracy, protocol and deadline.

- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder-facing skills including solid presentation and facilitation skills.

- High level of flexibility and responsiveness with the ability to shift priorities quickly and as organisational demands require.

- Comfortable managing and working with large spreadsheets of data.

- Ability to work independently and proactively, with minimal supervision

- Can-do attitude and openness to learn in ambiguous situations