Technical Head - Livelihoods

We are seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial Technical Head to help establish and grow the India Skills Outcomes Platform (ISOP), a first-of-its-kind partnership between the British Asian Trust (BAT) and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to mainstream outcomes-based financing across India's skilling ecosystem. The role sits at the intersection of strategy, government engagement, programme design and ecosystem development, with the primary focus of accelerating the adoption of outcomes-based financing across India by supporting state governments, central ministries, funders and ecosystem partners. The role also leads the Platform's knowledge agenda and contributes to external dissemination and thought leadership.

Responsibilities

Work alongside NSDC and MSDE to identify opportunities to mainstream outcomes-based financing in government programmes; Prioritise and engage State Skill Development Missions and other government stakeholders, and build and manage relationships with senior officials, funders, industry partners and ecosystem organisations; Lead BAT's strategy to expand adoption of outcomes-based financing across India's skilling ecosystem; Proactively cultivate partnerships and support partners to assess the suitability of outcomes-based approaches; Represent BAT and the India Skills Outcomes Platform in external meetings, workshops and strategic discussions; Lead or support the design of outcomes-based programmes for livelihoods outcomes, including intervention design, outcomes frameworks, commercial structures and implementation models; Develop concept notes, business cases, presentations and technical proposals for governments and partners; Facilitate and lead co-design processes with implementing partners, donors, government counterparts and technical partners; Support the BAT team in finalising contracts and term sheets; Keep donors engaged and updated through the design phase; Provide thought leadership support to programme teams during transition from design to implementation; Lead the Platform's knowledge agenda, developing evidence, tools and guidance; Work with the SOF team and NSDC to capture programme learnings and synthesise them into structured learning documents; Develop practical playbooks, toolkits, guidance notes and case studies; Lead development of external-facing publications and knowledge products; Coordinate with BAT's communications and fundraising teams; Support dissemination through conferences, workshops and stakeholder convenings; Build partnerships with national and international organisations working on outcomes-based financing; Work with BAT's India and global fundraising teams to raise funds for ISOP and related social finance initiatives; Lead drafting of donor-facing collateral including concept notes, pitch decks, proposals and presentations; Lead and develop the India Skills Outcomes Platform team, providing day-to-day management, coaching and quality assurance; Set priorities, allocate resources and oversee delivery across the Platform's workstreams; Foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial team culture; Work closely with BAT leadership to shape team strategy and support the growth of the Platform

Requirements

12+ years of professional experience in management consulting, international development, public policy, social finance, government advisory, or a related field, with increasing responsibility leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives; Demonstrated experience leading and developing high-performing teams, including managing multidisciplinary teams, setting priorities across multiple workstreams, coaching team members, and ensuring high-quality delivery in a fast-paced environment; Demonstrated experience developing strategy and translating it into implementation, ideally involving government systems, ecosystem building or market development; Understanding of social finance, outcomes-based financing, blended finance or related approaches (direct experience desirable but not essential); Strong programme design skills, including outcomes frameworks, theory of change, and financial modelling; Strong experience engaging and influencing senior stakeholders, including government, donors, foundations, CSR partners or private sector organisations; Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to distil complex ideas into compelling reports, briefing papers, proposals and other external-facing materials; Experience producing practical knowledge products, toolkits or evidence syntheses that have informed policy or programme adoption; Ability to work independently and manage multiple concurrent workstreams in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment; Comfort working with ambiguity, shifting between strategic and more operational thinking as required

Nice to have

Familiarity with outcomes-based financing, outcomes contracting, blended finance, results-based financing or other innovative financing approaches; Experience in skilling, livelihoods, workforce development or employment programmes in India; Experience working across philanthropy, development finance institutions, CSR or impact investing; Existing networks within the South Asian development, finance, or philanthropy ecosystem