Website Circle In

Position

Program Manager (PM), Circle In

About Circle In

Circle In aims to drastically improve women’s economic empowerment in India. Women’s empowerment is both a moral imperative and a prerequisite for India’s social and economic progress. However, in 2021, India dropped 28 places in the Global Gender Gap Index, and now ranks 140 out of 156. The barriers to women’s economic empowerment, such as limited economic opportunities, lack of agency and decision-making power, and fundamental infrastructure (e.g. safety, mobility) are complex and interlinked, and require a holistic approach to the problem.

To accelerate women’s economic empowerment in India, Circle In will initially focus on three key areas:

Employment: doubling the female labor force participation rate and increasing female-owned enterprises from 20% to 30% in the next 15 years

Safety: Women are, and feel safe at home and at work

Agency: Increasing women’s decision-making power at home and at work

Circle In aims to be the leading organisation working on women’s economic empowerment in the country. This will require taking a foundation approach and utilising a variety of levers, such as building political salience, engaging with the private sector, innovating and using markets, providing seed funding and shaping supply, and building the ecosystem in this area. Circle In is being incubated by The Convergence Foundation, an organisation set up by Ashish Dhawan to identify critical voids in the social sector and build strong, long-lasting organisations to solve complex problems. We are supported by champions and advisors, including Megha Chawla (Partner, Bain & Company), Sri Rajan (former Chairman, Bain & Company), Ashwini Deshpande (Founding Director of Centre for Economic Data and Analysis at Ashoka University), and Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja (co-Managing Director at Central Square Foundation).

Position Summary

We are looking to hire an exceptional Program Manager (PM) to join the team in an exciting time of organisational growth and development. This role will require undertaking research, and identifying and testing innovative interventions to advance women’s economic empowerment. Overall, the PM will provide intellectual and management support, aligned with Circle In’s overall missions, goals, and targets.

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 women empowerment and the impact sector. This role will involve undertaking primary and secondary research and scoping exercises, providing management support, and ensuring that the organisation has the strategic support necessary to achieve its goals.

Key Responsibilities

Work with senior team members to execute workplans, with the aim of achieving the agreed targets and goals, in line with the budget
Support the leadership team with research and insight, recommending an appropriate approach
Undertake primary and secondary research with respect to ongoing projects
Stakeholder mapping/ providing inputs into advocacy plans
Assist the leadership team with creating and maintaining deep engagement with top leaders, funders, and experts
Develop and maintain a strong influencer/ advisor network, and initiate/ participate in a wide range of initiatives, not limited to proposals, events, and networking
Develop and implement activities and programs to build the organisation’s networking and communication capabilities
Take on diverse operational tasks to ensure organisational success

Required Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities

Undergraduate degree from a top tier institution. While the area of study can vary, passion for women’s empowerment is a must
2-5 years of work experience in a challenging/ high growth environment
Solid planning and organizational skills with high attention to detail, accuracy, protocol and deadline
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder-facing skills including solid presentation and facilitation skills
Strong writing ability that is clear, concise and analytic in style
High level of flexibility and responsiveness with the ability to shift priorities quickly and as organizational demands require

Remuneration