Private Sector Engagement Manager - Women's Economic Empowerment

Position Summary

IPE Global’s Social and Economic Empowerment practice works towards building girl capital, empowering women and nurturing resilient communities by creating inclusive and sustainable solutions, including but not limited to policy development, capacity building, adaptive management, community mobilisation, behavioural change communication, deepening social safety nets, beneficiary feedback analysis, poverty assessment, and evidence-based monitoring.

Our She Works programme is a five-year (2025-2030) initiative to enable 3 million young women (in the age group of 18-29 years) to access aspirational jobs by addressing the social, economic, and institutional barriers that limit their participation in paid work. The design draws on proven models – including the Manzil programme in Rajasthan (which supported over 15,000 young women), the NSDC Skill Impact Bond, and FSG’s GLOW gender diversity roadmaps. The initiative will partner with state governments in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh to create scalable solutions.

The State Mission aims to increase women's participation in paid work by improving hiring, retention, workplace safety, and gender-inclusive practices across high-growth sectors. IPE is hiring a Private Sector Engagement Manager who will anchor all state-level industry engagement in Rajasthan, working directly with employers, industrial associations, district officials, and state departments to increase women’s employment opportunities and improve workplace conditions across the state.

This role will design and implement a state-specific strategy to onboard companies, secure diversity pledges, strengthen gender-responsive practices at the firm level, and build long-term partnerships with industry networks.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of a state-specific private-sector strategy to increase women’s employment across priority industries and clusters.
• Coordinate with the state Employment Department, Industries Department, State Skill Development Mission (SSDM), District Skill Committees (DSCs), and other relevant industry bodies to align employer engagement with the State Action Plan.
• Support the state government in organising job fairs to increase women’s access to employment opportunities.
• Build and manage partnerships with state and sector-specific industry bodies to onboard employers and drive gender-inclusive practices.
• Roll out the state diversity pledges, track company progress, and support the creation of state-level recognition mechanisms for gender-inclusive employers.
• Promote gender-friendly certifications and diversity indices among private employers to drive widespread recognition and compliance.
• Facilitate state-level industry roundtables and district/cluster policy dialogues – with Employment Department, Industries Department, SSDM, and state industry associations – to drive sector-wide adoption of gender-inclusive practices across the state.
• Design a state-level recognition mechanism, in partnership with the state government and state industry bodies, to acknowledge companies that achieve or exceed their diversity pledge commitments.
• Capture field insights, document best practices, and support state-level monitoring and reporting mechanisms for adaptive programme learning.
• Document state-specific case studies of companies and clusters that successfully adopt gender-inclusive hiring and workplace practices, and share them through state review meetings and industry platforms.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the professional may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities, as determined by the senior leadership.

Qualification & Experience

Educational Background

Master’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Gender/ Development Studies, Human Resource Management, Economics or a related field.

Work Experience:

• At least 8 years of professional work experience in engaging with corporates, government departments, and donor agencies on economic empowerment or infrastructure delivery.
• Track record of engaging with senior industry leaders and influencing organisational change.
• Strong understanding of gender and labour market dynamics in India.

Technical Expertise:

• Deep knowledge of gender-responsive approaches to private sector development and employment.
• Familiarity with government schemes, ESG principles, and inclusive value chains.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Strategic Thinking and Innovation: Ability to design and drive complex partnership models for social impact.
• Negotiation and Influence: Skilled in leading high-level engagement with government officials and private players.
• Gender and Inclusion Lens: Experience integrating gender-transformative approaches into public-private programs.

Our commitments

• We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.
• We are committed to diversity in our workforce and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
• You will work with sector experts and understand how people-centered policies can be created and effectively implemented.
• With us, you will master framing narratives and counterpoints and pace storytelling for internal and external stakeholders.
• We offer a space for you to grow, think innovatively, and shed unconscious biases while learning more about diverse cultures.