Associate Director

Role: Associate Director - Programmes (Economic Growth)

Location- Delhi

About The Convergence Foundation and TCF Network:

The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is an Indian philanthropic foundation established by Ashish and Manisha Dhawan in April 2021. TCF builds on their legacy of impactful philanthropy, including the founding of transformative institutions like Ashoka University and the Central Square Foundation.

Our mission is clear: to transform the lives of all Indians through rapid, sustained economic growth and inclusive development. To achieve this, we focus on 3 pillars 1) Direct engines of economic growth that enable job creation, 2) Human capital development through education and employability, and 3) Development Enablers that strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem and improve state capacity.

In each area, TCF works on:

1. Building pioneering institutions to address India's most complex socio-economic challenges.
2. Shaping the larger ecosystem and sharing knowledge, insights and learning with other philanthropists, governments and key stakeholders

We believe that the government is the key actor for system change, and the role of philanthropy and nonprofits is to strategically support the government. The TCF Network includes 20+ organisations all working systemically with the government, committed to addressing specific areas of India's socio-economic development, across our three pillars.

About the Role

The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is seeking a strategic leader to help shape and scale our Economic Growth portfolio one of TCFs core focus areas. This role will work closely with a senior business leader to explore and build out high-impact initiatives across multiple verticals, such as exports, ease of doing business, regulatory reform, MSMEs, and more.

You will lead TCFs content and strategy work in this space - conducting deep primary and secondary research, building TCFs point of view on priority issues, and translating this into investable opportunities, whether by incubating new organisations or funding high-potential existing ones. The role demands strategic problem-solving, strong external engagement skills, and the ability to turn ideas into action.

Over time, you will take increasing ownership of the economic growth portfolio - setting priorities, expanding into new thematic areas, and refining TCFs long-term thesis on economic growth in India.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and develop new areas of work in the economic growth portfolio in collaboration with senior leadership.
• Synthesize insights and provide first-level analytical depth and framing on emerging topics that inform TCFs strategy and support decision-making by leadership
• Engage with senior external stakeholders - including government officials, industry bodies, investors, and civil society leaders to understand binding constraints across sectors, understand government priorities and build strong knowledge
• Translate strategic ideas into executable programs while working with subject matter experts, grantees, and implementation partners.
• Represent TCF externally in meetings, and public forums, especially in senior engagements where leadership presence is not possible.
• Support partner organisations - track milestones against TCF funding, resolve bottlenecks, and ensure partners are delivering to high standards.

What Were Looking For

• 10- 12 years

  of experience in management consulting, public policy, governance, economic development, or a related field.
• Proven ability to operate in senior, external-facing roles, including engaging with government, industry, and philanthropic leaders.
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical ability; comfortable working across multiple domains and quickly mastering new subject areas.
• Highly collaborative and comfortable working closely with senior leaders, while also able to take independent ownership of workstreams.
• Flexible and adaptable; thrives in fast-changing, ambiguous contexts.

How to Apply: