Research Fellow

The Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (“Vidhi”) is an independent think tank doing legal research to make better laws and improve governance for the public good. Vidhi is committed to producing legal research of the highest standard with the aim of informing public debate and contributing to improved governance. Vidhi works with Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, as well as other public institutions, providing research and drafting support at various stages of law-making. Vidhi also conducts and freely disseminates independent research in areas of legal reform which it believes is critical to India’s future.

Vidhi is an equal opportunity employer and neither practices nor tolerates any kind of discriminatory behaviour.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Research Fellows at Vidhi work closely with their teams to conduct legal and policy research, draft publications, and contribute to evidence-based law and governance reform.

In this role, the Fellow will begin their term with the Legal Design and Regulation team, while also being part of an institutional pool of researchers who work with other teams during their tenure, based on organisational needs and individual strengths.

As part of the Legal Design and Regulation team, the Research Fellow will work to build and execute Vidhi’s engagement portfolio with government ministries, departments and public institutions at the Central and State levels, focusing on regulatory reform and institutional design. The Research Fellow will contribute to substantive research outputs, drafting support, stakeholder engagement, and project execution across multiple concurrent engagements with government departments, committees, and public institutions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Undertaking high-quality legal research, policy analysis, and legislative drafting.
• Prepare reports, concept notes, issue briefs, and slide decks for internal and external audiences, translating complex analysis into actionable recommendations.
• Coordinate and attend meetings,consultations, and presentations with government officials, academics, researchers and other stakeholders.
• Manage timelines and workplans across parallel workstreams.
• Write articles and blogs to disseminate research work.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential

• Undergraduate degree in Law and/or Postgraduate degree in Law/Public Policy.
• 0-2 years of work experience in the domain of legal research or policy analysis (a master’s degree will be counted as one year of experience).
• Excellent legal research, policy analysis, and writing/drafting skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive stakeholder contexts.

Desirable

• Master’s degree in law, social sciences, or public policy analysis.
• Experience in interacting with government officials, civil society groups, industry associations, and concerned stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and deliver structured outputs in a fast-paced environment.

LOCATION AND REMUNERATION

• This is a full-time position based out of New Delhi.
• Remuneration will be competitive, in line with experience and existing structure at Vidhi.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should apply through our online portal by filling in the required details in the application form and uploading the following documents:

• Latest Curriculum Vitae (CV) (not exceeding two A4 pages)
• Statement of motivation (in a maximum of 500 words) explaining why the candidate is interested in this position
• Details of two references including names, contact details and nature of professional relationship
• An original writing sample of not more than 1000 words with an in-depth analysis of any legal/policy issue that demonstrates the candidate’s legal research, policy analysis, and writing skills

Please ensure that the file is titled “FirstName LastName_Application for Position Name” and is uploaded as a single PDF file under the field of ‘Additional Documents’.

The deadline to submit applications is 5 January 2026. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Only applications submitted through the online portal will be reviewed. Please do not email resumes and cover letters; only queries may be sent via email to careers@vidhilegalpolicy.in with the subject line “Query – Research Fellow, Legal Design and Regulation”.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.