Senior Associate - Partnerships
Full-timeMid · 4-6 yearsH1B likely
About this role
About ISDM
The Indian School of Development Management pioneers a transformative approach to management, envisioning a world that is just, equitable, and sustainable. Established in 2016, it serves as a foundational hub for cultivating a robust ecosystem and a cadre of skilled professionals dedicated to advancing social change globally.
Driven by the conviction that the social sector plays a pivotal role in addressing humanity's most pressing challenges, the school operates on the premise that effective management is essential for achieving significant impact. By nurturing talent in Development Management tailored to the unique needs of the social sector, the school aims to catalyze sustainable socio-economic and ecological progress on a large scale.
Recognizing the power of institutions to shape professional ecosystems, the school aims to establish itself as a beacon of excellence in higher education. Through this, it seeks to lay the groundwork for a thriving community of practitioners dedicated to driving positive change in society.
Over the past seven years, the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) has garnered validation, support, and funding from esteemed individuals and organizations. While numerous programs worldwide aim to cultivate management capabilities for the social sector, they often reside within larger university ecosystems or business schools, where they may receive lesser attention compared to mainstream programs. ISDM stands out as the sole institution globally dedicated to fostering a comprehensive ecosystem for Development Management, focusing on pioneering work in critical areas.
ISDM's initiatives encompass:
- Knowledge Creation: Establishing a Global Knowledge Hub to create, disseminate, and institutionalize contextual knowledge on building, leading, and managing social purpose organizations, networks, and platforms.
- Talent Nurturing: Offering the Post Graduate Program in Development Management (PGP-DM) to attract and develop top-tier talent capable of addressing management challenges within the sector.
- Capacity Building: Providing Strategic Capacity Building programs to enhance individual and institutional capacities in development management, thereby fostering sustainable and scalable social impact.
ISDM has successfully completed its Proof of Concept Phase and is now set for expansion over the next five years. Key achievements include high placement rates for its PGP-DM graduates and plans for increased batch sizes, a new campus, international partnerships, and accreditation. The institute is also conducting research and establishing Centers of Excellence in various areas of social impact. Additionally, it offers programs for professionals and resources for grassroots organizations. Know More at www.isdm.org.in .
ISDM invites individuals who share its vision to join in creating a dynamic, catalytic ecosystem and positioning India as a thought leader in Development Management, ultimately enabling sustainable social impact at scale.
Job Role
The Senior Associate – Partnerships will be responsible for developing and stewarding strategic partnerships that advance the Global Knowledge Hub's (GKH) mission of strengthening Development Management through knowledge generation, systems strengthening, research, and capacity building. The role works across GKH's Centres of Excellence and Projects to identify, cultivate, and manage relationships with philanthropic, government, academic, civil society, research and ecosystem partners.
The position will contribute to co-developing partnership solutions, concept notes, proposals, partner engagement and resource mobilisation opportunities. The position requires strong relationship management, analytical thinking, proposal development, and the ability to translate institutional priorities into high-value collaborations.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Partnerships: Co-develop and steward a portfolio of institutional partnerships across GKH's Centres of Excellence by identifying opportunities, cultivating relationships, supporting negotiations, and strengthening long-term institutional engagement.
- Partner Stewardship: Manage the partnership lifecycle, including outreach, engagement planning, proposal coordination, internal alignment, implementation support, reporting, and relationship continuity.
- Partnership Solutions: Co-develop concept notes, proposals, partnership strategies, and resource mobilisation opportunities by aligning partner priorities with GKH's knowledge, research, and capacity-building capabilities.
- Research & Ecosystem Intelligence: Support the Centre through ecosystem scans, philanthropy research, stakeholder mapping, synthesis of sector trends, and development of knowledge products that inform strategic engagement.
- Knowledge & Coordination: Maintain partnership intelligence systems, pipelines, dashboards, documentation, and reporting while enabling cross-centre coordination and institutional learning.
- Inter collaboration: Co-drive internal collaborations on partnership, funding opportunities and knowledge sharing.
- Collaboration & Influencing: Builds trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders, aligns interests, and enables collaborative outcomes without relying on formal authority.
Educational Qualifications & Experience Required
- Master's/Bachelor's degree in Development Studies, Social Work, Public Policy, Management, Social Sciences, Public Administration, International Development, Communications, or a related discipline.
- 4–6 years of experience in strategic partnerships, institutional fundraising, business development, programme development, ecosystem engagement, or donor relations.
- Experience working with philanthropy, government, CSR, academia, multilateral agencies, or development organisations is desirable.
- Experience supporting research partnerships, knowledge initiatives, or institutional collaborations is an advantage.
- Experience working with philanthropic foundations or institutional donors/ CSRs.
- Experience in proposal writing and grant development.
- Familiarity with CRM or partnership management platforms.
- Experience contributing to research publications or knowledge products.
Skills Required-:
- Functional Skills
- Partnership development and stakeholder management
- Institutional fundraising and resource mobilisation
- Proposal, concept note, and partnership solution development
- Stakeholder mapping and ecosystem analysis
- Partnership pipeline management
- Research synthesis and insight generation
- Project coordination, reporting, and documentation
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Domain Knowledge
- Indian development and philanthropy ecosystem
- Government and public systems
- CSR Ecosystem
- Research and knowledge partnerships
- Soft Skills
- Relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Strong analytical and synthesis capabilities.
- Ability to translate ecosystem insights into partnership opportunities.
- Strong planning, organisation, and project management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining quality and timelines.
Remuneration for this role will be commensurate with qualifications & experience. To learn more about us and apply, check out isdm.org.in/careers.
ISDM is an equal-opportunity organization with a particular emphasis on affirmative action. The culture of the organization is one of professionalism while also one that greatly values relationships.