The Senior Lead – Advocacy will lead Room to Read India's policy engagement, advocacy, and government partnership agenda to strengthen education systems and improve learning outcomes at scale. The role will work across the Literacy and Gender Equality portfolios to position Room to Read as a trusted technical partner by translating implementation experience into policy dialogue, strengthening strategic government relationships, and advancing systems-level change. The incumbent will build and sustain relationships with government institutions, development partners, think tanks, and the broader education ecosystem to support policy priorities aligned with national and state education reforms. The role will also strengthen Room to Read's external positioning through strategic representation, policy engagement, and thought leadership while supporting organizational priorities and long-term programme growth.
The person will be working closely with Programme Leadership, RM&E, Communications, Resource Development, and senior leadership, the position will ensure alignment between organizational priorities, policy developments, government engagement, and programme implementation. This role offers direct exposure to India leadership decision-making, scale planning, strategic partnerships, and communication. It can evolve into a senior role over time based on performance, initiative, and leadership potential.
Develop and lead Room to Read India’s policy and advocacy strategy, aligning organizational priorities with national and state education reforms and emerging opportunities.
Monitor policy developments, identify strategic advocacy opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations to leadership on issues related to foundational literacy, gender equality, and education system strengthening.
Translate programme implementation experience, research, and organizational learning into evidence-informed policy recommendations and advocacy messages that influence education policy and practice.
Develop high-quality policy briefs, concept notes, position papers, consultation responses, presentations, and other strategic communication materials for internal and external stakeholders.
Represent Room to Read in national and state-level policy consultations, technical working groups, conferences, and sector forums to strengthen the organization’s visibility, credibility, and policy influence.
Build, strengthen, and sustain strategic relationships with the Ministry of Education, NCERT, SCERTs, DIETs, State Education Departments, NITI Aayog, and other government institutions to advance Room to Read's mission and support long-term education system strengthening.
Develop and manage strategic partnerships with multilateral agencies, development partners, think tanks, academic institutions, research organizations, philanthropic foundations, and civil society organizations to advance shared education priorities and systems-level impact.
Identify, cultivate, and facilitate opportunities for government collaboration, technical assistance, and programme scale-up, ensuring alignment with national and state education priorities and organizational objectives.
Monitor national and state education policy developments, assess their implications for organizational priorities and partnership opportunities, and provide timely strategic insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
Lead stakeholder engagement by maintaining strong relationships with senior government officials and external partners, ensuring effective communication, alignment, and long-term collaboration.
Evaluate the effectiveness of strategic partnerships, identify opportunities to strengthen engagement and expand impact, and provide periodic updates and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
Lead the development of Room to Read India's thought leadership agenda by positioning organizational experience, programme learning, and technical expertise within national and state education discourse.
Develop and execute policy advocacy strategies aligned with organizational priorities, identifying policy gaps and recommending evidence-based reforms that strengthen education systems.
Track national and state policy developments, assess their implications, and translate evidence into policy briefs, concept notes, cabinet notes, discussion papers, presentations, and other advocacy materials.
Build and manage strategic relationships with senior government officials, ministries, NITI Aayog, state departments, development partners, think tanks, research institutions, philanthropic organizations, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
Represent the organization in government meetings, consultations, conferences, expert panels, working groups, and sector dialogues to advance policy priorities and strengthen organizational influence.
Prepare strategic presentations, keynote speeches, publications, articles, and other external communication products, working closely with Communications and programme teams to ensure consistent messaging that enhances Room to Read's visibility, credibility, and impact.
Support the design, implementation, and scaling of government partnership initiatives, including facilitating MoUs, partnership agreements, and inter-agency collaborations.
Manage senior stakeholder communication, provide strategic updates to organizational leadership, and monitor partnership outcomes by documenting impact, learnings, and best practices.
Master's degree in Education, Public Policy, Development Studies, Public Administration, Social Sciences, or related discipline.
10–15 years of progressively responsible experience in education, system strengthening, policy, advocacy, strategic partnerships, or institutional development.
Demonstrated experience working with government education systems.
Experience engaging with national institutions such as MoE, NCERT, SCERTs, DIETs, or multilateral organizations is highly desirable.
Experience in strategic planning, research, and knowledge management.
Strategic thinker who connects dots between program work, partnership value, and system needs.
Eloquent and collaborative, with the confidence to engage multiple internal and external stakeholders.
Strong research, synthesis, and structured thinking capability, with the ability to produce high-quality outputs quickly.
High ownership, disciplined execution, and a can-do attitude, with the flexibility to take on additional responsibilities as needed.
Passion for foundational learning and equity in education.
Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include thirteenth month bonus, health insurance, and a retirement plan. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education.
Room to Read is a child-safe organization.
Child Protection Principles
Room to Read is committed to the education and welfare of children and protecting them from abuse and exploitation
Room to Read has zero tolerance for child abuse and exploitation.
All children have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation, including neglect, maltreatment, and physical, mental or sexual violence, injury or abuse.
All children should be treated with respect and dignity.
The well-being of the child is Room to Read’s first priority when dealing with all identified or suspected cases of child abuse.
Room to Read shall integrate child protection into all its organizational strategies, structures and work practices.
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Principles
Room to Read Representatives must create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
Room to Read has zero tolerance for adult sexual exploitation and abuse.
Sexual exploitation and abuse are serious violations of fundamental human rights and will not be accepted or tolerated.
All adults should be treated with respect and dignity.
Room to Read implements a survivor-centered approach, putting the survivor’s rights and dignity at the forefront.
Survivors referred to available professional assistance (e.g. mental health counselling), upon consent.
About Room to Read:
Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read envisions a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, where all children have room to read, learn and grow – creating lasting change. Through our Literacy Portfolio, we train and coach teachers of the early grades in literacy instruction; create and publish quality books and curricular materials in local languages; and establish children’s libraries filled with diverse children’s books that can be enjoyed at school and home. Our Gender Equality Portfolio supports adolescents, particularly girls, in developing life skills that promote gender equality, helping them to pursue lifelong learning and make informed decisions.
We support young people of all genders to overcome gender biases and build the knowledge and skills to create a gender-equal world. Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations, publishers, and governments to test and implement innovative models that can be integrated into the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. To date, Room to Read has benefited more than 50 million children in 28 countries.
Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.
