Location: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
CivicDataLab (CDL) is a multidisciplinary research lab working to strengthen data and AI for the public good and enable changemakers. We work across domains including climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, governance, public finance, justice, public health, gender and inclusion, and Indian language ecosystems. Over the last decade, CDL has developed and contributed to a range of open data, civic-tech, and AI initiatives aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, participation, and resilience across India and the Asia-Pacific region.
CDL is currently building and supporting a growing ecosystem of digital public infrastructure, data platforms, and responsible AI systems, including:
CivicDataSpace: shared data and AI infrastructure for public good
IDS-DRR: climate and disaster resilience data infrastructure
ParakhAI: participatory AI auditing and responsible AI assessment systems
CDL convenes multiple data and AI collaboratives across climate resilience, governance, justice, gender and inclusion, FemHealth, Indian languages, and public finance to strengthen responsible, interoperable, and public-interest digital ecosystems.
We are looking for a mission-driven Associate State Lead - Partnerships & Growth to lead CDL’s institutional presence, partnerships, and strategic growth efforts across Himachal Pradesh.
This role combines ecosystem building, government engagement, institutional partnerships, regional strategy, and public-interest program development. The selected candidate will serve as CDL’s primary representative in Himachal Pradesh, working closely with government departments, local institutions, universities, civil society organisations, funding partners, and ecosystem actors to build trusted relationships, identify strategic opportunities, and strengthen CDL’s long-term regional presence.
The role requires someone who can bridge:
government engagement and institutional partnerships,
regional ecosystem building and strategic growth,
public-interest technology and governance systems,
and relationship management with long-term program and collaboration development.
You will help build sustainable, collaborative public-interest ecosystems that strengthen data-driven governance, climate resilience, disaster preparedness, digital public infrastructure, and inclusive innovation in Himachal Pradesh.
We are looking for someone who is comfortable working in evolving and often ambiguous institutional contexts, independently building trust with government and ecosystem stakeholders, navigating public systems, developing strategic partnerships, and translating emerging regional priorities into long-term collaborations and programmatic opportunities for CDL.
Serve as CivicDataLab’s lead representative in Himachal Pradesh.
Build and manage long-term relationships with government departments, development partners, universities, research institutions, civil society organizations, philanthropies, and ecosystem stakeholders.
Identify and develop strategic collaboration opportunities across multiple priority sectors like climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, public finance, digital public infrastructure, open governance, and related public-interest domains.
Represent CDL in consultations, conferences, workshops, policy discussions, and ecosystem forums.
Contribute to strengthening state-level ecosystems around data, technology, AI, and public-interest innovation.
Identify and support opportunities for government engagement, grants, consortiums, institutional partnerships, and long-term collaborative initiatives.
Support proposal development, stakeholder outreach, partnership strategy, and institutional engagement efforts.
Track developments across governance, climate, technology, disaster resilience, and public policy ecosystems relevant to CDL’s work.
Contribute strategic inputs toward CDL’s long-term regional growth and engagement strategy in Himachal Pradesh.
Help identify sustainable pathways for institutional expansion and ecosystem strengthening in the state.
Work closely with government stakeholders, researchers, implementation partners, and internal teams to support collaborative initiatives.
Facilitate coordination across multidisciplinary teams spanning research, partnerships, data, technology, design, and programme implementation.
Translate stakeholder needs, field learnings, and ecosystem insights into actionable strategic inputs.
Maintain a strong contextual understanding of governance priorities, institutional ecosystems, and emerging public-interest opportunities in Himachal Pradesh.
Strengthen CDL’s institutional presence and long-term ecosystem relationships across the state.
Support stakeholder mapping, partnership management, institutional documentation, and knowledge continuity practices.
Contribute to collaborative and interdisciplinary ways of working across teams and partners.
Support local institutions and ecosystem actors in leveraging data, digital systems, and public-interest technologies more effectively.
7+ years of experience in stakeholder management and developing partnerships, including government entities, with at least 2 years in a leadership or management role.
Experience in business development, including familiarity with government procurement, tendering, and proposal development processes.
Experience managing data-driven projects and/or Digital Public Goods & Infrastructure (DPG&I) initiatives, with exposure to sectors such as disaster risk reduction (DRR)/ forestry, biodiversity,/climate resilient agriculture/public finance management (budget and procurement)/gender and inclusion. Candidates should demonstrate openness to working across interdisciplinary domains and an ability to quickly build contextual understanding of emerging thematic areas.
Relevant work experience in outreach with government and non-government stakeholders
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work and collaborate with government officials and other stakeholders.
Knowledge of working with the public data ecosystem with special focus on governance related data.
Ability to work collaboratively with a multi disciplinary team on projects across sectors simultaneously and efficiently, in a self motivated environment.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify opportunities and develop creative solutions across different sectors of engagement.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders, including government agencies, civil-society organizations, researcher communities, academia, and media, to advance their research and data.
Invested in the cause of open source and open data for social good.
Willingness to travel frequently, primarily within Himachal Pradesh and on a need basis to other parts of the country.
A postgraduate degree in Public Policy, Development Studies, Social Work, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or related disciplines is preferred.
How we work
CivicDataLab has its base location in Delhi, while having satellite offices in Guwahati and Shimla. We follow a hybrid model where our bandhus work out of the office for a minimum of 3 days a week. We use open-source tools and agile methodologies in organising our work.
Remuneration
Consolidated pay of INR 9.3 - 12.3 Lakhs (incl taxes)based on experience and skills.
Our Hiring Process
The entire hiring process averages between 3 and 4 weeks.
