The posting
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 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 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.
Global Knowledge Hub (GKH)
The Centres of Excellence (CoE) are housed within the Global Knowledge Hub, whose role is to strengthen, from end-to-end, the knowledge and practice of Development Management. GKH does this by collating and curating global experiences and knowledge, conducting in- depth research and producing knowledge assets and resources, collaborating to design products and programs for a wide range of target segments that impact the practice of development management and disseminating knowledge as a public good through like-minded individuals and institutions globally. The GKH is undertaking various research projects and studies to achieve its goal of establishing and strengthening the domain of DM. Please read more at www.isdm.org.in
Centres of Excellence
- They are independent units, carrying out research studies, engagement, and other activities in specific domains of development management
- Their aim is to impact the practice of development management in the Social Purpose ecosystem and significantly scale up the positive impact on the lives of people in sustained ways
- They will drive cutting edge thinking and become a global authority in that domain
Job Description
The Research Associate/Executive role at ISDM is an opportunity for young researchers to contribute to unique research studies to understand, synthesise and document the meaning and implications of management practice within the development sector. The studies conducted by the Centre span across a broad range of stakeholders inside social purpose organisations, donors, the investor community and the thriving support ecosystem that has emerged around the sector. This includes those who provide a range of services related to management, finances, legal, research and others.
The Associate/Executive shall support the co-creation and curation of knowledge artefacts (reports/case studies/papers) on development management. Facilitate and support team processes for seamless delivery of planned outputs and goals. Your work will involve co-creating and co-leading a research project from conceptualisation to dissemination.
If you unequivocally believe in the universal human values of justice, courage, compassion & equity, are passionate about doing your part to make the world a better place, excited about creating something new, and eager to be part of the journey of building a first-of-its-kind
institution in the world, then ISDM is the place for you. In addition, you will experience working in a dynamic environment, with room for experimentation & high sense of ownership & accountability.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the creation and execution of research projects and seminal studies, from determining research questions, creating research study designs, developing and validating research tools (both quantitative and qualitative, and both primary and secondary), creating analysis plans, extensively supporting data collection, data analysis, synthesis and report writing, and dissemination of the research
- Project manage the research, using a project management tool, including communicating with and managing external stakeholders
- Work closely with the Case Centre and the Dissemination Centre to help create knowledge collaterals for cases and dissemination
- Support the maintenance of knowledge infrastructure for GKH projects
- Support and, often, lead the design and execution of relevant events/convening that further the research agenda
- Track and manage budgets for the research/ event/ convening
- Support facilitation of capacity-building workshops
Educational Qualifications and Experience Required
- Post-graduate or equivalent in Management Studies/ Social Sciences/ Economics/ Development Studies/ Public Policy/Administration/ Data Science from a national/international university
- Excellent language and communication skills – written and oral
- Proven ability to support good quality research, knowledge/understanding of the social sector
- Ability to work within short timelines and in mixed teams
- Ability to learn on the job
- Good knowledge of research designs and methodologies – both qualitative and quantitative, both primary and secondary
- Good knowledge of analysis - both qualitative and quantitative
- Exposure to social sector organisations
- 1 to 2 years of experience of engaging with research
Remuneration shall be commensurate with experience and qualifications.
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.
