The/Nudge Institute - Product Head - Economic Inclusion Program

About The/Nudge:

At The/Nudge Institute, our mission is to alleviate ultra-poverty in India by designing and scaling innovative economic inclusion programs. Our flagship Economic Inclusion Program aims to uplift 5 million households (25 million people) out of ultra-poverty in the next decade. We've already impacted 1.25 million individuals across 10 states, backed by $250M of government funding and strong partnerships with global foundations, philanthropists, and corporations

What are we solving for?

We are solving for households in poverty who are also financially and socially vulnerable through a targeted, multi-faceted, and sequenced model called the graduation approach, which has demonstrated that we can durably pull households out of poverty.

At The/Nudge Institute, we have been piloting this program for the past 3 years and are in the process of catalyzing the propagation of the same. Our purpose is to contribute to ending poverty in India.:

- Continue to implement on its own to iterate the design for impact at scale

- Enable more NGOs to adopt technical and capacity-building support

- Enable govt to adopt by providing research, design, and implementation support

- Continue to generate data on poverty and evidence on graduation approach to nudge governments to adopt at-scale

- Build technology solutions for NGOs and governments to adopt and implement at scale & with quality.

Position Overview:

As the Head of Product and Program Design, you will be the architect driving the vision, development, and scaling of innovative solutions in our Economic Inclusion Program. Working closely with government bodies, NGOs, and field teams, you'll lead a 20+ member team to design products and programs aimed at lifting millions of households out of ultra-poverty, delivering results in some of the most remote and marginalized parts of India. Your primary goal is to simplify complex poverty-alleviation strategies into scalable, tech-driven solutions that can be easily implemented by our coaches in the field.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Design & Development:

- Innovate and design tech-led, scalable platforms that can support millions of households across diverse geographies.

- Lead end-to-end research, product design, and strategy for impactful economic inclusion programs.

- Develop cost-effective solutions that simplify multidimensional poverty alleviation.

Scaling & Rollout:

- Lead the operationalization of products by building the capacity of field teams, operations teams, and government partners.

- Ensure that solutions are robust, scalable, and adaptable across India's socio-economic landscapes.

Stakeholder Engagement:

- Act as a bridge between on-ground teams, central product teams, and external stakeholders, ensuring practical and innovative implementation.

- Cultivate strong partnerships with governments, NGOs, and philanthropic organizations.

Team Leadership & Coaching:

- Build and inspire a high-performing product team.

- Foster a culture of continuous learning, research, and iterative design improvement.

Research & Evaluation:

- Drive ongoing research to ensure that product development is data-driven and impactful.

- Continuously evaluate and optimize programs to maximize impact and efficiency.

Key Skills & Competencies:

- Visionary Leadership: Ability to translate poverty alleviation goals into tangible product strategies.

- Tech Expertise: Proven track record in leveraging technology for large-scale social impact.

- User-Centric Design: Deep understanding of user needs, with experience simplifying complex processes for diverse users.

- Scaling Experience: Ability to manage and scale operations, particularly in resource-constrained environments.

- Stakeholder Management: Strong communication and negotiation skills, with experience managing multi-stakeholder projects.

- Analytical Acumen: Proficiency in data analysis and ability to leverage insights for product development.

- Adaptability: Capacity to thrive in ambiguous, rapidly changing environments.

Impact Focus: Relentless commitment to driving social change and poverty alleviation.

Requirements:

- Graduate/Post-Graduate (Advanced degrees in Computer Science, Product Management, Rural Development, or related fields preferred)

- 15-17 years in product management, with a focus on scalable solutions, and at least 10 years in tech-led, user-centric product development (experience in startups, social enterprises, or development sector preferred).

- Technical Knowledge: Strong background in research, product development, and product lifecycle management.

- Leadership: Experience in coaching and leading high-performance teams.

- Willingness to Travel: Ability and willingness to travel extensively to rural, remote locations.

- Language Proficiency: Strong verbal and written communication skills in English and Hindi.

What We Offer:

- Impact at Scale: Be part of a transformative mission aimed at lifting millions out of ultra-poverty.

- Growth Opportunities: Work with a high-impact, mission-driven team, engaging with diverse stakeholders across India and globally.

- Inclusive Environment: We are committed to diversity and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.

- We aspire to be an inclusive and diverse organization and encourage qualified individuals irrespective of their religion, caste, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, or any other dimension of identity, to apply.