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Lead, Research & Advocacy at Parag Initiative

Background of the Organisation

Kalike is an associate organisation of Tata Trusts seeded in 2012. Kalike, through its direct field engagement, strives to facilitate deep, large-scale, and long-term impact on the quality of life through the interventions in area of Early Childhood Development, Elementary Education, Skill development for Youths, Water and Sanitation, Agri-based Livelihood and Elderly Care. Besides facilitating interventions in partnership with the state governments and other NGOs/Institutions, Kalike plays a critical role in providing monitoring services and technical support to Trusts partners; incubating new innovations/strategies, acts as a knowledge hub and works towards scaling up programs for long-term impact.

About Parag Initiative

Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts, supports developing an ecosystem for Indian children’s literature and libraries to promote reading culture for children across India. Parag team would like to strengthen systemic transformation through research, public discourse, and policy influence. Parag team is housed under Kalike for administrative purposes.

About the Lead, Research & Advocacy role

As Lead, Research & Advocacy, you will play a critical leadership role in driving Parag’s knowledge and policy agenda. You will lead planning and anchoring research studies, build strategic partnerships, and shape public and institutional conversations on children’s literature, libraries, and reading equity. This role is ideal for someone who is both strategic and grounded — someone who can think systemically and work collaboratively to bring about policy-level change.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Research & Knowledge Building

• Design and anchor research studies in partnership with organisations working on reading promotion and education research.
• Identify and develop key sectoral themes (e.g., state of libraries, regional publishing, book access), ensuring dissemination to shape practice and building a shared discourse.
• Support evidence-building for Parag’s ongoing programs and identify platforms for strategic outreach.
• Establish Parag as a thought leader through content and knowledge creation in collaboration with Communications and Dissemination teams.

2. Policy Advocacy & Public Engagement

• Shape and execute Parag’s advocacy agenda around reading promotion, children’s literature, and school libraries.
• Engage with government and sector partners to influence policies on quality book procurement, adequate resource and time allocation for libraries.
• Anchor development policy briefs, position papers, and represent Parag in relevant networks and government forums.
• Identify opportunities to align Parag’s efforts with national priorities on foundational learning and multi-lingual education.
• Organise sectoral convenings and campaigns to build public and policy momentum for reading equity in collaboration with key stakeholder.
• Collaborate with communications and dissemination leads to translate research and advocacy messages into accessible formats for educators, parents, and the public.

Essential Skills & Knowledge

• Experience in research, policy advocacy, or program leadership, with at least 5 years in education and development sectors.
• Proven ability to design and lead research studies, preferably in partnership with civil society or academic institutions.
• Experience leading advocacy efforts or public campaigns with measurable impact.
• Understanding of the Indian education system, foundational learning, children’s publishing, and library ecosystems.

Core Competencies

• Research Skills: Strong command over qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis, and report writing.
• Policy Acumen: Ability to engage with and influence state and national education policy frameworks.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to identify gaps, set priorities, and develop actionable agendas.
• Communication: Excellent writing and verbal communication skills in English; ability to create impactful content for varied audiences.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Experience in working with government agencies, NGOs, academia, and other ecosystem actors.
• Project Management: Ability to manage complex projects and partnerships across timelines and geographie.

Educational Qualification & Experience

• Postgraduate degree in Education, Public Policy, Development Studies, or related fields
• 8- 10 years of experience in education.
• Mission Alignment: Deep commitment to leading equity, social justice, and systemic change.
• Preferred:
  • Prior publications (research papers, reports, articles).
  • Proficiency in at least one Indian language besides English.
  • Experience working with or within government systems or large-scale education programmes.

Number of Positions: 1

Reporting Officer: Lead, Parag

Location: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune

Salary: Commensurate with experience and skill sets

Last Date to Apply: November 10, 2025

Submission of Application: Share your CV and a two-page note proposing two advocacy ideas for reading promotion that Parag should pursue, to [email protected]and [email protected]. Include your full name in the file name of the CV. Use the subject line, ‘Application for the post of Lead, Research & Advocacy at Parag Initiative’, for your email.